Landscape Architect Articles

Florida Firms and Projects11-22-05 | News

Florida Firms and Projects

MSI Design

What Sets Them Apart

At MSI, we believe in creating environments that answer real needs, designing elements that work together and features that endure. We create work that touches lives. Our core values are a passionate belief in progressive, sustainable design, crafted with skill and discipline. MSI?EUR??,,????'???s approach to planning, urban design and landscape architecture stems from a shared vision of excellence and a quest for innovation, beauty and utility in all we do.

The public?EUR??,,????'???s perception of what a landscape architect does is primarily viewed as plant materials and design, but the profession?EUR??,,????'???s history and origins actually go more into planning and design,?EUR??,,????'?? says Greg Meyer RLA, a principal of MSI Design and the head of MSI?EUR??,,????'???s Winter Park, Fla., office. ?EUR??,,????'??As a firm, we?EUR??,,????'???re trying to put more of the planning back into design.?EUR??,,????'??

MSI Design is the product of a merger in 2000 that united two firms with different specialties, but the same emphasis on quality and creativity. The company maintains offices in Columbus, Ohio and Winter Park, Fla., giving MSI the ability to respond to regional clients with knowledge and understanding of regional issues.

?EUR??,,????'??Every project is unique. We?EUR??,,????'???re not trying to be one thing?EUR??,,????'??+say, modernist or traditional?EUR??,,????'??+we try to be more responsive to the local conditions on a project,?EUR??,,????'?? Meyer says. ?EUR??,,????'??That might include everything from environmental issues, site consideration, client desires and market-driven issues. There is no mold or cookie cutter for every project. There are elements that are the same?EUR??,,????'??+landscape, water features?EUR??,,????'????EUR??,,????'???and tangible things such as materials and finishes, but how you use them each time is very different.?EUR??,,????'??

?EUR??,,????'??+Contributed by Dina C. Hernandez

Hard Rock Hotel

Hard Rock Hotel, Orlando, Fla.

The Hard rock name brought with it associations that had to reverberate throughout the resort. The hotel had to be edgy and hip and cool, but still able to attract a broad range of guest. The idea was to create an elegant Southern California, Mission-style resort that appeared to be invaded by hard-rock presence. The result is a real-life version of the Hotel California, with site elements such as the zero-entry beach pool, guitar sculptures and fountains, edgy tile and pavement graphic patterns, and water-spouting fountain masks sporting dark sunglasses. The lion-head fountain mask proved so appealing that the hotel adopted the design for its collectible pins. MSI Design provided full design services for the 650-room project.

Awards: Florida Chapter ASLA Honor Award; 2003 ARDA Award for Resort Design

Hilton Grand

Hilton Grand Vacations Club, Tuscany Village, Orlando, Fla.

Tuscany Village is a 34-acre/384 unit Vacation Club destination resort developed by the Hilton Grand Vacations Club Company. The resort celebrates the architecture, gardens and ambience of the great Italian villas. The project includes a twelve-acre lake with pedestrian promenades, a swimming pool with an arcade waterfall and spas, and entry gardens. MSI provided the site planning, pool and fountain design, hardscape, site lighting, landscape and irrigation design.

Award: 2005 ARDA Award for Site Design and Utilization

Castaway Cay

Castaway Cay, Castaway Cay Island, Bahamas

Disney Cruise Line passengers step ashore at Castaway Cay Island for a day of recreation and relaxation on a lush Caribbean island. Guests can snorkel, swim and sunbathe, and children enjoy the MSI-designed water play platform and Scuttle?EUR??,,????'???s Cove Children?EUR??,,????'???s Activity Camp. Biking or hiking the winding nature trails are other favorite activities. In addition to designing the features above, MSI provided overall landscape planting and interpretive signage describing the flora of the island.

Award: Florida Chapter ASLA Award of Excellence

Leu Gardens

Leu Gardens Home Demonstration Gardens, Orlando Fla.

The Home Demonstration Gardens at Harry P. Leu Gardens is an exciting outdoor classroom, presenting a living curriculum on gardening in Central Florida to students of all ages and abilities?EUR??,,????'????EUR??,,????'???from schoolchildren to disabled people. The three-acre garden features a central gazebo and lawn area, an open-air exhibition building for cooking classes, and plots for several types of gardens. The ?EUR??,,????'??enabling garden?EUR??,,????'?? is designed with raised, and therefore accessible, planting beds, creating opportunities for hands-on gardening for disabled visitors.

Additional plots showcase examples of bird, water, patio, wildflower, and shade and sculpture gardens.

Award: 2005 FL ASLA Honor Award, 2004 FNGA award.

Founded in 1990, MSI is an award-winning planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm with offices in Columbus, Ohio and Winter Park, Florida. The MSI team includes skilled professionals who specialize in project management, design, planning, landscape architecture, graphic design, technical services and support services.

Principals: Keith J. Bongirno, ASLA, Richard W. Espe, ASLA, Karen J. McCoy, ASLA, Greg A. Meyer, RLA, Keith A. Myers, ASLA, Kerry M. Reeds, RLA, Timothy S. Schmalenberger, ASLA.