Landscape Architect Articles

2016 ASLA Chapter Reports: New York ASLA Chapter12-06-16 | Feature

2016 ASLA Chapter Reports
New York ASLA Chapter

The winning ASLA Award projects included two Honor Awards in General Design, two in Analysis/Planning/Research and Communications and four in Residential Design.

The New York Chapter of the ASLA provided top quality advocacy, education and training for its members in 2016. The busy chapter hosted and participated in various events aimed at creating and maintaining a dialogue between professionals and the community.

In early 2016, the society began accepting submittals for the 2016 Design Awards. Organized by the Chapter Awards Committee, the chapter awards are designed to bolster local visibility, acknowledge and promote the work of association membership, and publicly recognize excellence in landscape architecture. Winners were announced in April and out of 55 entries, the Southern California Chapter, this year's jurors, gave 8 honor and 10 merit awards.

Along with public outreach, one of the ASLA-NY's main goals is to promote and maintain industry standards through education. The popular 4 CEU's and Beer series returned on April 29 at the Center for Architecture. The event started with a lecture by experts in team building followed by presentations from two project teams who discussed the complexities of multi-disciplinary public projects. Presentations focused on lessons learned and emphasized discussions between panelists as well as questions from the audience. The program culminated in a social gathering at a local tavern.

On February 27, an interdisciplinary jury of landscape architects and allied professionals from the Southern California Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects gathered to select the winners of the 2016 ASLA New York Chapter Design Awards.

In August of 2016, the Society hosted a park tour and summer picnic in New York's Central Park. There were two one-hour tours narrated by Central Park Conservancy landscape architects, which featured the park's landscape south of 72nd Street including Grand Army Plaza, Hallett Nature Sanctuary, the Dene Meadow, and E 72nd Playground. Attendees had the opportunity to gather for a picnic at the southeast corner of Central Park's Sheep Meadow.

In addition, the ASLA-NY partnered with Open House New York in October to present New Landscapes New York. Tours of 17 significant landscape architecture projects were offered during the 14th annual Open House New York Weekend. Each year, 80,000 visitors and 1,300 volunteers participate in the event. The weekend celebrates architecture, landscape architecture and New York City, by giving attendees the opportunity to meet the designers who plan, design and develop the built environment.

The ASLA-NY also announced its new board of directors with Elizabeth Jordan taking the helm as president-elect. With new leadership and vision, clear paths lay ahead for the ASLA-NY as the society plans and organizes the New Jersey American Society of Landscape Architect's NJASLA 2017 Conference scheduled for March 2017.

As seen in LASN magazine, December 2016.