Landscape Architecture In the News
A sampling of recent press coverage of landscape architecture. Keyword terms are noted by “›››” and “‹‹‹” marks.

Green-roof guru delivers the gospel
The Courier-Journal
Date: 10/26/07

Trying to inspire, Ed Snodgrass of Emory Knoll Farms in Maryland took more than 100 local architects, developers and other invited guests on a photographic tour of green roofs around the world…Holland and his wife, Augusta, co-sponsored the event with the Kentucky Chapter of the >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<< and metro government. The couple are putting a green roof on a century-old warehouse they are renovating on East Market Street. In August, metro government took its first step to install a green roof, requesting proposals to retrofit the 14,000 square feet of tar and gravel atop the 444 Building, at 444 Fifth St., which houses the Metro

Succulents: Low-care way to go
Baxter Bulletin
Date: 10/26/07

Of the $950,000 spent to build a demonstration green garden on the roof of the >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<<' headquarters building in Washington, $600,000 went for a new interior stairway and landing to provide visitor access, officials said. "There's a great deal of difference between a highly viewed garden and a purely functional garden," said Edmund Snodgrass, co-author of "Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide" (Timber Press, 2006). "Succulents are the most popular," said Snodgrass, who also owns and operates Emory Knoll Farms and Green Roof Plants near Street, Md. The business supplies plants for over a million square feet of green roofs in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

Facilities Management News [2007-10-26]: ASLA releases report on its green roof's first-year performance
FMLink
Date: 10/26/07

The >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<< (ASLA) has released a report with the results of the first year of its green roof demonstration project, ranging from water and temperature monitoring to individual plant performance. ASLA says its green roof retained thousands of gallons of stormwater, reduced building energy costs by hundreds of dollars a month, and significantly lowered outdoor air temperature. In 2006, ASLA replaced the conventional roof on its downtown Washington, DC headquarters with a green roof, installing equipment to gather data on stormwater runoff, water quality, and temperature.

Landscape Architects Rate Green Roof Performance
Biocycle
Date: 10/26/07

The >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<< (ASLA) installed a green roof on its Washington, DC headquarters, which retained 27,500 gallons of storm water in the first year, significantly lowered outdoor air temperature and reduced building energy costs by several hundred dollars per month. “Because landscape architects are leading in the design of green roofs across the country, it was important for us to build a demonstration project and measure the impact green roofs have on their surrounding communities,” says Nancy Somerville, Executive Vice President and CEO of ASLA.

Environment - Greener Green Roofs - 2007.1024
ArchitectureWeek
Date: 10/26/07

The sedum roofs of today symbolize performance-oriented green roof design. Like fine-tuned engines, they run on leaner artificial substrates with almost no organic matter; volcanic rock or expanded shale, baked at 2000 degrees Fahrenheit (1093 degrees Celsius), make the substrates lighter and soil depths as thin as possible...This article is excerpted from Green Roof—A Case Study: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates' Design for the Headquarters of the >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<< by Christian Werthmann, copyright © 2007, with permission of the publisher, Princeton Architectural Press.

Seeing the Giant Forest for the trees
San Francisco Chronicle
Date: 10/28/07

The restoration efforts won an award this month from the >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<<. The restored forest and the new museum opened to the public in December 2001, although the park began piloting a shuttle system to ease traffic flow just this past summer. The parking areas have been redesigned, and visitors have the option of walking down the new Sherman Tree Trail from the lot on Wolverton Road, where they'll see the top of this magnificent landmark at eye level. It's akin to starting at the torch of the Statue of Liberty and working your way down. The General Sherman Tree is the granddaddy of all sequoias and said to be the largest living

The Daily Briefing - Business Newspaper Online
BusinessNorth
Date: 10/21/07

Architect Thomas Oslund of oslund.and.assoc. of Minneapolis has been awarded a national >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<< (ASLA) General Design Honor Award in the Professional Awards category for his landscaping design for the UMD Swenson Science Building. Clad in steel, and surrounded by native plantings ¿ resources unique to northern Minnesota ¿ the courtyards of the UMD Swenson Science Building feature an experimental wetland garden with an emphasis on the cultivation of wild rice. Chosen for its symbolism and importance to the Native American population of northern Minnesota, the garden is an outdoor laboratory for UMD science students and faculty. The 2007 ASLA Professional Awards Jury applauded Oslund’s design by saying, "A big success. The core-ten combines with a beautiful plant palette to create a remarkable project. The simple forms are well conceived and executed. It's very unexpected, yet appropriate.

K-STATE: K-State Students Win Top Honors In National Landscape Architecture Design Competition
M2 PressWIRE
Date: 10/19/07

Two recent graduates of Kansas State University's landscape architecture program are the recipients of a top award in the annual >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<<' National Student Design Competition for work they completed while at K-State. Celine Andersen and Mark Ruzicka, both May 2007 K-State bachelor of landscape architecture graduates, received the Residential Design Award of Excellence for "Prairie Roots: Site Design for Solar Decathlon Project Solar House." The award was given at the recent annual conference of the >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<< in San Francisco.

Local news - Briefly
The Oregonian (Portland, OR)
Date: 10/26/07
Source: PrintPubs
Keyword Matches: 1

City Commissioner Sam Adams and Environmental Services director Dean Marriott on Monday presented Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith with a certificate honoring Mt. Tabor Middle School. The project that won a 2007 award from the >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<<. The joint city-school district project transformed a 4,000-square-foot asphalt parking area into a low-lying garden that absorbs rain draining from the school's roofs and pavement, keeping it from flooding neighbor's basements. The rain garden helps keep classrooms cooler and will save the district money on Mt. Tabor's storm-water fees. It also provides the school a learning tool illustrating the importance of sustainable practices such as storm-water management. The project was designed by Portland landscape architect Kevin Robert Perry of Nevue Ngan Associates.

All fired up
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Date: 10/23/07

Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces top the list of landscape trends for 2007, according to the >>>American Society of Landscape Architects<<<. And although the trend has been slower to ignite locally than in more temperate climates, it's now going strong, according to Brown. "Just like everything else, it's a trend that finally worked its way to the Midwest," he said. "Five or six years ago, you couldn't give 'em [outdoor fireplaces] away. Now every other inquiry is about a fireplace or pizza oven." Fire is a way to extend Minnesota's short patio season, said Jeff Gaffney, a landscape designer for M/A/Peterson in Edina.

Site lines
The Dallas Morning News
Date: 10/30/07

He says >>>landscape architect<<< David Hocker further "quieted down the house" by forgoing a perfectly edged lawn in favor of free-form natural plantings that tie in seamlessly with the native parkland. The home's pared-down, thoughtful qualities are exactly what its empty-nester owners were looking for when they broke ground in 2004. (They discovered the undeveloped lot while biking.) As both owners work from home, it was even more critical to focus on function over form. Inside, that philosophy translated into: "If you can see a space, you're more likely to use it," according to one spouse.

Benvenuto!: Retailer Connie Sigel welcomes us into her SPACIOUS Italian home
Dallas Morning News
Date: 10/29/07

Following meetings with two other firms, Connie decided to go with David Rolston >>>Landscape Architects<<<. She wanted the grounds to be villalike, complete with a palm tree. "I had a couple of go-rounds with landscapers because I wanted something lush," she says. "[Our landscaping] is pretty free-form. I was inspired by Italy, inside and out." Inside, she worked with Carol Carpenter of CMI Designs, whom she has known for 12 years. "She can totally get what I'm thinking," Connie says. "[Her] taste level is fabulous and she gives you more than enough to work with."

Architecture News & Competitions | Dexigner
Dexinger Design Portal
Date: 10/26/07

Sasaki Associates, >>>landscape architects<<< and master planners, Boston, Mass., collaborated on the design of the 46-acre wooded site. "There's something very elegant and classical about enjoying a concert in the park," said Bill Bethmann, senior associate, KKE Architects. More: KKE Architects Designs Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's New Venue Design Directory: KKE Architects > Architecture Companies Added by: Levent OZLER Risk Taking and Bold Vision Are Key to Climate Action CABE has set out its stall on sustainable design, with a new briefing paper, Sustainable design, climate change and the built environment.