Stumbling across a design software program while studying at university, Jonathon Turner soon convinced his classmates that itwas the best package to use for their landscape architecture course work.

An inquiring mind has benefited Jonathon in another, less unexpected way. The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture graduand was recently named the 2009 winner of the Lincoln University-Vectorworks Award.

The award is based on students' marks for their final-year course work and on a submission which includes examples of their work, which must meet a set range of targets.

The prize, Vectorworks Landmark software to the value of $4500, is a full licence to use the program.  That's "pretty fantastic", enthuses the former Wellington College student who is living back at home in Mahina Bay while he scouts out a job that will offer an outlet for his passion for urban design. 

Jonathon has already had a taste of working in this area with a recent six-week intern placement at the Studio of Pacific Architects.

As a school-leaver, he chose to study landscape architecture because it led to a career which allowed him to work outside, to draw, to work with people and to do something different every day.

"It offered the best combination of creativity and practicality that I was looking for, while the idea of starting off with a blank piece of paper and ending up with built outdoor spaces was a really appealing prospect."

In his first year at Lincoln, Jonathon and a friend randomly opened an unfamiliar icon on the computer screen.  They went on to explore Vectorworks, a CAD (computer-aided drafting) program they hadn't been using on their course. Although not formally trained to use the software, the pair quickly realised they had accessed a superior analytical tool.

After a few days of training with a tutor, the classof 30 made the change, using landscape projects to hone their skills.

"By the time I got to my third year I don't think anyone on the degree programme was using the alternative software."

Like other students, Jonathon was required to undertake a major design project in the second semester of his final year, selecting a real site and creating a design solution.

Working on a sustainable high-density development for Petone, he used Vectorworks to design a range of scales - "from regional structure plans to detailed construction drawings and everything in between."

The program allowed him to create exciting and eye-catching graphic design.

"With a click of a button I could see how many hectares of open space I proposed, how wide my roads were and the type and quantity of my plant palette. Furthermore, Vectorworks is most useful in producing layer maps such as vehicular circulation, storm water flow, climatic conditions, soil types and soon."

Jonathon rates Vectorworks as the most useful piece of computer software in his design toolbox. "I can see I will stick with it for a long time into the future," he says.