2014: Volume 8, Number 3
Michigan Chapter of the American Societ y
of Landscape
Architects
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Table of contents 2014: Volume 8, number 3
Michigan Chapter of the American Societ y oF Landscape
2
Letter from the president
6 As 2014 has officially made its way into fall, we find ourselves confronted with the stark realities of Democracy: election season, with its deluge of candidate commercials, mailers, yard signs and phone calls. Love it or not, it is firmly entrenched in our American traditions. We have an incredible contingent of public servants in our state; even in this eleventh hour of the incumbents’ terms, our elected officials are working hard to get important legislative tasks accomplished that will have long-lasting effects for Michigan Landscape Architects. Be sure to make your voice count and vote on November 4, 2014! Our focus in this issue of SITES is largely that of Universal Design. Interestingly, when the definition of “democracy” came up on Dictionary.com, the definitions for this noun linked these two ideas: 1) Democracy: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. 2) Democracy: a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges. The big idea of Universal Design is that of accommodating the diversity of all people’s needs and mobility through inclusive design. Read on for more about Universal Design. ON THE COVER: Carpenter Lake fishing platform located in Southfield Michigan. Image courtesy of the City of Southfield
The idea of inclusivity, though not used exclusively in Landscape Architectural design, is not a new one, as noted by the late John Lennon:
Imagine all the people Sharing all the world You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will live as one ~ John Lennon To cap off this third issue of SITES, we honor a landscape architect who has had many great accomplishments throughout his career, Chet Hill, ASLA. With great wit and great talent, he shares with us the idea that his real reward for all that he has done, and the clients, employees and students that he has influenced with his talent and knowledge, is that he knows that people will be better for that which he has done. In the words of Mr. Hill: “Wonderful places inspire people who in turn inspire others who will in turn inspire others. The rewards are never ending.” SuLin Kotowicz, LLA, ASLA President, Michigan Chapter of ASLA For more information, please visit our website at www.michiganasla.org, or find us on Facebook or LinkedIn.
What...If Anything...Is Universal Design? by Bill Sanders, ASLA Sanders & Czapski Associates, PLLC
Architects
Inclusive Design, Landscape Architecture, and the ADA at 25: Successes, Challenges, and Beyond ‘Meeting the Code’ By Stanton Jones, ASLA University of Michigan
10
2014 Student ASLA Award Winners Michigan State University
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A Tribute to Chester Hill, ASLA: Michigan ASLA Landscape Architect Legacy Series The Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio
events calendar October 9 - 10, 2014 MSU LAAAB Distinguished Speaker Series Found out more at www.michiganasla.org November 6, 2014 Become a MARKITECT: Build Your Firm’s Marketing Strategy Schoolcraft College, Livonia, MI November 21-24, 2014 ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo Denver, CO
Editor’s notes If you would like to contribute to SITES or have a topic of interest, please email: SITESpublications@michiganasla.org
WHat...if anything...is universal design? By Bill Sanders, ASLA Sanders & Czapski Associates, PLLC
The terms Universal Design and Inclusive Design have come into common use when designers and developers talk about their projects. The problem is that all too often they lose their meaning in the built environment. This is largely a result of a lack of understanding of what it means to universally address all manner of abilities in the design of everything from buildings and sites to eating utensils and automobiles. Some firms prefer the term inclusive design as it really describes the goal of designing to “include.” It is important to demonstrate to clients that accessibility is NOT synonymous with inclusion. Designing buildings and sites to be as inclusive as possible is advantageous to any project as it will allow and even encourage a much broader use of the built project. The advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and building codes in many states has for years required designers to address accessibility in their projects. Meeting the guidelines of the ADA and accessibility codes is not the same as universal access. While this legal basis for “barrier free design” has made our buildings and sites accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, it has not provided a universal experience for all users. The ADA sets only the base level of accessibility. Universal Design is something completely different, something much more than providing accessibility by meeting codes and laws governing the parameters of the project. It is a perspective that is inclusive of the diverse nature of the human condition. 2
While the existence of these codes and laws has resulted in improved access across America, it has also, unintentionally, limited the best possible design solution. Valerie Fletcher, with the Institute for Human Centered Design1, explains that these codes do have benefit in establishing minimum criteria for accessibility, but they have also become ‘blinders’. Designers are often so focused on the codes that they forget to observe the diversity of people and how they interact with their environment. There are perils in designing by code alone, and there are great benefits in designing by observation and understanding!
The Center for Universal Design, located at the University of North Carolina’s College of Design, is a leader in adaptive design. They define “Universal Design” as embracing seven basic principles. They include: 1.
Equitable Use: The design does not disadvantage or stigmatize any group of users.
2.
Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.
3.
Simple, Intuitive Use: Use of the Design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.
4.
Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities.
5.
Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.
6.
Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue.
7.
Size and Space for Approach & Use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, and use, regardless of the user’s body size, posture, or mobility.
(The Principles are copyrighted to the Center for Universal Design, School of Design, State University of North Carolina at Raleigh, USA. Additional examples and information can be found at: www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud).
ABOVE: A pair of identical public garden spaces were constructed on the same site. One was built using two stairs to access the space (shown here), therefore not accessible to people with mobility issues. The second garden was identical, but provided complete accessibility. This arrangement does meet the ADA and local accessibility codes, but it is not universally accessible or inclusive. The site is flat and both gardens could have easily been made barrier free. This garden has since been made completely accessible. Image courtesy of Sanders & Czapski Associates, PLLC OPPOSITE: A design of an intersection for the Village of Suttons Bay, Michigan incorporates several “inclusive” features. For example, the grade in the intersection is raised, thereby reducing the slope of the crosswalks. Image courtesy of Village of Suttons Bay
continued on page 4 3
Improving the Universal Experience
c o n t i n u e d f r o m pa g e 3
wheelchair users have the same choice in where to have their picnic as the general public. An even better design would allow the wheelchair user to sit in the middle of the table rather than at the end so that they can ‘rub elbows’ with their friends. Doing so gives everyone the complete choice of where to sit across the whole park site. All users, regardless of ability are included and from the perspective of having a picnic, the park would be universally accessible. One of the simplest tactics a landscape architect can utilize is to modify their cast in place concrete specification to require that control joints are ‘saw-cut’ rather that tooled. A tooled joint can literally be a pain for wheel chair users. The width and depth of a tooled joint can send a jolt up the spine as each joint is crossed. This also wreaks havoc with the wheel bearings of most chairs. Pedestrians with gait problems also can have problems with tooled joints. A saw-cut joint is virtually invisible to a wheel chair user. Raised intersections can also provide for a more inclusive pedestrian realm. Not only does the reduced slope from the sidewalk to the crosswalk improve accessibility, but the use of planters flanking the crosswalks can help orient cane users and as well as elevate the plantings for more “inclusive” enjoyment.
ABOVE: Inclusive design needs to consider accessibility in urban and natural environments. In both cases, designers should identify opportunities and constraints. Image courtesy of Lasher Sports
The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board recently amended the ADA guidelines to include recommendations for outdoor facilities like trails, picnic areas and the like. For example, where picnic tables are provided under these accessibility standards for Federal outdoor developed areas, 20% of the picnic tables, or at least one, must provide a forward approach for a wheel chair. For a small park there is often only one such picnic table. This meets the code and law; however it is not inclusive. Wheelchair users are restricted to using only the picnic area with such a table. The inclusive approach would make all of the tables at the park accessible so that 4
Many projects provide only the code prescribed number and type of barrier free parking spaces. The remaining parking spaces can be designed to be functionally accessible as well. Most vehicles are six feet wide, so by providing a minimum stall width of eleven feet, there results, at least theoretically, an access aisle of five feet between parked cars. By also widening the adjacent sidewalk to eight feet, the minimum five foot width for circulation is protected from the overhang of parked vehicles. A roll type curb separating the parked cars from the sidewalk can also provide an enhanced level of access. For some users, the standard curb cut is necessary; for others this arrangement can make the entire lot accessible. This arrangement does come at a cost and can require as much as 18% additional space for the same number of cars or a similar reduction in the number of spaces provided. Constructing a lesser number of spaces and providing temporary overflow parking in the form of reinforced turf can enhance the site’s aesthetic without reducing its function and capacity. The benefit can be well worth it.
This approach can have a cost, but the project owner gains all of the benefits by allowing for a wider use of their facility. The economics of “inclusive design” is very powerful. Where a design does not address “inclusion”, the project will likely not see customers or visitors that have some disability. It is also likely their families will not shop at their store or visit their parks. The positive impact of inclusive design on the success of a commercial development or the popularity of a public park can be amazing. Making a project more inclusive is sometimes a simple matter of providing opportunity. For example, where the terrain or other natural features precludes pushing a paved trail into a wilderness area, the simple clearing of boulders or woody shrub material to a minimum width of forty inches will allow the passage of an all-terrain hand cycle. This can give the opportunity for someone with limited use of their legs or with balance issues to negotiate remote areas.
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An understanding of the abilities of humankind by observation and interaction is surely the best way for landscape architects to become better designers. There are also many organizations providing leadership in universal design and they are a valuable resource. Reaching out to them for assistance and becoming involved with their programs and involving them in your design process will lead to better projects for EVERYONE!!! Works Cited: 1. The Institute for Human Centered Design, humancentereddesign.org/ Additional Resources: • The Center for Universal Design: http://www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/ index.htm • Cynthia Leibrock: http://agingneautifully.org • Scott & Sarah Pruett, UD Partners: http://universaldesign.co/ • The Disability Network: http://www.dnmichigan.org/ For more information contact: Bill Sanders, ASLA 906.273.1207 www.sanders-czapski.com
Landscape Architect / Principal Sanders & Czapski Associates, PLLC bill@sanders-czapski.com
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Inclusive Design, Landscape Architecture, and the ADA at 25: Successes, Challenges, and Beyond ‘Meeting The Code’
by Stanton Jones, ASLA University of Michigan
Landscape architects are trained to think in terms of landscape time, i.e., how a landscape will evolve over periods of time measuring not in days, weeks, or months, but in terms of years, decades, centuries, or more. We apply this thinking in our design processes, to the places and landscapes we help to heal or create, and we generally focus upon the land, its components and its systems, and the elements we as design professionals introduce (infrastructure, hardscape, plants, fixtures, etc.). We can also apply this sort of thinking to the evolution of design movements such as the Picturesque, or Post-Modernism, or to how practice itself has evolved over time due to a different, or deeper, understanding of landscape-based science (ecological design, for example), issues (such as stormwater management), or current events (public safety and CPTED). Thinking in landscape time affords design professionals an opportunity to respond to design/planning challenges in ways that ensure that we learn from what came before, and that we are doing the best we can with respect to being responsible, if not inspiring, stewards of the landscape. That is, and should be, our professional goal. 6
2015 will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and in the spirit of looking back in order to look ahead, this presents an ideal opportunity to evaluate how we, as a profession, are doing with respect to the creation of inclusive places. While the passage of the ADA itself marks an important point in time with respect to how the practice of design was required to respond, the evolution of thinking about ‘access’, and then the ‘removal of barriers’, dates back much further than 1990, to the period following the First World War, and to the needs of thousands of returning veterans who were now differently-abled due to wounds received in the line of duty. Through the decades that followed, an expanding view of how the landscape itself needed to respond to the needs of all people created new and intriguing challenges for design professionals. With the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, the stage was set, albeit twenty-six years in advance, for what would become one of the most significant and far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation affecting the built environment.
While possessing several routes of travel to the front door, the plaza and garden at the Ann Arbor Municipal Center (designed by Conservation Design Forum and InSite Design Studio) offers visitors an inclusive experience by creating an elegant sloping walkway through and over the rain garden, leading from the parking lot to the front door, and a stair-less connection to the closest intersection; steps, which are alongside a water sculpture by Herbert Dreiseitl, are in fact a secondary route of travel that provides a short route of travel to the street, but is not considered the ‘primary’ path to the door. Image courtesy of Stanton Jones, ASLA
But has the ADA had the impact on the built environment that was envisioned by those that championed it? Has it had as far-reaching and significant an impact as other pieces of significant legislation, such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, or the National Environmental Policy Act? Has it affected the practice of landscape architecture to the same degree that these (and other) major laws have? A survey currently underway of practicing design professionals across the country seems to suggest that the answer to this question is mixed. While it is clear that the ADA has had a measurable impact on the degree to which we think about providing access, and ‘meeting the code’, it has not typically generated a response that resonates as deeply with many in our profession as those laws that relate to what might be best labeled ‘natural systems’. For example, as a profession, landscape architects have taken on stormwater management and have done so with an enormous amount of energy, creativity, and innovation. New forms, evolving ecorevelatory design concepts, new materials and products, plus new, innovative landscape systems have all been generated over the past twenty-five years,
affording landscape architects the opportunity to really ‘push the envelope’ with respect to the forms and functions that we are routinely incorporating into our landscapes and built forms. This is fantastic, and it has allowed landscape architects to design very creative, inspiring responses to sitebased issues in ways that both address the problem and educate/inspire the public at-large. These creative designs showcase our skills as designers on the land. But have we been as innovative with regard to the social imperative that is at the core of the ADA? While many landscape architects have embraced the challenge to create more inclusive spaces, the same level of creativity and innovation that we see in how we have addressed the challenge of stormwater management has not been as evident in how we have met the goals inherent in the ADA. While progress has been made in terms of ‘fixes’ to ‘problems’ (e.g., curb cuts at street corners, or rubberized play surfaces that allow wheelchairs and other devices to access play structures), the opportunity continued on page 8
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Inclusive Design, Landscape Architecture, and the ADA at 25
c o n t i n u e d f r o m pa g e 7
exists to do more, and to take more of a leadership role among our colleagues in other professions when it comes to creating truly inclusive environments. Landscape architects can, and in many instances are, moving beyond ‘fixes’ to create seamless, democratic spaces that elevate the ability of all people to share equally in the experience of place. Historically, Universal Design, Design For All, and other inclusive design methodologies have been too often misconstrued, mislabeled, or misunderstood by practicing professionals as ‘handicap design’, or ‘ADA design’, which has in turn led to the creation of buildings and landscapes that seem to add ‘new’ elements that increase accessibility in a manner that resembles a retrofit for a non-accessible concept or design. Many in the design professions still lament what they feel they can’t do, or can’t incorporate into their designs any longer – no steps, no cobbles, etc. This has seemingly led to a constraint on creativity where accessibility, as a goal, has become something to be ‘checked off’ per code 8
ABOVE LEFT & RIGHT: The newly redesigned main entry to Schembechler Hall at the University of Michigan is an example of not one, but two separate, unequal entrances that may meet local codes and design requirements but are clearly worlds apart in providing an opportunity for a shared, much less an equal or equitable, experience. Image courtesy of Stanton Jones, ASLA OPPOSITE LEFT & RIGHT: A more subtle, but still separate and unequal entryway design at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. The primary focus of the entry plaza is clearly on the front door, over which hangs a welcome sign. The ramp providing access for people with disabilities is tucked off to the right, hidden behind a wall, nearly invisible and completely separate. Image courtesy of Stanton Jones, ASLA
compliance, as opposed to looking beyond accessibility to a broader conceptualization of inclusion that could be utilized as a driver of creativity used to create beautiful, equitable, ecologically-sound and socially-just
landscape spaces and places. Rather than looking to historic examples such as the dog-leg ramp as THE solution to overcome a vertical change along a path, design professionals should be looking for opportunities to flex our sitedesign muscles, to move beyond retrofit ‘fixes’ to create designs that maximize both the opportunity to participate in the life of places AND in the sharing of the experience of place. We must ask ourselves how we can utilize our creativity to generate design solutions that support inclusion, not separation, and that do so beautifully. We have the ability to think bigger, more creatively, more inclusively. We have done this beautifully, seamlessly, at times, but can we do more?
equality was. Equality of access, and of experience. The ADA is a Civil Rights Law, and as such it demands of us more creativity, more thoughtfulness, and more determination in the creation of inclusive spaces. Sixty years have passed since the doctrine of separate but equal was found to be inherently unequal, and over fifty years have passed since Dr. Martin Luther King shared with us his “Dream”. It is time for all of the landscapes we create to live up not only to the letter of the laws and codes we have to follow, but to the dreams and aspirations of all of the people that wish to truly share, together, in the experiences of the places we work to design. A lofty goal, perhaps, but one that is very much worth pursuing.
When looking at many of the landscapes designed and built over the past twenty-five years, it would be easy to pat ourselves on the back and say that it is in fact easier for people with disabilities to navigate the built environment. But easier is an outcome, not the core of the vision at the outset of the ADA….
For more information contact: Stanton Jones, ASLA Associate Professor and Program Coordinator 734.764.6529 University of Michigan www.snre.umich.edu/la stanj@umich.edu 9
THANK YOU! To everyone who participated in the 2014 Annual Conference and Awards Dinner. Your generous support and attendance made the conference a great success! I would like to extend a personal thank you to the dedicated Annual Conference Committee members, SuLin Kotowicz, Craig Hondorp, Monica Schwanitz, Jessica Wendlandt, Toni Gasperoni, and Amanda Nawara. Thank you for all your hard work! Thank you to our speakers, Peter Walker, Bob Chipman, and Bill Johnson for providing inspiring presentations!
CONGRATULATIONS! michigan State University 2014 asla student award winners
Honor Award Merit award Laura Fielitz, Student ASLA Josh Molinar, Student ASLA Gina Deyoung, Student ASLA Yiwen Xu, Student ASLA
Thank you to our generous conference sponsors: VIRIDIS Design Group, Landscape Forms, Rain Bird, The Toro Company, and Spartan Distributors, as well as our promotional bundle supporters: Victor Stanley, Landscape Forms, Ironsmith, Pine Hall Brick, Miracle Midwest, and Playworld Midstates. Thank you to Kindsvatter Dalling and Associates for all your hard work and assistance in planning the conference. The conference would not have been a success without you all! Sincerely John McCann, President Elect 10
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D E S I G N . C U LT U R E . C R A F T.
A Tribute to Chester B. Hill, ASLA: Michigan ASLA Landscape Architect Legacy Chet’s design philosophy is rooted in the belief that, in the field of landscape architecture, truly memorable designs are those that recognize and respect the underlying fabric of the site and utilize this fabric in the ultimate design solution. Considerable investigation is usually necessary to understand the true nature of a site, but once discovered, it is appropriate that this understanding be the basis for future decision making. Chet has found the application of different methodologies for exploration is both exciting and rewarding, providing him a great deal of satisfaction from his work. While Chet would like to be remembered for his accomplishments, his real reward is in knowing that people will be better for that which he has done. Over the course of his career, Chet has been fortunate to have worked for and with a number of distinguished and extremely talented landscape architects; foremost are Bill Johnson and Peter Walker. The lessons learned from years of work with these extremely talented individuals have guided his design philosophy, his design process, and the nature of the designs that he has been able to create. He is perhaps most deeply indebted to Bill Johnson, one of the truly great landscape architects of this era. Great landscape architects are more than just great designers. They display a wide range of admirable characteristics in all that they do, such as in the way in which they approach a project, solve problems, work with clients, “sell” their services, apply their design process, and especially their approach to life. Chet states that while he learned landscape architecture early in his career, he learned how to be a landscape architect during his time with Bill.
Chester B. Hill, ASLA The Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio Ann Arbor, Michigan 12
Born and raised in Michigan, Chet first became aware of landscape architecture as a profession in the late 1960’s at Michigan State University. Having given up on piloting (eyesight!) and baseball (curve balls!) as a young man, engineering seemed like a promising alternative. His father owned and operated a small industrial design firm in Mt. Clemens so design and technical drafting was in his blood. It wasn’t long, however, before the folly of that thinking became apparent (calculus!). A friend in the landscape architecture program suggested giving this a go and sure enough, he finally found a fit.
ABOVE: The Betsie Valley Trail bridge crossing located between Frankfort/Elberta and Thompsonville, Michigan. Image courtesy of Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio.
ABOVE: Raised beds for barrier free access in County Farm Park, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Image courtesy of Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio.
Under the able tutelage of Albe Munson, Carl Gerlach, Charles Strieby, Phil Flores plus the other LA faculty of that era, and, of course, the gracious Clancy Lewis in the Horticulture Department, he received his BS in Landscape Architecture in 1970.
There are some who may discredit public agency work, but Chet will tell you that it is at the City of Ann Arbor that he learned the true breadth and depth of the profession. From design conception through construction administration, there could not have been a better learning environment than was offered by the City off Ann Arbor. To this day, literally dozens of parks in the city’s park system carry Chet’s fingerprints.
After a yearlong sojourn in Vietnam, he returned to the prospect of a tight job market, so he and his wife decided to move to Dexter, Michigan to continue his education at the University of Michigan. The demands of raising a new family, however, took precedence so this plan was put on hold until the late 1980’s. His first real landscape architecture position was with Midwestern Consulting Inc., a small (at the time) engineering firm located in Ann Arbor, where he was finally able to put some of what he had learned into practice. A few years later, Chet accepted a park planning position with the City of Ann Arbor.
During his time at the city, he became involved with the Michigan Chapter of ASLA where he held the positions of Secretary, Treasurer, and Chapter President. It was also during this time that he was finally able to return to the University of Michigan, and while working full time, earned his master’s degree. He studied under Ken Polakowski, Terry Brown, Bob Grese, Bill Johnson, and the late Chuck Cares and continues to count these folks as both mentors and friends. continued on page 14
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A Tribute to Chester B. Hill, ASLA
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In 1989, Chet was hired away from the City of Ann Arbor by William J. Johnson Associates. In the early 1990’s the firm merged with Peter Walker’s firm on the west coast and became known as Peter Walker William Johnson and Partners. Chet worked for the firm until late in 1993, when he partnered with Bill’s son, Mark Johnson, to form Johnson Hill and Associates. Johnson Hill and Associates subsequently merged with the firm of Land Ethics, Inc. and it is currently under the combined names of these two firms, Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio (JHLE). In addition to his work at JHLE, Chet has gotten great satisfaction from teaching and working with young professionals. He has been an adjunct professor/lecturer at the University of Michigan since 1993 and has been a guest lecturer and guest critic at MSU, EMU, and Lawrence Tech. In Chet’s words, “I love to teach. If I had it to do all over again, I might have gone this route.” Due to his connections at the University of Michigan, Chet is frequently asked about the profession by young men and women who are contemplating it as a career. His advice is consistent: if you are interested in people and if you are interested in the environment, go for it. In these economic times, the monetary rewards may not be as attractive as in other professions, but the personal rewards are greater than ever. There are very few professions that allow a person to have as far-reaching and positive influence on the well-being of people and nature. Wonderful places inspire people who in turn inspire others who will in turn inspire others. The rewards are never ending. Chet and his wife Beverly continue to reside in the Village of Dexter. He welcomes any and all visitors, particularly if they bring beer and are willing to weed.
Washington Street Streetscape improvements located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Image courtesy of Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio 14
For more information contact: Chester B. Hill, ASLA 734.668.7416 www.jhle-studio.com
Landscape Architect / Principal The Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio chill@jhle-studio.com
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Want to get involved? MiASLA is always looking for chapter members to participate at a greater level. Please feel free to reach out to the Executive Committee or staff members: manager@michiganasla.org (517) 485-4116 visit us at: www.michiganasla.org find us on: linkedin.com, facebook.com and twitter.com pos1303125 © 2013 Playworld Systems®, Inc.
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Michigan Chapter of the American Societ y oF Landscape
Architects
1000 W. St. Joseph Hwy., Suite 200 Lansing, MI 48915 www.michiganasla.org