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UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Students Win University-Level Los Angeles Traffic Median Design Competition08-04-16 | Feature

UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Students Win University-Level Los Angeles Traffic Median Design Competition
Staff

The median design specified California native plant species such as desert willow, California gray rush and Pacific stonecrop.

The Los Angeles Department of Public Works is comprised of five members and employs more than 5,400 people. It is the city's third largest department. The department designs, constructs, renovates, operates and maintains public projects like libraries, fire stations, police stations, animal facilities, streets, bridges, streetlights, wastewater treatment plants, and sewers and sidewalks. DPW also leads efforts in recycling, solid waste management, curbside trash collection, graffiti removal, and community beautification.

In August 2014, the L.A. City Council created an Innovation and Productivity Fund (IPF) to "create a culture of continuous improvement in the city through innovation, productivity, and performance measurements." Everyone working in the city was invited to submit ideas. Board of Public Works. Commissioner Monica Rodriguez submitted a proposal called the "Median Design Competition." The concept was a competition for Los Angeles and surrounding area based landscape architecture students (and other related fields) to design small and large scale traffic median concepts.

The designers were challenged to create a "kit of parts" that include streamlined permitting, a plant list of plants requiring little or no irrigation and the blue prints for communities wishing to overhaul their community medians. In May 2015, the Innovation and Performance Commission awarded the Board of Public Works, the governing body of the DPW, a grant to fund this "Median Design Competition" as a pilot project. The deadline for traffic median design submissions was set for January 15, 2016.

UCLA Extension's Landscape Architecture Program
The contest offered a $2,500 prize to challenge student teams from universities and community colleges to prepare landscape design concepts to improve medians in Los Angeles and to increase drought awareness.

A team from the UCLA Extension's Landscape Architecture Program had its street median design selected as the winning university-level entry in the Median Design Competition. The winning concept uses precast concrete blocks of different sizes installed along the median's length to provide visual interest, as well as act as small dams to slow stormwater. The stormwater percolates into a below-grade retention system for future irrigation needs.

The students' design was a modern take on the traditional bioswale, a landscape element that removes silt and pollution from surface runoff water. It also features easily reproducible materials, along with such California native plant species as desert willow, California gray rush and Pacific stonecrop.

The students intended the blending of concrete and organic forms to serve as a visual metaphor of a harmonious blending of L.A's built and natural environments.

The 10-person student team has been invited by the L.A. Board of Public Works to prepare the initial concepts for the first two demonstration projects, to be located along San Vicente Boulevard. A construction schedule is pending.

"It was evident in the UCLA team's proposal that not only creative and innovative concepts were incorporated, but also the importance of leveraging a great collaborative spirit "?u great teamwork," said Board of Public Works Commissioner Monica Rodriguez in a letter announcing the winners.

On March 30, 2016, the L.A. Board of Public Works board recognized the students at a ceremony at L.A. City Hall. The prize money will benefit the Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects at UCLA Extension. The winning team includes Juliana Bellonby, Sean Carter, Brian De Paz, Richard Emery, Susheela Narayan, Ron Ruiz, Alexis SantaRomana, Douglas Short, Philip Steinman and Jonathan Vu.

Jim Pickel, a licensed landscape architect, served as advisor on the student project while Stephanie Landregan, program director for Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and Gardening, provided guidance on the proposal and plan. Melissa McDonald is the program manager UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture, Horticulture & Gardening.

The Landscape Architecture Program at UCLA Extension is a rigorous three-year evening and weekend program tailored for working professionals.

As seen in LASN magazine, August 2016.