Thomas Balsley, FASLA to lecture at the Kansas State University

MANHATTAN, Kans.--Paper, Scissors, Rock: Design in the Public Realm will be presented by Thomas Balsley, FASLA at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 27, in the Little Theatre of the K-State Student Union.

The lecture is open to the public at no charge. Balsley is the founder and principal designer of Thomas Balsley Associates, a New York City-based, award-winning design firm specializing in landscape architecture, urban design and site planning. The firm is considered a pacesetter in the field of urban design, with an international reputation for developing environments that are creative, yet blend appropriately with their surroundings.

A registered landscape architect, Balsley is a graduate of Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

In an unexpected gesture of recognition for his contributions to landscape architecture and the public, a park he designed on 57th Street in Manhattan, New York, was renamed in his honor as Balsley Park.

Spacemaker Press published a monograph of Balsley's work entitled ?EUR??,,????'??Thomas Balsley: The Urban Landscape.?EUR??,,????'?? With over 30 years of experience, Thomas Balsley Associates has earned a reputation for creating environments that enhance, enrich and stimulate the individuals and communities that use them.

Central to the firm's design approach is Thomas Balsley's belief that, ?EUR??,,????'??Public open spaces are the great democratic spaces, the ultimate common ground.?EUR??,,????'??

Among the firm's most noted commissions are Skyline Park in Denver; Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens; the Detroit Riverfront Vision Plan; Portland, Oregon's South Waterfront Greenway; Chelsea Waterside Park in Manhattan, New York; the residences of Martha Stewart and Donald Trump; Gate City in Tokyo; and World Trade Centers in New York and Osaka. In New York City alone, he has designed more than 100 public spaces.

Attendance at the lecture can be submitted as continuing education credit by design professionals by contacting Diane Potts. This lecture is funded by the Mary K. Jarvis Chair in Landscape Architecture and the K-State Student Fine Arts Fee.

For more information, contact: Stephanie Rolley, 785/532-5961,srolley@ksu.edu