The winner in the Landscape Design division was HOOD Design of Oakland, Calif. The two finalists in the Landscape Design division were Rios Clementi Hale Studios, Los Angeles, and Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture, San Francisco. See ?EUR??,,????'??Winners, Finalists Named for 10th Annual National Design Awards?EUR??,,????'??https://landscapearchitect.com/research/article/11976

Mrs. Obama, sporting a bright yellow dress (well, fashion designers were among the awardees), explained her interest in design: ?EUR??,,????'??What I love about design is the artistic and scientific complexity that also becomes useful: a laptop, a bridge, an outfit (laughter), a garden, all drawn from a thousand wells of inspiration and yet grounded in the basic principles of math or science.?EUR??,,????'??

Earlier in the day the designers shared their visions, ideas and experiences by leading workshops at Smithsonian locations across Washington D.C. Oakland, Calif. landscape architect Walter Hood was part of a panel discussing ?EUR??,,????'??transforming community?EUR??,,????'?? at the National Building Museum. The other panel members were Neill McG. Coleman, general deputy assistant secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Christopher Sharples, Coren Sharples and Gregg Pasquarelli of SHoP Architects. You can watch that discussion at www.nationaldesignawards.org/2009/whitehouse.

Mrs. Obama thanked the recipients for going out into the community and ?EUR??,,????'??making sure that kids know that they belong on the cutting edge of design just the same; that they belong in the world of discovery and science, reminding them that they belong in the presence of great art and beauty; that it is theirs just as much as anyone?EUR??,,????'???s in this nation.?EUR??,,????'??