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Urban Steppe [Video]
Emmanuel Didier is a landscape architect, artist, and the founding principal of Didier Design Studio. He teaches graduate level design courses at the University of Colorado Denver in Auraria, CO where his current research project, “The Living Urban Campus Initiative”, is coming to life in partnership with the dean of the College of Architecture and Planning. The initiative aims to uncover the possibilities of designing within “urban steppe” landscapes, while simultaneously creating enjoyable campus spaces for students, faculty, and visitors. At the Land8x8 Lightning Talks in Denver, Didier set the scene by flashing two images on the screen. On the left, you see lush turf lawn covering Harvard’s campus in Cambridge, while on the right, you see an image of UC Denver’s cam...Read More
Colorado Brightfields [Video]
Scott Carman is an assistant professor of landscape architecture and urban design at Colorado State University. He joined the Land8x8 Lightning Talks to speak about his recent research and advocacy project, the Colorado Brightfields Initiative. The research project began in 2018 after Governor Jared Polis, aimed to set the state of Colorado on a path to 100% renewable energy generation by 2040. The term “brightfield” was coined in 2012 by the EPA to describe contaminated or disturbed sites, such as brownfields, with the potential to be converted for renewable energy generation. One example can be seen as photovoltaic panels harvest solar energy over the former Hickory Ridge Landfill in Conley, Georgia. Because of the large land areas needed for renewable energy farms, land use...Read More
Next Generation Playscapes! [Video]
Sara Bonacquist is a landscape architect at Design Workshop in Denver. As a landscape architect, she understands the importance of playgrounds and outdoor play environments for children. These are critical spaces where kids experiment, find joy, express creativity, collaborate with other kids, and find community. At the Land8x8 Lightning Talks, Sara noted the responsibility and influence landscape architects have over the outdoor spaces that shape the next generation of play. “We have come a long way, but the fundamental play theories discussed are the same. We need to design mentally and physically challenging places, based in specific places/contexts, that are safe, but still fun, and accessible to everyone.” Sara recounts some of the earliest play theories: The earliest American and Eur...Read More
Shifting Paradigms: Collaboration in Practice [Video]
At the Land8x8 Lightning Talks in Denver, CO, Founder + Principal of Studio Siembra, Magdalena (Maggie) Aravena, offered insight into how the practice of landscape architecture can be transformed by new models of collaboration. A first-generation Chilean, her service and practice have always revolved around people. “Siembra,” her firm name, stems from the Spanish word “to sow” – “Sowing seeds of optimism, resilience, and beauty is what we’re doing, or what we should be doing with practice.” Recognized as ASLA’s 2021 recipient of the Emerging Professional Medal, Magdalena is an admired professional within the Landscape Architecture community. With seven years of previous landscape architecture experience, Maggie knew there was potential to think outside of the box when it came to the futur...Read More
Landscape Architecture + Climate Action [Video]
During the Land8x8 Lightning Talks in Denver, Torey Carter-Conneen, the CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), joined seven other speakers to kick-off this set of talks centered around the theme, “Next Practices in Landscape Architecture”. He began with a question that landscape architects get asked regularly while interacting with the public: “What is Landscape Architecture?” As the leader of the largest national membership organization for landscape architects, Torey routinely introduces the profession to people who may or may not know what landscape architecture is. Simply put, landscape architects utilize a unique combination of skills: design, art, and science, according to Torey. From the intentionality of pathway materials, spacing of trees, or the direction of ...Read More
6 Reasons to Attend LABash 2023 at Kansas State University
01. The Lineup of Events 24 education sessions 6 spark talks 4 keynotes + a watercolor workshop a sketch crawl a field visit to the Konza Prairie With a focus on trailblazing topics, this year’s LABash Conference has an impressive lineup of speakers with several special events that you won’t want to miss. A guided tour of the Konza Prairie Biological Station will give a behind the scenes look at prairie conservation and management within the Flint Hills tallgrass preserve. A watercolor workshop led by K-State Assistant Professor Otto Chankyakorn will inspire attendees to apply themselves in new ways and learn techniques for watercolor painting. Featuring topics in public engagement, digital tools, landscape performance, climate action, and many others, the LABash 2023 schedule provi...Read More
Social Media Awards in Landscape Architecture 2022 – Winners!
Here are the winners of the 5th Annual Social Media Awards in Landscape Architecture presented by Land8 and the American Society of Landscape Architects! Social media has the power to significantly increase the awareness and importance of the profession of landscape architecture, and Land8 and ASLA believe industry leaders in social media should be recognized and promoted. Be sure to follow the winners to help grow and promote the profession! Top 10 Social Media Accounts – LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FIRMS 1. TBG Partners – Instagram At TBG, we use our Instagram to promote the practice of landscape architecture by sharing a behind the scenes look at our design process. With a mix of hand-drawings, diagrams, renderings, and built photos, we believe it’s important to showcase each phase of our wo...Read More
Get on the BIM Wagon Now or Forever Remain a Bystander
Sponsored Post Get on the BIM Wagon Now, or Forever Remain a Bystander Environment for Revit®, unlocking the power of BIM for landscape architecture. By Nehama Shechter-Baraban and Oren Ben-Ner For no fault of their own, landscape architects have been slow to adopt the Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach to project design. Consequently, in an AEC industry where BIM is the norm, landscape architecture isn’t given the place or significance it deserves, resulting not only in greater expense and delays, but in poorer design and execution outcomes. Environment for Revit® has removed the obstacles to transitioning to BIM, creating an unparalleled BIM for landscape architecture experience. Sitting on the BIM fence is now a matter of choice, and we would do best to choose otherwise. Let’s...Read More
LAF Launches New BIPOC Scholarship, Internship, Mentorship Program
On January 6, the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) announced LAF Ignite, a transformative new program that promises to have long-lasting impacts on the landscape architecture discipline and the communities we serve. LAF Ignite is a comprehensive scholarship-internship-mentorship program created to help BIPOC landscape architecture students overcome barriers to staying in school, graduating, and entering practice. Student participants receive an annual $10,000 scholarship, paid summer internships, and three types of mentorships throughout their academic journey. The program is the result of a concerted, years-long effort by LAF, a dedicated group of stakeholders, and more than 100 donors to accelerate the pace and scale at which the discipline takes action to address underrepresentat...Read More
Climate Action Plan Published for Landscape Architects
In the same week that the Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap was announced by the U.S. Federal Government, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) released its official Climate Action Plan. This document provides a roadmap for how the organization can achieve zero emissions by 2040, partnered with a companion field guide, listing tools for landscape architecture firms, organizations, and designers to follow suit. Seeds of hope, sown long ago, are sprouting. Landscape architects are systems designers who plan and design with living soils, water, plants, trees, and people – with life. Landscape Architects acknowledge that the climate and biodiversity crises are interconnected challenges of our time. Acting with the tools we know how, landscape architects are uniquely positioned to se...Read More
Getting What You Want: Considerations in Specifying Plants
Mastering plants as a design material is a life-long challenge. Learn the names, qualities, and ecological preferences of any of the hundreds of potential species you could use and – guess what? – you’re only halfway there. As a landscape architect, you probably won’t have direct control over the plants that go into your project – instead you create instructions (a plan, a plant list, maybe some notes) that will enable someone else to build the landscape and achieve the outcomes that you have envisioned. The better you get at creating those instructions, the more likely you are to end up with design outcomes that match your intent. I’m going to introduce you to the basics of how we think about specifying plants at Coastal Vista Design, as well as some of the common issue...Read More
The Up Side of No-Mow Landscapes
America has an obsession with lush, green manicured lawns. Thomas Jefferson introduced lawns to Monticello after spending five years abroad and taking note of the large, neatly groomed, green swaths at various estates, such as Versailles. At that time, lawns became a symbol of stateliness and wealth due to the demand of resources required for upkeep. Lawns did not become a homesite fixture to the middle class until well after the Civil War. Fredrick Law Olmstead’s public park movement is partially credited with the explosion of lawns into suburban America. Many of the first east coast master planned communities were modeled after parks with shared and individual green spaces. The federal housing boom after World War II further propelled lawns into the mainstream. Homes were built away from...Read More