News

August 1, 2022 – Design plans for the Milwaukee Public Museum have been featured in The Architect’s Newspaper, offering residents and visitors a first look at the Future Museum. The museum will be located in the Haymarket Neighborhood and is being designed by Ennead Architects and Kahler Slater. GGN is the landscape architect and Thinc Design is the exhibition designer.

The design is “guided by the four core principles of community, nature, education, and the preservation of the museum’s collections.”

VIEW THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Image Credit: Ennead Architects

July 11, 2022 – GGN is pleased to announce the promotions of Jill Fortuna, Kara Weaver, and Makie Suzuki to Principal; David Nelson, Jordan Bell, Patrick Keegan, Seth Gray, and Yuichiro Tsutsumi to Senior Associate; and Annaliese and Jianjun Li to Associate.

Jill Fortuna brings many years of diverse experience in Landscape Architecture, Master Planning, and Architecture throughout North and South America, Africa, and Australia. She manages complex projects and project teams thriving in a challenging environment. She strives to push the studio to embrace new ways of thinking about materials and construction in her Director of Research and Development role.

Kara Weaver has over ten years of experience designing and documenting public projects ranging from conceptual and interpretive master plans to precise detailing and tight grading over structure. She shines on projects that pose complex challenges, require intensive coordination between disciplines, and provide innovative and elegant problem-solving opportunities.

Makie Suzuki provides strong leadership at GGN on both domestic and international projects. Her enthusiasm for design and communication allows her to work effectively with a range of clients and craftspeople, from the evolution of concept design through on-site construction supervision. With her multidisciplinary background and focus on environmental and social responsibility, Makie mentors young designers in academia by providing a rigorous and inspiring example of the design profession.

David Nelson brings almost 20 years of experience in landscape architecture, applying technical expertise and construction experience to his work at GGN. David has worked on a wide variety of projects across North America, including urban plazas, parks, streetscapes, campuses, environmental mitigation, and residential work. He enjoys working with his colleagues to help address the gaps between the conceptual and technical aspects of design.

Jordan Bell brings to GGN his interdisciplinary background linking the fine arts, Landscape Architecture, and the sciences. His interest is in the physical nature of the built environment and the overlay and collision of natural and cultural processes that shape it constantly. As a technical expert, Jordan mentors designers of all levels at GGN and plays a pivotal role in establishing graphic standards on projects.

Patrick Keegan explores the connections between ecological and manufactured systems as a champion of both the natural and technological worlds. He began his studies at the University of Washington in bioengineering, but his passion for design led him to pursue Landscape Architecture. Working in this field allows him to apply his understanding of how things work to create simple and refined solutions in the built environment.

Seth Gray approaches design by looking to nature for inspiration to create elegantly simple design solutions. Seth is comfortable working in all facets of the design process and has collaborated on some of the Midwest’s most signature projects. Interweaving sustainability, regional materials, and native plants, Seth grounds his design in its local context, spirit, and form.

Yuichiro Tsutsumi is particularly interested in the logic behind simple aesthetic designs, relying on his background in architecture, Japanese gardens, and landscape architecture. He has worked extensively on key projects at GGN such as Umekita Park [CS1] and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Yuichiro enjoys climbing, traveling, and walking.

Annaliese Chapa grew up in Portland, Oregon, and moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington where she received a BFA in Industrial Design. Her desire to connect people to each other and to the land brought her into the field of landscape architecture. She brings her experience in strategic planning, creative leadership, and industrial design to GGN. Her passion for creating strong emotional and physical connections between people, site, city, and the environment drives her creative process.

Jianjun Li holds the simple goal of creating useful, lovable, beautiful spaces for people. With a background in Engineering, followed by a Master’s of Landscape Architecture from the University of Southern California, Jianjun combines ecological, cultural, and social aspects of design with the support of extensive analytical research. His clear vision and diverse professional background inform designs that respect the inherent, natural qualities of the landscape while encouraging the growth and evolution of better spaces.

July 2, 2022 – Shannon Nichol participated in Daniel Burnham’s Mall Symposium, Part of 2022 Cleveland History Days.
Shannon reviewed GGN’s 2009-2011 Revitalization Vision for the 1903 Group Plan district (a collaboration with our friends LMN Architects). The GGN-LMN Revitalization Vision involved studying, reprogramming, greening, and clarifying the original concepts and physical features of the 1903-designed Group Plan district and Historic Mall space.

Placemark Collaborative is leading an effort to designate Cleveland’s Group Plan and Historic Mall as a National Historic Landmark – the highest designation by the National Park Service.

The Symposium shared this work along with GGN’s thoughts about the Group Plan’s continued relevance and potential as a model neighborhood for the future.

June 22, 2022 – GGN is pleased to announce the promotions of Kasia Liss to Senior Associate, Rikerrious Geter to Community Partnerships Lead, Blaire Schille to Associate, Kim Jacobs to Associate, Malaika O’Rourke to Controller, Jayme Bowen to Operations Coordinator, and Paige Lively to Communications Specialist.

Katherine Liss's passion for landscape is rooted in the power of places to unify and connect a community. She is inspired by the role that landscape architects play in joining multidisciplinary knowledge, client desires, and site challenges into holistic solutions. As Project Lead for the India Basin Shoreline Park, Katherine has utilized her experience in documentation and construction administration in conjunction with her enjoyment of client interaction to oversee the progress of this transformative community space.

Rikerrious Geter examines how public space can encourage equitable, healthy and sustainable communities through active community input while also balancing ecosystem health. He recently participated in engaging the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco to help them visualize the future of India Basin Shoreline Park. In addition to practice, Rikerrious serves on the board of the Black Landscape Architect’s Network (BlackLAN) to assist in increasing the visibility and impact of black practitioners in landscape architecture.

Blaire Schille has an innate curiosity that frequently leads her into new endeavors and the unknown. From a background in marketing and architectural technology, Blaire completed her Master of Architecture degree at the University of British Columbia. Since joining GGN, she has continued to cultivate knowledge of equitable design, placemaking and engagement in meaningful discourse between the landscape, built environment and its denizens.

Kim Jacobs brings to GGN her experience overseeing a wide array of landscape architectural projects across the United States. Her human-focused design approach aims to create memorable places that actively engage all the senses and encourage meaningful interactions. She pays particularly close attention to the creation of paving and planting palettes, working with elements of texture, pattern, and sound. She is currently working on several DC area projects with GGN.

Malaika O’Rourke keeps GGN’s fiscal responsibilities running smoothly. Malaika’s goal is to make the accounting function seamless, so her colleagues can focus their energy and talents on creating beautiful spaces. Outside of work she enjoys traveling, raising her young son, and marveling at the natural beauty of Seattle during long neighborhood walks.

Paige Lively utilizes her diverse background in education, non-profit work, and qualitative research to address puzzles from multiple lenses. Her central interests of history, culture, literature and the intricacies of language inform her work at GGN as Communications Specialist. She is fascinated with the idea of home, believing ardently in the power of our surroundings to shift our conceptions of ourselves and others in transformative ways.

Jayme Bowen thrives in a professional environment of knowledge-sharing and mutual respect. As Administrator at GGN, Jayme has led research and organizational efforts to streamline GGN’s operations and studio space. Newly promoted to Operations Coordinator, she will continue to work with our team to build out a supportive network for staff and projects to thrive.

April 24, 2020 - GGN is a supporting sponsor of the Burke Museum’s annual Spring Gala, which will be held remotely on April 24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme of this year’s gala is “Metamorphosis,” a reference both to the annual transformations of early spring and to the New Burke Museum, in whose metamorphosis GGN has been honored to play a part.

The New Burke landscape features a level “yard” within the sloping site that functions as a grand forecourt and event space for the museum while also accommodating parking. At the south edge of the Burke Yard, seat steps extend into the Camas Field – a level terrace of soil showcasing the Pacific Northwest’s meadow plants, grown and donated by Oxbow Farms.

December 3, 2019 - GGN was honored to participate in the planting of the first camas bulbs (Camassia quamash) at the newly installed meadow at the New Burke Museum. Tribal Elders Connie McCloud (Puyallup Tribe of Indians) and Rex Buck (Wanapum) led a planting ceremony with prayer and song, emphasizing the importance of this plant in native traditions.

Oxbow Farm’s Native Plant Program Manager, Bridget McNassa demonstrated how to plant the bulbs, which serve as a key food source for native people of the Pacific Northwest, while GGN’s Shannon Nichol encouraged an intuitive approach to planting the bulbs that would mimic their growth patterns in the wild.

We look forward to seeing the meadow thrive in seasons to come!

November 11, 2019 - GGN helped to organize a volunteer event to plant 30,000 crocus corms, donated by Aedas, the project architect, at Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s new Building Cure in downtown Seattle. Each spring, the early-blooming crocus will be a symbol of hope and expanding cures for years to come.