Archinect
Mercedes Ward

Mercedes Ward

New York, NY, US

 

About 

Registered Landscape Architect designing and managing projects for parks and playgrounds in Brooklyn, New York.

Former Board Member of the NY Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA-NY) and Chair of the Education Committee.

Design corresponds with my attitude on life - changing, yet adhering to common sense and reasoning. It requires a holistic view on conceptualization, feasible opportunities, and social responsibilities. Design not only requires knowledge and skill, it creates knowledge and skill.

Employment 

New York Parks Department, New York, NY, US, Landscape Architect

I design and manage the reconstruction process for parks and playgrounds in Brooklyn New York. This involves inventory and analysis, meeting with council members and community members, refining a scope, schematic design, construction estimation, inter-departmental, inter-agency, and external collaboration and approvals, design development, budget analysis, contract book assembly, pre-construction coordination, shop drawing approvals, and aspects of construction supervision.

Dec 2012 - current
 

New York City Housing Authority, New York, NY, US, Resident Green Committees Coordinator

10-month Americorps term with the New York City Housing Authority; focus on implementing sustainable living in several public housing developments through education meetings, event planning, neighborhood improvement grant applications, and encouraging green-living.

Aug 2010 - Jun 2012
 

Education 

The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), University Park, PA, US, BArch, Landscape Architecture

Aug 2006 - May 2011
 

Awards 

Recognition from American Society of Landscape Architecture, Other

Recognition for participation in NY-ASLA events and planning, and National ASLA's Diversity Summit. This annual Summit is a meeting of the minds and focused on issues regarding the lack of diversity in the field of Landscape Architecture. It involved in-depth discussion, brainstorming, and outreach planning for ASLA National to use for action plans and program development.

2016
 

Humphrey Repton Creative Writing Award, 1st Place

2011
 

James Rose Garden Design Scholarship, 1st Place

Presented by the James Rose Center. Consideration will be given to a Department of Landscape Architecture student whose work possesses three qualities found in the work of James Rose: spatial clarity, responsiveness to site conditions, and expression of contemporary life.

2008
 

H.S. Pennypacker Memorial Scholarship, 1st Place

Established in memory of the late H.S. Pennypacker (’38 B.S. L.Arch.) by his daughter, Eliza Pennypacker, professor and former department head of landscape architecture. Consideration will be given to a Department of Landscape Architecture undergraduate student who embraces the full range of educational challenges with a passion for learning, and who demonstrates the capacity for leadership.

2007
 

Schreyer's Honors College, Scholarship

GPA-dependent scholarship

2006
 

Areas of Specialization 

Skills