Michigan ASLA Chapter

Report by Craig Hondorp, ASLA, LEED, Senior Landscape Architect at Progressive AE

The President's Michigan Firm of the Year Award went to Kenneth Weikal Landscape Architecture of Farmington Hills. Kenneth Weikal (right) is the firm's founder. Beth Hagenbuch (left) is a partner in the firm. She also received the President's Emerging Professional of the Year award. Mark Robinson (center) is the 2013 chapter president.

Chapter's Annual Conference
The chapter's annual conference, "Goin' Public: Changing Perspectives on People Places," was held Oct. 25 at the Thousand Oaks Golf Club in Grand Rapids. The keynote speaker was Lance Jay Brown, FAIA, DPACSA, principal with Lance Jay Brown Architecture + Urban Design. His topic was "Design Contest: Public Space Today." The chapter also held three educational sessions, and a "Changing Perspectives on People Places" panel discussion.

The annual get-together also included the President's Awards luncheon, and culminated in the evening chapter awards dinner.

The President's Distinguished Member of the Year went to Vanessa Warren, ASLA.

President's Awards
Distinguished Member of the Year: Vanessa Warren, ASLA.

Emerging Professional of the Year: Beth Hagenbuch, Associate ASLA.

Outstanding Firm of the Year: Kenneth Weikal Landscape Architecture, Farmington Hills, Mich., founded 1989.

Honor Award: John and Patricia Chipman. The couple established the John E. and Patricia Chipman Scholarship Endowment for Overseas Study at Michigan State University in 2000 for MSU's landscape architecture students. John was a 1953 graduate of the landscape architecture program at MSU. He started Landscape Forms at his Comstock Township residence as a landscaping business in 1969, growing the company into a profitable outdoor furniture company in Kalamazoo. John passed away April 2, 2011 at the age of 80.

Patricia Chipman, wife of John Chipman (Feb. 26, 1931- April 2, 2011) received the President's Honor Award. The couple established a scholarship endowment at Michigan State University in the year 2000 for overseas study for MSU's landscape architecture students. Chimpan founded Landscape Forms in 1969.

Design Awards
Honor Award, Landscape Architectural Design: Hamilton Anderson Associates for Dow Chemical Founder's Garden, Midland, Mich. Team members included ASTI Environmental, Illuminating Concepts and Wilcox Engineers.

Merit Award, Landscape Architectural Design: Conservation Design Forum's work on the Ann Arbor Municipal Complex in Ann Arbor.???(R)???AE'?N????e'?N,A+Site and landscape architecture design was provided by InSite Design Studio. Integrated rainwater design, site design and ecological Engineering was by Conservation Design Forum.???(R)???AE'?N????e'?N,A+Other team members were Quinn Evans Architects and Cannon Design (architects), and artist Herbert Dreiseitl.

Merit Award, Landscape Architectural Research & Communication: Gibbs Planning Group/Robert Gibbs for Principles of Urban Retail Planning and Development, published by John Wiley and Sons.

Lobby Day
We held Lobby Day for Michigan landscape architects on May 1 at the Capitol Building in Lansing. More than 40 legislators joined our luncheon, and 36 members visited legislators from their districts to share information about our current legislation. In Washington, D.C., four delegates represented our great state for National Advocacy Day.

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