ABOUT   >   LIBBY GALLAGHER

DR. LIBBY GALLAGHER,

DIRECTOR, GALLAGHER STUDIO

Registered Landscape Architect, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects
Doctor of Philosophy (Architecture), USYD
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours 1st), UNSW

PRACTICE EXPERTISE
Libby is a registered landscape architect with over 20 years of professional experience on a range of public, mixed use and private projects in Australia and overseas. Libby’s expertise lies in the design and delivery of complex public domain projects. Libby was project landscape architect for Pirrama Park, Pyrmont, recipient of numerous awards including the 2010 Walter Burley Griffin National Award for Urban Design by the Australian Institute of Architects, and the 2009 National Planning Award of Excellence, AILA.  She has led large scale parks and public domain projects including St Leonards Park Master Plan and Cronulla Town Centre Master Plan. Recent projects including the Quality of Landscape Study for the City of Sydney and the Cool Streets Pilot Project for Blacktown Council have received AILA 2017 Awards of Excellence. 

Libby has also been involved in the delivery of strategic plans and master plans in Australia and internationally. Whilst in practice overseas she was involved in the redevelopment of Paddington Basin in central London, and the development of a public realm strategy and phase 1 works for Royal William Yard in Plymouth a site of international significance including scheduled ancient monuments and grade 1 listed items. In Australia she has led landscape architectural input into urban renewal and master planning projects for Telopea, Banksia, Arncliffe and Eastwood. These collaborative projects required extensive negotiations with key landowners and government authorities. She has been a member of the Georges River (formerly St George) Design Review Panel since 2012 and has recently been appointed to the Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA) Design Review Panel. 

RESEARCH AND TEACHING
Libby has dedicated the last seven years to researching the design and delivery of high quality public spaces to address the dual impacts of climate change and the urban heat island effect in cities. She has completed a PHD focused on retrofitting streets to adapt and address climate change. Her PHD research has drawn together her design skills and practice experience with detailed research into GHG simulation modelling. She has presented at a range of national and international conferences, including the 2017 International Festival of Landscape Architecture conference in Sydney and the 2017 Ecocity Conference in Melbourne. She has participated in cross disciplinary conferences, forums and seminars including the NCCARF National Climate Adaptation conference, the leading national research body on climate change adaptation.  Her research has extended into practice, with appointments by the NSW Government Architect, Blacktown City Council and Parramatta City Council. She has recently completed the  “Cool Streets” pilot project in Western Sydney, based on her PHD research which was awarded the AILA 2017 National Award of Excellence.

Libby’s interests lie in expanding her PHD research to explore a wider variety of urban and landscape systems, and developing design tools and methodologies that bridge research and practice. Her focus is on developing multidisciplinary urban design and research projects which bring together expertise from a range of fields including the climate sciences, engineering, built form and landscape architecture. Libby has taught in undergraduate and graduate programs in urban design, landscape architecture and planning programs at the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, the University of Technology Sydney, and Macquarie University. She has been an invited tutor and critic at a number of institutions. Libby is the recipient of the Lindsey Robertson Memorial Award and a University of Sydney Postgraduate award.