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Leading landscape architecture firms pledge zero emissions by 2040

2024-09-19T14:28:00-04:00

Twenty-six CEOs from some of the world’s most influential landscape architecture firms have publicly committed to making their profession zero emissions by 2040, aligning with the goals set out in the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA Climate Action Plan).

Collectively generating over $350 million in annual revenue, these firms contribute to projects exceeding $1 billion in construction value each year and influence millions of acres across more than 50 countries. Their commitment underscores the crucial role landscape architects play in addressing climate change through nature-based solutions.

“These are people who have the skills and imagination to make it happen,” said ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen. “They’re already designing resilient waterfronts, parks that soak up stormwater, and urban forests that take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere and cool our cities.”

The CEOs’ public letter also calls on governments, clients, and allied professionals to strengthen cli...

National Endowment for the Humanities awards $190,000 grant to the ASLA for educator workshop

2024-09-04T15:28:00-04:00

The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced that it has awarded a $190,000 competitive grant to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Fund.

The grant comes in the form of the Landmarks of American History and Culture award, which aims to support a series of workshops for 72 K-12 educators to study environmental humanities and place-making through the lens of landscape architecture in Washington, D.C. Expert instructors will guide lesson plans on green building, climate resiliency, design sustainability, and diversity-equity-inclusion-justice. The workshop will also include guided site visits to culturally significant landscapes in the Washington D.C. region.

“The more people we invite into the profession of landscape architecture the stronger our communities will become,” said ASLA CEO, Torey Carter-Conneen. “Landscape architecture is a unique blend of art and science. Workshops like this are how we provide a path for students who likely have no idea this ...

ASLA survey finds increased demand for nature-based solutions to climate change among landscape architects

2024-05-31T08:00:00-04:00

The latest survey of landscape architects released Wednesday by the American Society of Landscape Architects includes updated information on incumbent design trends and project valuations, indicating a further shift in priorities nationwide under the looming threat of climate change.

According to the survey, significant (10% or more) increases in the demand for climate-based solutions have been recorded by at least 70% of all respondents. State and local governments are the most common source of demand in terms of clients. Stormwater management and reduced carbon emissions transportation alternatives such as walkability improvements and bicycle infrastructure make up the leading list of solutions, and almost half of those surveyed said their construction costs were more expensive than that of traditional projects.

Comparing these findings to the ASLA's 2021 survey, the most popular solutions for ecosystem degradation, extreme heat, wildfire, flooding, sea-level rise, and drought rem...

20% of landscape architects expect to see greenhouse gas emissions budgets in future projects, ASLA survey finds

2023-08-22T17:08:00-04:00

The American Institute of Landscape Architects has published the results of a members' survey on the role of landscape architecture products in aiding decarbonization and biodiversity in the built environment. Insights were garnered from 454 landscape architects, designers, and educators out of the ASLA’s member base of approximately 15,000.

A significant 55% of respondents stated that their clients do not establish a greenhouse gas emissions budget for their projects. However, 20% foresee it as a potential future requirement. When asked about the data that would assist in accounting for emissions, 51% prioritized embodied carbon factors for materials, closely followed by 50% wanting projected carbon sequestration details for tree species specification.

Regarding accessing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and emissions assessments, 55% advocated for a curated register of baseline data, possibly developed by ASLA or a similar body. When procuring from manufacturers, 34% of p...

The ASLA Fund announces two winners for its Inaugural National Competitive Research Grants

2023-07-19T15:32:00-04:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) fund has just announced a pair of winners of its inaugural national competitive grants, offering a total of $25,000 to researchers working towards solutions to both climate change and the ongoing biodiversity crises in the United States.

"We help communities adapt to climate-driven extreme weather and support biodiversity,” ASLA CEO Torey Carter-Conneen explained at the announcement. “The infrastructure challenges in municipalities across the country are enormous —landscape architects bring transformative solutions.”

Learn about the grant winners and their research below.

The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve: A Showcase of Eluethera's History, Native Plans, and their Medicinal Uses. Eleuthera, The Bahamas. Raymond Jungles, Inc. Image courtesy of ASLA.

Landscape Architecture Solutions to Extreme Heat
By Dr. Daniella Hirschfeld, PhD

"Dr. Hirshfeld will explore landscape architecture- and nature-based solutions that are effective at redu...

Landscape architecture is now officially a STEM discipline, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security

2023-07-12T17:03:00-04:00

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated degrees in landscape architecture as a science, technology, engineering, mathematics (or STEM) discipline upon the advice of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), announced by the organization today (July 12).

The designation helps both academics and practitioners in the expanded field gain recognition for the scientific nature of their work, which increasingly helps both government and private interests mitigate against the impact of climate change while performing other tasks that are critically important to the health and safety of the environment for citizens throughout the country.

"The STEM designation finally reflects the reality of the discipline of landscape architecture. Our work is fully dependent on science and technology, from understanding soils at the level of microbial interactions and nutrient exchanges, which keep our urban canopy alive, to coastal adaptations informed by continuously evolving ...

Catherine Seavitt Nordenson to chair the Landscape Architecture Department at the Weitzman School of Design

2023-03-28T15:04:00-04:00

The Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania has announced that Catherine Seavitt Nordenson will be taking over as the next chair of its Department of Landscape Architecture, effective July 1st.

The current Spitzer School of Architecture professor and director of CCNY's Master of Landscape Architecture program will replace Richard Weller and will be the third woman ever to lead the department following Anne Whiston Spirn and professor Sonja Dümpelmann, who had been serving as its interim chair since last spring.

A press announcement from the university called Seavitt “one of the most admired scholar-practitioners of her generation.” Her career began as an Associate at New York’s Atelier Raimund Abraham in 1993 and has made stops at Pei Cobb Freed and Partners in addition to the academic appointments at Parsons, the University of Virginia, and two of her alma maters Princeton and the Cooper Union.

Seavitt, both a registered architect and landscape architect, also ...

ASLA will send two observer delegates to UN's COP27 for the first time

2022-11-03T17:51:00-04:00

A two-person delegation from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) will be present as observers of next week’s COP27 summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in an unprecedented move first announced yesterday by the organization.

Landprocess founder Kotchakorn Voraakhom and Climate Positive Design founder/CMG Landscape Architecture principal Pamela Conrad will travel to the conference in order to present the ASLA Climate Action Plan to attendees, which is set for publication on November 12th.

The plan is an extension of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Climate Action Commitment that was announced at last year’s summit. The 27th edition is taking place under a rather unique set of circumstances colored by an ongoing land war and a recent UN report that called for up to $6 trillion in annual green investments in order to combat its updated prediction indicating the world is now on track to warm between 2.1 to 2.9°C by the end of the century.

Related O...

A look at the Inflation Reduction Act’s potential impacts on the Landscape Architecture community

2022-08-16T12:45:00-04:00

A new report from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has outlined the potential impacts and trade benefits of the provisions included in the Biden Administration’s recently passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, that is set to be signed into law in the coming days.

The $369 billion bill includes many grants and other types of funding for a host of green GSA-owned properties, Federal Highway Administration projects, and affordable housing developments. Over on the ASLA’s The Dirt blog, Roxanne Blackwell and Caleb Raspler broke down what it might entail for the landscape architecture community in separate practice and client areas.

Among the relevant provisions included in the overall package are:

More than $4.5 billion to be directed toward water infrastructure (dams, water treatment facilities, etc.). This includes the $4 billion in drought relief funds, another $15 million to "provide technical assistance for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and r...

Meet the first class of ASLA's new Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program

2022-06-06T12:38:00-04:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has announced its first class of Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program participants.

Ten women from across the country were selected to take part in the two-year program, which was created to provide support and mentorship opportunities to BIPOC women working towards their professional landscape architecture licensures. The aim of the program is to increase racial and gender diversity within the profession as taken from ASLA’s 2020 Racial Equity Plan of Action.

Launched in February, the program crucially provides up to $3,500 to cover costs related to the Landscape Architectural Registration Exam (LARE) for each participant in addition to the mentorship opportunities and preparatory coursework for each section.

“We are proud to take this first step to lift up women of color in our landscape architecture community, by providing them with the support network they need to achieve licensure,” ASLA President Eugenia Martin said i...

Landscape architect Lisa E. Delplace has been appointed to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

2022-03-24T13:30:00-04:00

Landscape architect Lisa E. Delplace, FASLA has been announced by President Biden as the latest member of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Delplace is the CEO and Principal of D.C.-based landscape architecture practice Oehme, van Sweden (OvS), where she is in charge of overseeing the firm’s institutional, commercial, and residential projects.

Delplace steps into a proud tradition of landscape architects serving on the prestigious body, beginning with the appointment of ASLA founder Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr., who served on the commission from 1910 to 1918.

ASLA President Eugenia Martin spoke highly of the new appointee, saying: “We are incredibly pleased with Lisa’s appointment to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, where she will provide advice to executive departments of the Federal Government on how to best preserve and enhance the visual and cultural character of the District of Columbia. The Commission and our nation will benefit tremen...

ASLA launches new program to boost representation of women of color in landscape architecture

2022-03-11T12:48:00-05:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Fund has launched a new program to support women of color obtain landscape architecture licensure and increase racial and gender diversity within the field.

In its inaugural year, the Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program will provide 10 women of color with a two-year, personalized experience that includes up to $3,500 to cover the cost of sections of the Landscape Architectural Registration Exam (LARE), along with exam preparation courses, resources, and mentorship from a licensed landscape architect.

According to data from the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Board (CLARB), only seven percent of landscape architects are non-white and only 30 percent are women. It is clear that obtaining licensure can have huge ramifications. The ASLA notes that a report by The Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing found that among highly complex, technical fields, such as landscape architecture, a license narrows...

ASLA cancels 2020 Conference on Landscape Architecture

2020-07-17T13:42:00-04:00

In a press statement delivered this week by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the organization announced they are canceling the annual conference that was set to take place in early October. Originally scheduled to be an in-person event taking place in Miami Beach, growing concerns over the spread of COVID-19 in states that have begun to re-open caused the organization to reconsider its plans.

ASLA President Wendy Miller, FASLA shares, "For the health and safety of everyone involved, ASLA is unfortunately compelled to cancel the Conference on Landscape Architecture. While we're all disappointed, an in-person conference is not possible this year, we now have a unique opportunity to rethink how we as landscape architects connect – to one another, to the Society, and to our profession as a whole."

With this cancellation, the conference organizers are keen on reworking their event programming to create a virtual program for the fall.

American Society of Landscape Architects creates activity book to help kids learn about landscape architecture

2020-03-24T14:15:00-04:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recently created a fun activity guide to help children who are stuck at home during nationwide quarantines due to COVID-19 social distancing.

While many parents and guardians are adjusting to the changes these quarantines have made towards academic learning, the ASLA is providing families with a way to keep kids busy by introducing them to the world of landscape architecture. This free, downloadable activity book provides children ages 9-12 "the opportunity to see and sketch the many drawings, places, and landscapes created by landscape architects."

Aiming to provide additional ways to keep children engaged and busy during this challenging time of remote learning, the ASLA hopes the activity book will inspire new ways a younger generation can look at landscape architecture and its importance.

American Society of Landscape Architects publishes guide to universal design

2019-08-21T18:00:00-04:00

If we want everyone to participate in public life, we must design and build an inclusive public realm that is accessible to all. Public life can’t just be available to the abled, young, or healthy. The sizeable global population of people with physical, auditory, or visual disabilities, autism or neurodevelopmental and/or intellectual disabilities, or neuro-cognitive disorders will face greater challenges if we don’t begin to more widely apply universal design principles

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has published a guide to universal design meant to set the bar for universal accessibility in the landscape architecture realm beyond the largely quantitative requirements stipulated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

A statement announcing the guide written by Ian Dillon and Jared Green explains: “ADA standards, because of [their] focus on technical aspects of accessibility over experiential quality, often result in spaces that are still very challenging for people with disabilities to access, leaving them physically and mentally disconnected from public life,” adding, “Landscape architects and designers can apply universal design principles to create more inclusive spaces for underserved communities.”

According to the guide, “All public spaces should be physically accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical, cognitive, or mental ability. Specific areas of public spaces shouldn't be designed for people with spe...

Charles Birnbaum, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Gary Hilderbrand among 2017 ASLA Award honorees

2017-06-13T19:31:00-04:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects has bestowed their highest honors to a distinguished group of landscape architects, practices, and organizations in recognition of their influential contributions to the profession. This year's ASLA Award recipients include The Cultural Landscape Foundation founder Charles Birnbaum, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, and the John T. Lyle Center for Regenerative Studies for the Community Service Award, to name a few. Winners will be honored at the president's dinner on October 23, during the 2017 ASLA Annual Meeting & EXPO in Los Angeles.

ASLA Medal: Charles Birnbaum - highest medal bestowed to an individual landscape architect

Photo via The Cultural Landscape Foundation/Facebook.

The Landscape Architecture Firm Award: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol - in recognition of distinguished work that influences the profession

The National Museum of African American History and Culture. Landscape architect: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol. Photo via GGN/Facebook.

(Clockwise...

Landscape architecture firms report decline in billable hours and new gigs

2016-10-20T14:53:00-04:00

The latest survey from ASLA, the American Society of Landscape Architects, reveals that the 188 landscape architecture firms that responded to the survey are planning to hire fewer people and seem to have fewer stable billable hours than they did the previous quarter. Only 78.38 percent of surveyed firms reported stable billable hours for the third quarter of 2016, down from the previous quarter's 82.67 percent. Check out the full report here.

For more on architecture and economics:

ASLA 2013 Student Excellence Award Winner: Natural Water as Cultural Water by Daniel Zhicheng Xu

2013-11-01T17:47:00-04:00

Daniel (Zhicheng) Xu, an undergraduate at Purdue University, recently won the ASLA 2013 Student Awards - Award of Excellence in the Analysis and Planning Category for his project "Natural Water as Cultural Water / A 30 Year Plan for Wabash River Corridor in Lafayette." The project is a stormwater management plan to achieve ecological and cultural resilience for the poor landscape conditions of the Wabash River in Lafayette, Indiana.

Top landscape architecture projects honored with ASLA 2013 Awards

2013-10-08T13:42:00-04:00

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recently announced the list of the 2013 ASLA professional and student winners. The ASLA Awards honor the best public places, residential designs, campuses, parks and urban planning projects from the U.S. and around the globe.

“Brick Garden” by PBC+L

2012-11-01T15:35:00-04:00

North Carolina architects Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee (PBC+L) recently received a 2012 Certificate of Recognition from the NC chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects for their project, "Brick Garden," designed for the Triangle Brick Headquarters in Durham, NC.

Editor's Picks #260

2012-04-16T22:45:00-04:00

The Trust for the National Mall exhibited the final design concepts of the National Mall Design Competition last week....Orhan Ayyüce, argued "It is really deplorable when all the renderings are depicting entertained crowds and happy go around shopping mall like experiences. The National Mall is much more meaningful when it houses 'people' voicing something in masses.

Terri Peters offered up a report from SmartGeometry 2012 in Troy, New York. SmartGeometry is an international community of academics and professionals who hold annual workshops and conference days at academic institutions around the world and the theme for this year (it’s ninth) was Material Intensities. This year featured clusters with titles like Bio-Responsive Building Envelopes, Gridshell Digital Tectonics, Reactive Acoustic Environments and Beyond Mechanics.

News
The Trust for the National Mall exhibited the final design concepts of the National Mall Design Competition last week. The concepts, created by the country’s top designers including amongst others; snohetta; Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Ken Smith, Rogers Marvel and Peter Walker re-envision three prominent National Mall locations: Constitution Gardens, Washington Monument Grounds at Sylvan Theater and Union Square. The winning designs, to be selected by a Jury of design experts, will be announced in May. Orhan Ayy...

Work Increasing for Landscape Architecture Firms, Survey Shows

2011-07-28T18:56:04-04:00

Three in four landscape architecture firm leaders reported steady or improving billable hours and inquiries in the Q2 2011 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Business Quarterly survey. The national survey findings reflect continuing optimism for recovery in a key sector of the design and construction industry.