IFLA student charrette

The IFLA Student Charrette, sponsored by the Nava Polman Foundation, has been an important part of the IFLA World Congress for some time.

One of the roles of the charrette to promote and encourage the evolution of the profession of landscape architecture through education. Students have the opportunity to have their work reviewed alongside that of their peers from around the world. The discipline required to prepare a competition entry is a very useful exercise for students, and helps them prepare for some of the rigours of professional life.

The background of the IFLA Charette, sponsored by the Nava Polman-Gerson Foundation

Most of the frequent IFLA-World Congress participants, and especially the somewhat “long timer” landscape architects, will remember Nava Polman Gerson as a faithful and joyous attendee of IFLA-World congresses since the Bern congress in 1980. She was serving as the Netherlands Delegate to IFLA for many years.

She was born in Israel in 1942 and inherited her interest in the environment from her father, who was a professional gardener.

After her Gymnasium high school period and her military service, she started in 1961 studying landscape architecture at the Technion in Haifa, Israel, whilst working at the Segal Dekel landscape architects’ office in Tel Aviv.

In Israel she designed a number of different parks, such as the Engeland-Park in Tel-Aviv, the grounds of the Massada lift station and gardens in many kibbutz.

On one of her holidays she met her future husband, Hans Polman in what was then Rhodesia, and after her marriage in 1977 she decided to live in Holland. 

Challenged by the differences in climate and in the geomorphology between Israel and Holland she started to work for the local authority in the city of Nijmegen in 1978, where she designed children’s playgrounds, the landscape for the Lindenholt neighbourhood, restored old parks and cemeteries, etc.

In 1993, together with her husband, she started in MILLAND, her own landscape architecture practice, working mostly on the design of gardens and parks for local authorities and private clients .

She was a warm colleague and friend, joining the lectures, taking part in the social programmes, having professional and friendly discussions and telling jokes; we remember her Hans as a devoted and constant companion, taking part - mostly as the only man - thoroughly enjoying the “Ladies Programs”

She lived a happy life with her family and friends; she wanted so much to come to the IFLA congresses to say “hello” to all her many IFLA friends that she loved so much.

She died on October 10th 2009 at the age of 67 years and we lost a great friend and also a devoted landscape architect, but she will live on in the wonderful memories we all have of her.

In memory of Nava and her love of her profession, which she enjoyed teaching and discussing with young landscape architects and others, her husband founded in 2011 the Nava Polman-Gerson Foundation that sponsors the awarding of prizes of US 1500, 1000 and 500 to the three best projects in the Design Charette for (up till 35 years old) landscape architecture students held in conjunction with IFLA World Congresses.