Complete Streets
Summer
2014
in this issue + President’s Letter (PAGE 1) + Awards (PAGE 4) + Government Advocacy and ASLA (PAGE 14) + Landscape Architecture (re)Discovered (PAGE 16)
elevation A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE ILLINOIS CHAPTER American Society of Landscape Architects www.il-asla.org
President’s Letter
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riends and Colleagues, it is my great pleasure to present the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ILASLA) awardwinning projects for 2013. These nineteen projects showcase the high caliber of professional practice exhibited by Illinois Landscape Architects in the fields of design, communications, research, and environmental stewardship. This broad spectrum of work clearly demonstrates Landscape Architects’ leadership through collaboration. Our built environment is always better served through interaction; interaction through the design, permitting, and construction stages, and most importantly the interaction of the users within the space.
This year’s projects, recognized with the distinctions of President, Honor, and Merit
Awards, are our opportunity to expand the public awareness of the benefits of green space, place making, increased property
THE TRUE JOY OF THE PRACTICE OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE IS UTILIZING OUR BACKGROUND, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING TO PUT COMPLEX IDEAS INTO CONTEXT THROUGH SHARED EXPERTISE, PRACTICAL LESSONS, AND INVENTIVE THINKING. values, habitat enhancement, and recreational activities. Underneath a typical Landscape Architect’s laid-back exterior is the creative DNA that bustles with innovation and a commitment to environmental
Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy – Jacobs/Ryan Associates
stewardship, and is alive with passion. Le Corbusier, the famous architect, was once quoted as saying, “The materials of City Planning are sky, space, trees, steel and cement in that order and in that hierarchy.” His statement reflects the collaboration we celebrate here—the successful blending of these elements in the landscape architects’ work. However, a far greater achievement has been accomplished through the partnership of the designers with their teams. The President’s Award project, Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy, is a true collaboration of a multi-disciplinary team, quarterbacked by Jacobs/Ryan Associates with the professionalism and confidence to recognize the whole design team, including past project participants. The Honor Awards continue that interwoven connectedness with allied professionals, contractors, suppliers, and clients, all seen as integral teammates in the implementation of the work product. [continued on page 3]
WE’VE GONE DIGITAL! This issue, as well as previous issues of Elevation and Folio, are available for download at the www.il-asla.org.
news
Chapter Events + Highlights Join us at Arthur Weiler Nursery in Zion, IL for the 2nd Annual OGA Plants & Pinot Seminar Party on July 24th from 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM. In addition to nursery tours and an educational seminar, there will also be plenty of delicious food and drinks. Come to learn, enjoy the scenery, and network with others in the landscape industry.
Land Up is a one-day marketing and business development workshop for the landscape architecture community coming up on October 10th at AIA Chicago. Featured speaker Geoffrey Baer will talk about the “Ten City Parks that Changed America.” Learn how to market your firm and stand out in a crowd. Learn to be a
better networker. Find out which marketing tactics work best, from social media to email to search engine optimization. Also, don’t miss the Land Up Chicago Architecture Foundation Boat Tour and Dinner at Terzo Piano, being held the evening of October 9th. Stay tuned for more details regarding a SmithGroupJJR Office Tour and happy hour Drinks with Davey on August 21st. Visit www.il-asla.org and click on videos to see past Bartlett Seminars including the most recent presentation given by James Urban titled Up by Roots - Healthy Soils and Trees in the Built Environment.
THE ILLINOIS CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS THE MISSION OF THE ASLA IS “TO LEAD, TO EDUCATE, AND TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CAREFUL STEWARDSHIP, WISE PLANNING, AND ARTFUL DESIGN OF OUR CULTURAL AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS.” Elevation has a circulation of more than 5,000 copies and is published quarterly by ILASLA. Edited by Chris Jennette and Stacey Libra, designed by Nikolas Davis and Chris Jennette, and produced by IMAGO. PRESIDENT CHRIS LANNERT, ASLA PRESIDENT-ELECT BRAD MCCAULEY, ASLA PAST-PRESIDENT CHRIS GENT, ASLA
President’s Letter
[continued from page 1]
The Merit Award projects echo the same mantra, highlighting the association with others in the creation of these well-deserving projects accomplished in recent years. The true joy of the practice of Landscape Architecture is utilizing our background, education, and training to put complex ideas into context through shared expertise, practical lessons, and inventive thinking. Attached to our respect for the land and responsible stewardship of our environment, you then have an organization well-established for leadership in this arena. The significance of this year’s awards is their demonstration of the ability to set the bar higher and celebrate the entire green industry. As you look at each recipient, I challenge you to focus on your own work and I challenge you to participate at the next higher level, promote the next better idea, and solve the next difficult issue. Most importantly, do it in collaboration with others. “No one is smarter than everyone.” Cross disciplines, engage others, push your limits, be uncomfortable, become a leader. A quote by Wouter Stokkel says it best and states, “It’s art if it can’t be explained. It’s fashion if no one asks for an explanation. It’s design if it doesn’t need explanation.” Surely everyone can join with me in applauding these outstanding accomplishments in the practice of Landscape Architecture. Best Regards and Congratulations! J. Christopher Lannert, ASLA // ILASLA President
TREASURER STEVE HALBERG, ASLA SECRETARY ALAN WATKINS, ASLA TRUSTEE KEVEN GRAHAM, ASLA EXTERNAL COMM. CHAIR STACEY LIBRA, ASLA INTERNAL COMM. CHAIR RENEE TEVOGT, ASLA PUBLIC AWARENESS CHAIR CYNTHIA ANDERSON, ASLA EMERGING PROFESSIONALS CHAIR LAUREN JENNISON, ASLA EDUCATION CHAIR KENON BOEHM, ASLA FELLOWSHIP CHAIR JENNA WHALEN, ASLA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUSAN RAGAISHIS
TO JOIN ASLA OR FOR MORE INFORMATION: T 630 833 4516 P.O. BOX 4566 OAK BROOK, IL 60522
www.il-asla.org 3
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ILASLA 2013 AWARDS PRESIDENT’S AWARD Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy JACOBS/RYAN ASSOCIATES The landscape at the Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy features multi-functional gathering, educational, and recreational spaces including a biology garden, community gardens, an outdoor classroom/picnic area, and a combination soccer and football field to name a few. The site features a highly diverse native plant palette that functions as an urban botanic garden for the Academy’s biology students, and also contains extensive vegetated green roofs that provide valuable habitat while treating and storing stormwater for reuse in the community garden. The project’s building and site development strategies, green initiatives, and integrative team collaboration produced the first Chicago Public School to achieve a LEED Platinum rating.
HONOR AWARD Bringing the Classroom Outdoors – Evergreen Academy CULLITON QUINN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE With the guidance of a nonprofit greening organization, and in collaboration with the Mckinley Park neighborhood school’s science class, Evergreen Academy Middle School has transformed their concrete and asphalt outdoor space into a year-round interactive learning garden. Classroom space is sited away from the public street to minimize distraction, and additional seating arrangements allow students to work independently or in small groups. The design features a series of grassy mounds that provide space for play or relaxation, raised garden planters, and significant new canopy trees and vegetation that provide much needed shade and screening, and impart a sense of enclosure to the space.
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HONOR AWARD Hawks Hollow at Peck Farm Park HITCHCOCK DESIGN GROUP Situated within the well-established Peck Farm Park campus, adjacent to the site’s historic homestead, the Hawks Hollow nature playground compliments the Geneva Park District’s ongoing mission to create a bond between children and the surrounding natural world. Tree branches and cuttings from trees on site are used to weave the beaver lodge and bird nest play areas, bird tracks are imprinted into the concrete to teach children how to identify local species, and trunks from trees on the site that were lost to the Emerald Ash Borer have been repurposed to provide seating, walls, and play activities. Hawks Hollow makes good use of waste material and integrates seamlessly with the natural setting while providing opportunities to learn at every turn.
HONOR AWARD Peck Farm Park – Miller/Thompson Natural Area Restoration ECOLOGY + VISION, LLC As Geneva Park District implements the multi-phased Peck Farm Park master plan, the restoration of the Miller/Thompson parcels, totaling 36 acres, is an important component of the 395-acre site. Through extensive research and site assessment, the landscape architect was able to determine that the site would have historically been prairie as opposed to the woodland restoration identified in the original plan. The rolling topography present on much of the site was designed as a drymesic upland prairie mix. Vegetative monitoring data indicates that the restoration has been remarkably successful, a clear demonstration of the expertise that landscape architects bring to ecosystem restoration projects.
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ILASLA 2013 AWARDS HONOR AWARD Red Gate Bridge TERRA ENGINEERING, LTD. In an effort to ease congestion and provide an additional link across the Fox River, a new vehicular connection was made in St. Charles, Illinois. Unique to this project, new pedestrian and bicycle circulation are also accommodated through an innovative cable-stay bridge suspended from the new vehicular bridge, complete with bump-outs to allow both pedestrians and bicyclists an opportunity to stop and take in the long views down the river. A raised boardwalk on the west bank offers a unique perspective from which to appreciate the over 600 new trees, and the mix of native vegetation that seamlessly blend the new roadway into the surrounding forest preserve and riparian context.
HONOR AWARD SandRidge Energy Corporate Commons HOERR SCHAUDT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS SandRidge’s 3.5-acre corporate commons, nestled within Oklahoma City’s urban core, comprises ‘recycled’ historically-significant buildings linked by an open space system that also provides connections to existing destinations within the city-center. The landscape architect grounded the approach in an effort to shape the site’s microclimate through the use of an urban shelterbelt. Alternating rows of wind and climate tolerant species are planted in a staggered fashion, reinforcing the site’s linear geometry and creating a comfortable outdoor environment.
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HONOR AWARD Winnetka Residence HOERR SCHAUDT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS Landscape plays the role of art to a photographer and her family who have lived nearly three decades on the site of this new home on Chicago’s North Shore. The long and narrow property, which is surrounded by five large houses and an irregular street pattern, posed challenges to siting a new home while maintaining a sense of privacy. The design scheme cleverly locates the home toward the back of the property, screening views while leaving an expanse of terrain in front that features a garden defined by a sunken, curving lawn that creatively fulfills the strict local stormwater requirements. Serpentine stone walls contain the lawn and create a fluid motion that sweeps the eye through the site.
MERIT AWARD 3600 Lake Shore Drive Condominiums – Courtyard Development DANIEL WEINBACH & PARTNERS, LTD. This courtyard, serving the residents of two, 28-story towers, was designed to expand and replace a badly deteriorated space composed of crumbling asphalt, sparse plantings, and mismatched site furniture. After working closely with ownership and residents and studying several alternative layouts, a freeform plan was developed, expanding the courtyard by combining two existing spaces – previously separated by a 7-foot masonry wall. Working around existing trees, the plan includes eleven distinct gathering spaces with a central island containing a focal water feature. Continuous raised seat walls filled with plantings define the individual spaces, and a new drainage system sustainably manages stormwater on-site.
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ILASLA 2013 AWARDS MERIT AWARD Ball Horticultural Companies Corporate Campus WRD ENVIRONMENTAL Ball Horticulture chose a native landscape when it upgraded the streetscape and grounds of its corporate office. The landscape architect’s challenge was to marry the native landscape with the ornamental plants that are trademark features of the Ball Horticultural brand. Showy annuals are grouped in high-visibility, high-traffic locations, and turf strips are incorporated adjacent to walkways and at key nodes to transition between the “tidy” look of traditional annual beds and native planting areas. Deep-rooted, native vegetation covers roughly three-quarters of the site, detaining stormwater and minimizing erosion, and five large rain gardens retain stormwater and facilitate infiltration.
MERIT AWARD Division Street Enhancements WOLFF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, INC. In 2010, the Village of Melrose Park resolved to make improvements to the Division Street corridor, which spans the length of the Village. The project’s primary goal was to improve the physical condition and appearance of the corridor, give it a new and distinctive character, and support the growth of an existing restaurant cluster into the anchor of a new “destination” entertainment district. The streetscape features a number of repeating elements including medians at gateway locations, bollards, street trees, 22’ to 35’ tall gateway pylons, and LED light strand canopies. The 35’ gateway pylons are iconic elements – tall and tipped with light, their tapered forms exaggerate their height, creating distinctive landmarks at key nodes.
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MERIT AWARD The Green Exchange HITCHCOCK DESIGN GROUP Located in the Logan Square neighborhood, the Green Exchange is an urban “green incubator,” bringing together retail, business, and professional office tenants with an eco-friendly twist. A 60,000-gallon cistern stores rainwater and irrigates the site, vegetable garden, and rooftop landscaping. The stormwater gathered in the cistern is also used in the energy-efficient heating and cooling system. The design also features an 8,000-square-foot organic garden located in the center of the building, serving as a unique amenity and a venue for special events. Sustainable materials were used throughout the garden, and native plantings were used in the design to create a space that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
MERIT AWARD Houdini Plaza HITCHCOCK DESIGN GROUP Located in downtown Appleton, Houdini Plaza is the former site of illusionist Harry Houdini’s mansion, and has long been a focal point for events and activities within the community. Though well loved, Houdini Plaza was showing its age when the City hired the landscape architect team to reinvigorate the space. The design of the space features nods to the site’s history, including Houdini quotes, images of the illusionist, and a “disappearing” water wall, among others. Three main lawn areas provide flexible space for a variety of events, and a raised terrace serves as both a weekday lunch spot for downtown workers, and a performance space for special events.
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ILASLA 2013 AWARDS MERIT AWARD Lisle Main Street Streetscape SMITHGROUPJJR The Village of Lisle, recently embarked on an ambitious civic improvement program to stimulate development, instill design character, and invite people back to Main Street, and back into downtown. Strategic improvements, including widened sidewalks, narrowed traffic lanes, and a median to control vehicular movements and improve pedestrian safety, have dramatically altered Main Street’s character from vehicular-focused to pedestrian-friendly. The streetscape features prairie-style design with decorative pavers, a nature-themed fountain, multiple seating areas, and extensive raisedcurb landscaping areas. It evokes a natural environment that complements Lisle’s Garden Walk and nearby Morton Arboretum. Further, a branding program that highlights Lisle as the “Arboretum Village” was part of the overall improvement program, helping to attract retail and restaurants downtown.
MERIT AWARD Ping Tom Memorial Park Boathouse SITE DESIGN GROUP, LTD. Ping Tom Memorial Park is a shining example of the transformation of vacant open space within the City of Chicago. Situated along the Chicago River, the 7-acre historic railroad site has been transformed into a vibrant anchor of the Chinese Community in Chicago. The recently completed boathouse creates a much needed connection between the first two phases, and provides storage for boaters, a new dock for river access, and a unique landscape that draws from traditional Chinese garden imagery including ponds, rocks, trees, flowers, and pavilions connected by winding paths. The design draws heavily from elements of a Chinese garden, but features a modern palette and a variety of materials that complement the architecture on site.
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MERIT AWARD River Street ALTAMANU, INC. The River Street Streetscape project was identified as a key opportunity to promote downtown revitalization in the Batavia Downtown Streetscape Master Plan, carried out by the landscape architect. The street was redesigned as a flexible, shared public space within the downtown core, featuring bollards, benches and planters that can be moved by the City either for temporary events or to accommodate future development. Since completion, the block has served as a catalyst for new business, and has been fully leased with new shops and restaurants. This project is the first constructed woonerf in the Midwest, and as such there were many hurdles to overcome in its design and approval, including the creation of a new local ordinance to address the shared space.
MERIT AWARD Sinnissippi Park Riverfront Renovation JOHN R COOK ASSOCIATES & SANDERS DESIGN GROUP The initial phase of the Sinnissippi Park Riverfront, Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens; and subsequent renovation of the Lagoon and Tea House were both led by local landscape architects. The landscape seamlessly transitions a visitor’s experience from inside the building to outside. The project embraces sustainability environmentally (the design features a living wall and additional features to manage stormwater), economically (90% of the project costs were funded by private donations, grants, and municipal partnerships), and socially (diverse recreational and educational opportunities abound for patrons).
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ILASLA 2013 AWARDS MERIT AWARD Trees 4 Seasons – A Visual Guide DANIEL WEINBACH 30 years in the making, Trees 4 Seasons – A Visual Guide, is based upon the simplest of concepts—that is, to present color photographic descriptions of important deciduous trees in a clear, concise, and consistent form. Each tree is photographed from the exact same vantage point in each of the seasons: three seasons for shade trees and four for flowering trees. The entire form of the tree is shown, and the seasonal photographs are placed side-by-side on a single page. On the facing page is a brief description, including size, habit, zone, and notes along with detail photographs of the foliage, bark, fruit, and flower.
MERIT AWARD Up the Hillside – Lincoln Park High School CULLITON QUINN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Lincoln Park High School recently teamed with Chicago Public Schools and non-profit Openlands to redesign an existing amphitheater and create an outdoor learning and interaction space for students. The new outdoor classroom provides seating for one full class, with overflow spaces extending up the hillside. The design features concrete steps sculpted into the hillside, Wisconsin Rock River boulders scattered through the expansive lawn, and seat walls intersecting a new rain garden. This diversity in plant species supports lessons on environmental conditions, leaf shapes, seasonal quality, and animal habitats. As both a learning space and meeting place for friends after class, the new space has been embraced by students.
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MERIT AWARD Winnetka Residence CHALET The design philosophy and intent for this project was largely influenced by the client’s background and childhood. She wanted a lush space that harkened back to her French heritage; a space she could enjoy each day and every season. The resulting garden is seasonal paradise, relying on the emergence of perennials, grasses, and annuals at different times of year to create a constantly evolving palette of colors and textures. An edible garden, espalier apple orchard, and numerous other fruit trees adorn the garden, which is organized around a central seating area with a pergola and an intimate swinging bench.
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Government Advocacy and ASLA By Keven Graham // ASLA
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s I return from Washington, D.C. and the 2014 mid-year meeting of the ASLA Board of Trustees, I find myself reflecting on the accomplishments ASLA has made through its vigilant government advocacy efforts. When I began serving as an Illinois Trustee five years ago, our message each year on Lobby Day was as much about educating legislators about who landscape architects are and what we do as it was about important issues impacting our work. During Senator Durbin’s constituent coffee a year ago, when I introduced myself as a landscape architect, Sen. Durbin launched into a five minute history lesson on the design of the U.S. Capital grounds and Frederick Law Olmsted. This was especially opportune as the room was filled with constituents representing Illinois, the Bar Association, railroads, teachers and many others. This year both the senators and their legislative aids not only knew who we were, but they understood what landscape architects do. They were asking questions like, “What road blocks are we running into on federally funded transportation projects?” They were also asking for our input related to funding ideas and options regarding a legislative bill currently being considered. It is great to see this progress!
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These accomplishments have been achieved through the tireless efforts of ASLA staff. Their ability to track legislation, build coalitions with other groups focused on similar issues, and work with congressional offices as they write language for bills affecting transportation, green infrastructure, storm water, urban parks and small business issues is remarkable and should not go unnoticed. ASLA’s Communications Staff, through their public awareness and public relations efforts, have targeted similar issues resulting in greater awareness, acceptance, and respect for the profession.
NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD. INDEED, IT’S THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS. –MARGARET MEAD
We are a small group, but our voice is getting louder and our message is being heard. This May, ASLA sent over 200 advocates to Capitol Hill to speak with congressional offices, senators, correspondents, republicans and democrats. We had eighteen
students among the group, two from the Illinois Institute of Technology. “Advocacy Day was a great experience and opportunity to not only meet with our local politicians, but to speak with others in our profession about pressing issues that have a direct impact on our field,” said Andrew D’Arcy, MLA candidate 2015 at IIT. It is extremely important for ASLA to go to Washington, D.C. and orchestrate this advocacy effort. As it is often said, “All politics is local.” We need to promote this same message here in Illinois to be equally impactful. Did you know it takes less than 60 seconds to respond to an ASLA Advocacy Alert? The Illinois Chapter of ASLA has nearly 500 members; we need to speak as one collective voice on matters that affect the work we all do. The ASLA Advocacy Network allows members to quickly connect our messages to both federal and state legislators in less than 60 seconds. We have seen direct results locally and nationally via the activation of these alerts. We have seen positive results, bills changed, and bills defeated. These successes, however, do not change the need for each and every landscape architect in Illinois to get to know their legislators. Politics does affect the work we do, and relationships affect our legislators.
ASLA has a number of initiatives it is working on – from public awareness and membership services to continued enhancement of Landscape Architecture Magazine. In fact, growing the membership is one of ASLA’s top priorities in the coming year. One of the biggest efforts that ASLA staff undertakes each year is the planning and holding of the ASLA Annual Meeting, this year in Denver, Colorado. The Theme for 2014 is RESILIENCE. Resilience is defined as the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc. The recent years have seen some of this within our profession. Through efforts such as LandUp, Illinois landscape architects are working to be resilient. We can do more, and we need to do more as a collective profession. As landscape architects and members of ILASLA, we need to look for opportunities to advocate in a common
voice, engage students (our future) and all non-member licensed landscape architects in Illinois. Working together will enable us to move toward a brighter future. In 2015, the Annual Meeting of ASLA will be back in Chicago. Our chapter will have the opportunity to once again show landscape architects from around the world what a great city Chicago is, and the great work that is being done in the Midwest. Soon you will be receiving an invitation to join your fellow Illinois members at a planning and informational session. I hope you will consider joining us, as the Annual Meeting is a great way to expand one’s knowledge and a way to gauge the profession on a broader level. In 2009, Chicago hosted the ASLA Annual Meeting and we had over 120 members volunteer to help. Let’s do it again, and make 2015 even better.
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Keven Graham, ASLA serves as the Illinois Trustee to the American Society of Landscape Architects Board of Trustees. In addition to his roll on the Board of Trustees he is in his second year serving as the Chair of the national communications and public relations committee. Keven is a Principal with Planning Resources Inc. in Wheaton, Illinois.
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Landscape Architecture (re)Discovered By Cynthia Anderson // Associate ASLA
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iscovering, rediscovering, perhaps even uncovering landscape architecture has been a theme for ILASLA during the year. For those outside of the profession, our role as landscape architects may be a bit of a mystery, may be misunderstood, or may be completely off the radar. Much of our chapter’s programming this past year has focused on getting the word out about who we are and what we do.
Rediscovery: Perhaps you have noticed this line in local and national ASLA publications during the last year: Landscape architects lead the stewardship, planning and design of our built and natural environments. This captures what landscape architecture promises as a design profession. Has this line sparked you to think a bit more about the breadth of our roles as landscape architects – a rediscovery of the profession, perhaps? We bring a multifaceted approach to our work, considering the natural and social interactions within the built landscape and how our efforts can enhance the spaces we design. The breadth that captures the full spectrum of our role, however, leaves many outside of our profession puzzled about just what it is that we do.
Discovery: Each of us has a practical example of what we do that illustrates the promise of land16
scape architecture. This year ILASLA has aimed to bring these examples to audiences of allied professions. In June, Executive Director Susan Ragaishis and several representatives of the Executive Committee joined in the inaugural meeting of the Chicago Design Association. The purpose of this group is to develop stronger ties across the associations of planners, interior designers, architects, landscape architects and engineers, among others. The group has shared calendars and extended invitations to educational events of interest across the design community.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS LEAD THE STEWARDSHIP, PLANNING AND DESIGN OF OUR BUILT AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS. Fellowship and Emerging Professional events have also focused on encouraging interdisciplinary interaction and discovery. The summer mixer was held in conjunction with the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association’s (ILCA) Summer Field Days at Ball Horticulture, and brought together more than 100 members and guests for a day of networking, a panel discussion, great music, and garden tours. Emerging Professionals events were held with AIA and APA colleagues, bringing together students, recent graduates, and not-so-recent graduates at a series of venues across the city.
To further promote discovery and cross-professional communication, the Executive Committee has asked several ILASLA members to serve as liaisons to other organizations. Nik Davis, ASLA, is connecting with APA , Chris Gent, ASLA, with AIA, and John Cook, ASLA, with ILCA. With these members working to create connections, look for more opportunities to partner with these allied associations. ILASLA has revamped, recalibrated, and experimented with several print communications to reach out to members and allied professions this year. VISTA, the new monthly digital newsletter, went live in April. The bright, engaging layout invites readers to meet landscape architects and sponsors; it also highlights past and future activities. In creating VISTA, ILASLA Internal Communications chair Renee TeVogt and her team focused on creating a publication that brings information of interest to members and sponsors. By all accounts, the first months of VISTA have been a success. The communications team also teamed with ILCA to produce an insert for Landscape Contractor, ILCA’s monthly member magazine. ILASLA member Matt Synnestvedt spearheaded this project that aimed to present the landscape architect’s perspective and potential for collaboration to the landscape contractor community.
Seminars sponsored by Bartlett Tree Experts have been interesting and well-attended this year. Organized by the Education Committee and its chair Kenon Boehm, four professional enrichment seminars were held throughout the Chicago area and ranged in topic from urban orchards, to public participation, to construction administration. Look for links on the ILASLA site to the Barlett Seminar YouTube videos for any events you may have missed.
Uncovering: Often landscape architects’ work is hiding in plain sight; uncovering and highlighting the projects around the city for residents and students is another emphasis for 2014. April was National Landscape Architecture Month, an opportunity to celebrate the work of our members and highlight our work to the public at large. Celebration 2014, held at the Chicago History Museum, recognized outstanding work featured elsewhere here in Elevation and at the Folio link on the ILASLA website. Landscape architects also took to the streets on April 16th for Ask an LA Day, aimed to bring public atten-
tion to the work of landscape architects around the city and suburbs. Revealing landscape architecture to high school and university students continues to be an ASLA emphasis both locally and nationally. A national campaign, Career Discovery, encourages chapters to increase outreach to a wide range of students and let them know about the landscape architecture field. Locally, ILASLA continues to work with student chapters at UIUC and IIT at the university level, and we are looking for volunteers willing to speak to high school students in the arts and sciences to show how their interests can translate to a career in landscape architecture. To this end, ILASLA members Theresa Montoya and Alex Fenech have created a set of educational presentations to roll out in fall. For the rest of 2014, take a look at how you can help in the discovery, rediscovery and uncovering of landscape architecture and show how we “lead the stewardship, planning and design of our built and natural environments.”
Cynthia Anderson has an MLA from Ohio State and is currently a PhD student wrestling with the larger implications of alternative food systems and their influence on the cultural landscapes of the city. Prior to studying landscape architecture, she received her MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a BS in Engineering from Cornell University. Cindy has more than twenty years of marketing, management and business strategy experience, living and working in the United States and internationally. Cindy currently serves as the Chairperson for the Public Awareness Committee for the ILASLA.
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What do you get out of joining Illinois ASLA? By becoming a member of ASLA, you’ll join over 18,000 other landscape architecture professionals - throughout all 50 U.S. states, U.S. territories, and 68 countries around the world! As a member of the Illinois Chapter, you’ll receive our monthly email newsletter, Dispatch, our quarterly journal, Elevation, and our annual awards book, folio, and be invited to numerous professional events throughout the state all year ‘round. www.il-asla.org