2016

New Book Features Case Studies from 3-Year Collaboration with ILASLA

rory — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 14:03:54 +0000

New Book Features Case Studies from 3-Year Collaboration with ILASLA

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The Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ILASLA) recently released Landscape Architecture Performs, a sleek book featuring 19 case studies from LAF’s Landscape Performance Series.

The book is the result of a 3-year partnership between LAF and ILASLA to develop case studies of high-performing landscapes designed by Illinois-based firms. The case studies were produced through LAF’s Case Study Investigation (CSI) program, which matches faculty-student research teams with practitioners to quantify the environmental, economic and social benefits of built projects.

Featured projects were designed by AECOM, Conservation Design Forum, Hitchcock Design Group, Hoerr Schaudt, Jacobs/Ryan Associates, Living Habitats, site design group, SmithGroupJJR, and Terry Guen Design Associates. The book was edited by ILASLA’s Carrie Woleben-Meade and designed by a5 Branding and Digital. From 2013 to 2015, the Chicago-based Driehaus Foundation provided funding to support CSI research teams from the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to develop case studies. Additional support for the book was provided by Unilock, the Kresge Foundation, Landtech Design, and Maglin Site Furniture.

LAF enjoyed being part of this collaboration, and we sincerely thank all of the ILASLA members and CSI participants who devoted their time and energy to make the case studies and book a reality. We would especially like to thank Terry Ryan, former chair of the ILASLA Marketing Committee and the late Deb Mitchell of SmithGroupJJR, who conceived the book and partnership.

The case studies and book serve as a valuable tool in ILASLA’s advocacy efforts with local leaders and the state licensing board to show the value of well-designed parks, open spaces, and other sustainable landscapes.

The Landscape Architecture Performs book is for sale through ILASLA for $20 plus $5 shipping and handling. For more information, contact: info [at] il-asla.org (info[at]il-asla[dot]org)

To see a collection of the online case studies follow the link below, or browse the entire LandscapePerformance.org library:
https://LandscapePerformance.org/collections/making-the-case-in-chicagoland

Welcome 2016-2017 Board of Directors

rory — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 14:06:09 +0000

Welcome 2016-2017 Board of Directors

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The 2016-2017 LAF Board of Directors began its term on October 21 at LAF’s Annual Board Meeting in New Orleans. Jennifer Guthrie, FASLA of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol became President, succeeding Kona Gray, ASLA of EDSA, who was at the helm during LAF’s monumental 50th anniversary year, which included an unprecedented summit and major capital campaign. Adam Greenspan, ASLA of PWP Landscape Architecture became President-Elect.

Past-President Mark Dawson, FASLA of Sasaki Associates returned to a role as Vice President of Finance, and five other Directors assumed roles as officers on the Executive Leadership Team.

Vice President of Education:
Stephanie Rolley, FASLA, AICP, Kansas State
Vice President of Research:
M. Elen Deming, DDes, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Vice President of Leadership:
Monte Wilson, ASLA, Jacobs Engineering
Vice President of Communication:
Richard E. Heriford, Landscape Forms
Vice President of Finance:
Mark O. Dawson, FASLA, Sasaki Associates
Vice President of Development:
Jim Manskey, ASLA, TBG Partners

This year, 11 individuals retired off the Board of Directors, in many cases after extended terms of service. LAF extends our sincerest thanks to the following outgoing Board members for their transformative contributions:

Susannah Drake, FASLA, AIA, dlandstudio (Director, 2014-2016)
Deb Guenther, FASLA, Mithun (Director, 2008-2016; VP of Education, 2009-2011)
Kristina Hill, PhD, Affiliate ASLA, University of California, Berkeley (Director, 2010-2016; VP of Education, 2011-2016)
Jacinta McCann, FAILA, AECOM (Director, 2010-2016; VP of Communications, 2011-2012; President 2013-2014)
Allyson Mendenhall, ASLA, Design Workshop (Director, 2012-2016)
Forster Ndubisi, PhD, FASLA, Texas A&M University (Director, 1997-2000, 2008-2016; VP of Research, 2008-2016)
Joe Runco, ASLA, SWA Group (Director, 2013-2016)
Lucinda Sanders, FASLA, OLIN (Director, 2008-2016; VP of Finance 2010-2011; President, 2011-2012, VP of Leadership, 2013-2016)
Laura Solano, ASLA, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (Director, 2012-2016; VP of Finance 2013-2014, 2015-2016; VP of Communications 2014-2015)
Peg Staeheli, FASLA, MIG | SvR (Director, 2014-2016)
Kate Tooke, ASLA, Sasaki Associates (Director, 2014-2016)

Thirteen new Directors joined the LAF Board, bringing a range of experience and perspectives from landscape architecture practice, academia, industry, real estate development, and the nonprofit sector. ASLA Immediate Past President Chad Danos, FASLA will serve as the ASLA Representative, and Bo Yang, FASLA continues as the CELA Representative. Nina Chase, a 2009 University Olmsted Scholar, was selected for the open Director position for past Olmsted Scholars.

Welcome to the new Board members:

Gerdo Aquino, ASLA, SWA Group
Kofi Boone, ASLA, North Carolina State University
Rebecca Bradley, ASLA, Cadence
Nina Chase, ASLA, Riverlife
Po-Sun Chen, BrightView Design Group
Dorothy Faris, ASLA, Mithun
Skip Graffam, ASLA, OLIN
Stephanie Grigsby, Design Workshop
Diane Jones Allen, ASLA, DesignJones LLC
Deborah Marton, New York Restoration Project
Steve McCarter, ASLA, Ewing
Roberto Rovira, ASLA, Florida International University
Stan Wall, P.E., HR&A Advisors

During the three days of lively meetings and events in New Orleans, the commitment, passion, and thought leadership of this dynamic group was evident. We look forward to working together to advance the vision laid out in our New Landscape Declaration. Thank you all for your service!

Rural Community Gardens: Cultivating Capacities

rory — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 14:08:45 +0000

Rural Community Gardens: Cultivating Capacities

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Eastern Kentucky Holler

Last spring, Elyzabeth Engle received LAF's 2016 Douglas Dockery Thomas Fellowship in Garden History and Design, an award sponsored by the Garden Club of America to support the examination of gardens and their unique place in our environment.

Elyzabeth is a Ph.D. candidate in Rural Sociology and Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and the Environment at The Pennsylvania State University and grew up in a Pennsylvania farming community. Her dissertation focuses on the community capacity-building processes and outcomes of community garden programs within the rural context of Central Appalachia, a topic that is both of personal interest and extremely pertinent to the social and environmental challenges faced by today’s rural communities.

According to the Grow Appalachia website, citing data from the Appalachian Regional Commission:

Unemployment is stuck well above 10% throughout the Appalachian region
Per capita income in Central Appalachia was just $18,722 in 2013, considerably lower than the national average.
An average of 18.3% of families in Appalachia fell under the poverty line in 2013, which is 4% more than the national average. In rural areas, poverty rates jump to 22.5%.
In the poorest parts of the region, poverty rates often approach 25-30%.

Central Appalachia gives a snapshot of how globalization and urbanization have impacted America’s rural communities, where extractive industries have left behind degraded and resource-depleted landscapes. Elyzabeth notes that the challenges typically identified as urban problems are also very relevant in our rural communities. Poverty, unemployment, lack of economic opportunity, environmental degradation, water contamination, and poor health are prevalent in these places with a rich agricultural past.

These issues transcend urban and rural divides.

Elyzabeth Engle, 2016 Douglas Dockery Thomas Fellowship winner

“There is a strong need for further research and practice towards sustainable development within rural, natural resource-dependent communities, particularly strategies that take a grassroots, place-based approach,” Elyzabeth emphasizes. This is where community garden programs can have a profound impact. Such programs could prove to be invaluable in fostering economic stability, resilience, and social capital for these neglected rural communities. While community garden programs are well established within the urban context, there is a dearth of knowledge, resources, and research about rural community gardens.

For her research in this area, Elyabeth is partnering with Grow Appalachia, a non-profit organization based in Berea, Kentucky, which manages and supports 30-40 garden sites in rural communities in Central Appalachia through funding, technical and physical assistance.

Elyzabeth asserts that there is so much room for collaboration and stresses the value of a multi-disciplinary approach to tackling the human, environmental, socio-cultural, and economic factors at play. “We have so much to learn about and from each other’s expertise.” Different perspectives make us push ourselves to think more deeply and critically about how we can combat ongoing challenges related to environmental and social equity.

Olmsted Scholar Feature: Waste + Abundance

rory — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 13:18:22 +0000

Olmsted Scholar Feature: Waste + Abundance

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By Kate Chesebrough, 2016 National Olmsted Scholar Finalist

Life creates life by making anew and reconfiguring material. Today, we are covering our planet with garbage. We have plastic bobbing in waters after storm events and hillsides strewn with illegal dumping. Waste in the landscape is an indicator of the need for care. Its presence uniquely signifies spaces that have been forgotten, are de-valued, or are otherwise being robbed of integrity. We must counter the mindset and the material of waste with creative strategies.

Philosophy of Waste

Trash is deeply seated in everyday cultural practice and is the result of deeply held values. Assigned worth indicates whether it was wasted or time well spent, wasted energy or a meaningful investment of intention. The concept of waste is a black hole that blame, regret, and frustration can be thrown into.

Garbage is a physical manifestation of manufactured materials with the eventuality of uselessness. The social and environmental costs of producing waste are externalized from the production of shiny new things. Wasteful practices depend on an economic system that prioritizes immediate gratification and maximum profits, but minimizes accountability.

Waste informs and creates scenarios outside of itself. Jane Bennett’s Vibrant Matter describes an “agency of things” that reverberate across natural and cultural systems. Waste is filling the landscape as it escapes the intended stream of material disposal. This is where landscape architects clearly need to act.

Political Challenge

As designers and landscape stewards, we need to have a seat at the table and exert influence during cultural, economic, and legislative discourse about waste. What if myths about the value of materials are kept alive by voices louder than our own? The opinion of the landscape architect is profound, as we speak on behalf of the landscape and the public as a codependent whole. Critical discourse about post-consumer waste means that it is no longer worthless, allowing us to re-identify with waste as both a concept and a material reality. That pause is the only place where ideas can be tested and change is possible. These are political acts. We all have a stake in this.

Design Solution

The presence of waste in the landscape is illustrative of how we can design better places and holistic systems. A thoughtful waste inventory reveals where it accumulates, what it is made of, and what it was used for. These patterns inform complex dynamics of cultural practices, user groups, topographic and hydrologic relationships, and how the site connects with others. This is an imperative design challenge, and our potential responses are limitless. We can lead the way to clean up the mess.

Toward Abundance

We can create places that hum with life at many levels. Our creative process must be generative if we wish to carry on. We must recognize waste as a political decision, as a social responsibility, and a material opportunity. We can accept this design challenge for the sake of the landscape. Together we will promote the agenda of an aesthetic of abundance.

2016 Olmsted Scholar Finalist, ASLA Associate Member, and SUNY-ESF graduate Kate Chesebrough is a landscape designer, artist, activist, and yoga instructor living in Ithaca, New York.

LAF's Barbara Deutsch Honored with Women in Sustainability Leadership Award

rory — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 13:19:43 +0000

LAF's Barbara Deutsch Honored with Women in Sustainability Leadership Award

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With great pride, the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) congratulates our Executive Director, Barbara Deutsch, FASLA, who has been recognized with one of Green Building & Design (gb&d)’s 2016 Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards. The awards celebrate the achievements of women who are making lasting change and strive to identify, support, and give opportunities to future women in leadership.

Deutsch is among 15 executives from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, who will be honored at the third annual awards, presented on Oct 4 in Los Angeles on the eve of the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo.

“I am so honored to be part of this group of such amazing and influential women who are moving the needle on sustainability from a wide range of strategies,” said Deutsch.”I am thankful to the women and men who have inspired and mentored me throughout my life to help me achieve in many ways.”

“As more and more women move into positions of decision-making authority and leadership, we can do more to support and learn from each other. The WSLA is a great opportunity to connect, share our stories, and hopefully inspire others.”

gb&d magazine presents the third annual Women in Sustainability Leadership Awards in partnership with the United States Green Building Council with support from the MetroFlor Corporation, Steelcase, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and United Airlines. The winners were chosen by a judging panel that includes Rochelle Routman of MetroFlor, Kimberly Lewis of the USBGC, Amanda Sturgeon of the International Living Future Institute, Angela Foster-Rice of United Airlines, Leith Sharp of Harvard University, and Chris Howe and Laura Heidenreich of Green Building & Design.

Congratulations to all of the honorees!

Thanks for PARK(ing) with Us!

rory — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 13:23:34 +0000

Thanks for PARK(ing) with Us!

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On Friday, September 16, LAF teamed up with BrightView and Island Press to celebrate PARK(ing) Day 2016. We took over two on-street metered parking spaces to install our temporary parklet at the corner of M and 20th Streets NW in downtown Washington, D.C.

Amidst the sounds of nearby construction work and the ever-persistent jackhammer, our parklet provided a much-needed respite and buffer from Friday’s traffic, noise, and chaos. BrightView graciously provided two flat-bed trucks’ worth of materials for the day—materials already en route to their own project site for permanent installation — including container shrubs, grasses, and trees. The vegetation shielded park visitors from the M Street traffic as they enjoyed their lunch, browsed the Island Press books in the outdoor library, or stopped to pose for a “polaroid” picture.

PARK(ing) Day 2016 brought 35 temporary installations to the streets of Washington, D.C. PARK(ing) Day newbies stopped by to learn about this international event to raise awareness and advance dialogue about how we use our urban public space. Those already hip to this 12-year tradition came prepared, using the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) online map to target our spot and bring along their own party!

Since it’s inception in 2005, PARK(ing) Day continues to be met with surprise, delight, and appreciation from passersby. For each individual mourning the loss of a parking space, there are many more who love the parklets and would like them to stay — forever. And fortunately, in Washington, D.C. there is a way to make that happen. DDOT piloted a Parklet Program beginning in the summer of 2015. The progam allows parklets, like those seen on PARK(ing) Day (but more durable), to be installed for year-round enjoyment. Many cities across the U.S. — from Sacramento to Minneapolis to Phoenix — have similar programs. Inquire with your city’s DOT for information.

For more photos of our PARK(ing) Day festivities, visit LAF’s Flickr page.

New Documentary Showcases Key Themes and Energy of LAF Summit

rory — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 15:41:52 +0000

New Documentary Showcases Key Themes and Energy of LAF Summit

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Couldn’t attend LAF’s Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future back in June? Or were you there, but want to revisit and share some of the ideas and arguments presented in the “Declarations” and panels?

LAF has just released The New Landscape Declaration, a 20-minute documentary featuring exclusive interviews and recorded footage from the Summit. The film highlights key themes from this critical, provocative, and inspirational examination of the role of landscape architecture in addressing the challenges of our time and the next 50 years. Interviewees include James Corner, Gina Ford, Randy Hester, Mario Schjetnan, Martha Schwartz, Kongjian Yu, and many more.

With music, landscape imagery and stark text animations, filmmakers Michael Rubin, Joanna Karaman, and Sahar Coston-Hardy skillfully weave together thought-provoking clips from the Summit and interviews, imbuing the documentary with the same spirit of urgency and opportunity that rang through the Summit itself.

Get a preview in the trailer above, or see the full film at:
http://vimeo.com/lafoundation/new-landscape-declaration

Support for the documentary was provided by PennDesign and OLIN. Additional footage was provided by Amon Focus and Visual Sound.

Meet the 2016 National Olmsted Scholar and Finalists: The Undergraduates

rory — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 15:44:42 +0000

Meet the 2016 National Olmsted Scholar and Finalists: The Undergraduates

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The Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Olmsted Scholars Program is the premier national award and recognition program for landscape architecture students. The program honors students with exceptional leadership potential who are using ideas, influence, communication, service, and leadership to advance sustainable design and foster human and societal benefits.

Here, we showcase the 2016 undergraduate winner and finalists, who were announced in April. An independent jury of leaders in the landscape architecture profession selected them from a group of 32 undergraduate students nominated by their faculty for being exceptional student leaders. The winner receives the $15,000 undergraduate prize and each finalist receives $1,000. All of the 2016 Olmsted Scholars will be honored at LAF’s Annual Benefit in New Orleans on October 21.

National Olmsted Scholar Casey Howard of the University of Oregon

Casey shares first-place team project for the 2015 Biomimicry Global Design Challenge focused on food systems. Inspired by existing drainage technology used in agriculture, Casey and team developed a concept for a living filtration system to restore soil health, protect watersheds, and preserve productive lands.

Finalist Kathryn Chesebrough of the State University of New York

By showcasing several influential experiences, including the Red Cup Project that she led in Syracuse, New York, Kathryn shares her thoughts on the power of art, her design perspective, and sources of inspiration.

Finalist David Duperault of North Carolina A&T State University

[Video forthcoming. See bio here.]

Finalist Lyna Nget of the University of Washington

Lyna discusses her focus on evidence-based design for sustainable, inclusive, and therapeutic environments for vulnerable populations — especially those who suffer from physical and mental illnesses and disabilities.

Olmsted Scholar Feature: Biodiversity and Design

rory — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 15:52:05 +0000

Olmsted Scholar Feature: Biodiversity and Design

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By Olivia Fragale, 2016 National Olmsted Scholar Finalist

I moved to Cape Town, South Africa in 2012 to pursue a position as Assistant Researcher and Outreach Educator with the Iimbovane Project at the Department of Science and Technology - National Research Foundation (DST-NRF) Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology at Stellenbosch University. This research position involved monitoring and cataloging the species richness and diversity of native and invasive ant species of the Western Cape Providence through field sampling and lab work. My interest in studying ants was to understand the correlation between human settlement patterns and the impact this has on biodiversity.

The importance of this study was to look at the system beyond the ant. Within the Cape Floristic Region, ants play a significant role in dispersing seeds. Our team discovered a positive correlation between native ant populations and native plant growth and diversity. Sites with a high population of invasive species demonstrated a lack of native plant growth. I was drawn in by the various scales of the study. At a microscale, I was studying ants, but at the macroscale, the ant-plant mutualism relationship was about the interconnected dependencies of an ecosystem. Loss of seed production impacted seed distribution, which impacted native plant growth which impacted soil conditions, therefore increasing erosion as well as changing availability of resources in the food web. These early research endeavors in the study of biodiversity have helped shape my thinking as a designer and my aspirations to strengthen the connection between science and the design professions.

As a recent graduate of the Boston Architectural College, I am interested in the integration of relevant and current research in biodiversity into current professional practice. When thinking about our role as landscape architects, I look at the strategies used to safeguard biodiversity, including designs that:

Minimize and manage habitat disruption
Reclaim, restore, and reconnect significant ecosystems
Have integrated management plans to control invasive species
Focus on rehabilitation of contaminated soils to reintroduce positive ecological systems
Establish riparian buffers to protect aquatic ecosystems

This list of strategies is something to be proud of, but I believe as knowledgeable designers, we can strengthen our understanding by performing and contributing to research that is focused on monitoring biodiversity at various sites and on various scales. We have the ability to gather baseline data about urban biodiversity, standardize methods, and perform comparison studies that start to articulate and encourage the functions and benefits of designing with diversity.

So how do we measure biodiversity and how can the produced data become integrated into how we design and manage our spatial relationships? Well, biodiversity can be measured at a species level, an ecosystem level, and at the genetic level. Methods vary in their ability to reveal information about richness, evenness, rarity, disparity, and variability. In the field of ecology, the most common methods for measuring species biodiversity are the Simpson Index and the Shannon Index. Currently the Sustainable Sites Initiative and the LAF’s Landscape Performance Series and Benefits Toolkit have identified methods for measuring vegetation and biodiversity, which include the Biomass Density Index (BDI), LEED baseline information which focuses on calculating average values for regional evapotranspiration rates, species factor, density factor, and microclimate factor for each vegetation types. Collecting data and establishing measuring systems for biodiversity can inform our designs, manage our spatial relationships, and respond to scientific trends.

I am excited to participate in the collection and evaluation of valuable biodiversity data and contribute to the advancement of biodiversity-directed design strategies through the lens of my proposed research project that focuses on the relationship between biodiversity and biomimicry wastewater technologies. I believe the design of nature-inspired, living technologies is a powerful tool to align communities with the regenerative capacities of the plant’s life-supporting ecosystems. More specifically, living systems can be monitored to further understand how biodiversity is being recovered, established, and linked back into the community’s health, economic, and cultural experiences.

In my next blog post, I will elaborate on my proposed project and explore, at the community level, the important relationship between biodiversity and biomimicry wastewater technologies and how its diverse application can reveal and expose systems as they relate to human development and biological existence.

Olivia completed her MLA from Boston Architectural College in May and now works at Terraink in Arlington, Massachusetts. While she is focused on transitioning into her new job, she looks forward to future project development. In the meantime, she continues to pursue her project interests through continued dialogue with the research groups in South Africa and has another visit planned for 2017.

2016 Landscape Performance Education Grant Recipients Announced

rory — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 15:55:17 +0000

2016 Landscape Performance Education Grant Recipients Announced

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As landscape architects increasingly engage in addressing complex challenges like climate change, urbanization, and public health, it is critical that they be able to communicate the measurable benefits of design solutions.

This year the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) included “landscape performance” and many measurement-related requirements its revised LAAB Accreditation Standards for all bachelor’s and master’s level landscape architecture programs. In their training, students must now learn skills necessary to predict outcomes, assess alternatives, defend design proposals, and evaluate environmental, social, and economic performance of landscape projects.

To help university landscape architecture programs integrate landscape performance into their curriculum, LAF’s Landscape Performance Education Grants allow select university faculty to develop and test models in standard courses. Their teaching materials and reflections are then shared through the Resources for Educators section of LAF’s LandscapePerformance.org.

For the Fall 2016 semester/term, five $2,500 mini-grants were awarded for the following courses:

Kenneth Brooks, FASLA, FCELA, PLA, Arizona State University
Design Research Methods (MLA/Interdisciplinary Research Methods)
A traditional lecture course that explores a range of research methods, techniques and strategies applied to the enterprise and advancement of design. The class is a required core course for 85 graduate students in professional design programs of architecture (MArch), interior architecture (MIA), industrial design (MID), landscape architecture (MLA), visual communications design (MVCD) and urban design (MUD).This course is designed to give Design and other students an intellectual framework and experience in conceptualizing, conducting and applying research methods and strategies that will permit them to advance the knowledge base and practice capabilities of designers and problem-solvers. A primary focus of the course is cultivating scholarship, inquiry and evaluation that enhances and enriches the effectiveness and performance practice of professional design.

Brad Collett, ASLA, RLA, LEED AP, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Operative Landscapes (MLA Seminar)
Contemporary challenges posed by urbanization, climate dynamics, evolving economies and social paradigms have changed the demands we place on the designed landscape. Landscape architects in North America and around the world have risen to this challenge, revealing new possibilities for the economic, social and environmental performance of landscapes in public, private and infrastructural territories. Operative Landscapes examines the historical contexts and emergent theory driving this shift in the practice of landscape architecture, and surveys contemporary projects as a basis for understanding multi-scalar design approaches, technical details and maintenance regimes. An emphasis is placed on built landscapes and living systems as integral parts of site stormwater management approaches and regional water resource infrastructure.
Kirk Dimond, MLA, LEED AP, University of Arizona
Site Engineering (MLA Site Engineering)
Site Engineering for landscape architects requires students to develop the comprehension and skills necessary to maintain health, safety, and welfare through the manipulation of topography and water. To reinforce this, knowledge objectives with associated performance measures, organized under the four natural elements of earth, water, fire and air, will challenge students to develop technical competency through lectures and exercises that also provide the means to measure and evaluate their decisions through understanding landscape performance. Culmination of the material is tested in a comprehensive final project requiring a full grading plan that demonstrates evidence of responsible design decisions.

Joseph Ragsdale, ASLA, FAAR, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Design Theory and Exploration Focus Studio (BLA Studio)
This third and fourth year vertical studio links technical competencies with design explorations and applied landscape architecture theory studies. For sites located on the university campus, students will establish current performance criteria and metrics, propose design ideas in connection with an updated master plan, and evaluate changes in performance metrics of proposed design solutions. The course is structured around three activities, a technical module focusing on landscape performance, a design module emphasizing design exploration and a theory seminar reinforcing contemporary landscape architecture theory.

Rebekah VanWieren, MLA, MS, Montana State University
Advanced Landscape Design Studio: Landscape Design Scenarios for Water Conservation in the Middle Rockies (Landscape Design BS Studio)
This studio will integrate landscape performance principles and metrics with a design project for the City of Bozeman, Water Conservation Division. Students will analyze the ecology and lifecycle of designing landscapes through field explorations around four themes: water, vegetation and soil, energy, and human health and well-being. These findings will be applied to design performance alternatives for water resource resiliency in the semi-arid West.

Over the last three years, LAF has awarded a total of $37,500 in Landscape Performance Education Grants to university faculty with five mini-grants awarded each year.