2009
The Hidden Tokyo
Design research studio
RMIT University and University of Adelaide2012
After Landscape
A 100-year plan for Shibitachi
Design research studio
RMIT University and Tokyo University of Technology2011
Visiting Research Fellow
Hiroshi Ota Lab for Sustainable Urban Regeneration,
Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo2010
Tokyo Void
Design research studio
RMIT University and University of Tokyo2011
Visited the disaster-affected areas in Tohoku
Started engagement with local community in the
recovery process after Great East Japan EarthquakeThe slide depicted a group of pot plants lining a street
in Tokyo, simultaneously ad hoc and meticulous
in their arrangement ... Two years ago this image
formed part of a lecture on Tokyo Voids and lodged
in my mind as one of the most dynamic and powerful
descriptions of an urban landscape. Marieluise’s book
was formative in shaping my education of landscape
and it continues to inform my practice.
Olivia O’Donnell
The University of Melbourne (student)
JAPAN DESIGN RESEARCH FIGHTING THE SEAWALLapproached these challenges with strong
conviction, determination and – at times –
a clever proportion of her typical wittiness.
With her PhD complete, and with limited
opportunity to pursue an academic career
in Japan, Marieluise and Heike planned to
go to California. But a series of unconnected
events opened their minds to the potentials
of Australia – a lecture from a New
Zealander describing coastal batches,
discussions with visiting University of
Melbourne lecturer Darko Radovic and the
growing implications of the 2008 global
financial crisis. In 2009, after teaching at
the University of Adelaide for a semester,
Marieluise moved to Melbourne for a full-
time academic position in landscape
architecture at RMIT University. In almost
nine years of service she contributed signifi-
cantly to the administration and leadership
of the discipline, performing the roles of
program manager in the bachelor program
(2011–2014) and the master’s program
(2015–2016), while at times working with the
school executive as acting deputy dean of
the landscape discipline. Marieluise’s
energy and passion for things and people
she cared for, her sharp intellect and her
exceptional ethical stance earned her deep
respect among both staff and students.Large parts of her teaching engaged with
the exploration of atmospheric qualities
through material composition and
construction techniques, highly inspired
by Japanese design and craftsmanship.
A hands-on approach and engagement with
the physical world formed an important
aspect in her pedagogy, whether it was
through the emphasis on model making or
through temporary site interventions that
explored the existing material context and
ephemeral characteristics of landscape.In these projects, she would often place
students in unconventional environments
to test conceptions of landscape, while also
encouraging the development of novel ideas
and design outcomes.Marieluise’s biggest contribution to RMIT
University and the broader Australian
design community was through her under-
standing of Asian urbanism. Always
grounded in landscape architecture, she
provided an expanded disciplinary perspec-
tive on contemporary issues when lecturing
in other programs and institutions. From
2009 Marieluise began regularly taking
undergraduate and master’s students to
Japan, often in collaboration with other
universities in Australia and Japan.
Immersing the students in a foreign culture
was never a superficial experience. Instead,
she aimed to unravel the material and atmo-
spheric qualities in strange, unexpected,When you saw how the genba – the actual landscape
of the Sanriku Coastline, where people in Japan
lived their lives – was being lost [to the seawall], you
said in sorrow, “This can’t happen!” You drew on
landscape design to propose a way for us to “live
with the sea.” I can only hope that the time will come
when all will realize the meaning and importance of
your ideas.
Keiko Sugawara
Kesennuma resident and documenter
of the building of the seawall