May 19, 2016 – Over 500 people gathered on the University of Washington campus yesterday to celebrate starting construction on the New Burke Museum.
“The landscape of the New Burke is designed to be as multifaceted and welcoming as the museum,” said Shannon Nichol, GGN founding principal. “It will serve as a new campus quad, a colorful garden experience, and a living emblem of our state’s natural heritage.”
Read MoreMay 13, 2016 – Today Rodrigo Abela and Emily Scott provided short mentoring sessions at the High School Design Summit hosted by the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building in Washington, DC. Over 200 students participated in this opportunity to meet with designers from a variety of fields, including fashion, architecture, and product design.
GGN was the recipient of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Architecture in 2011.
Read MoreMay 3, 2016 - Last week Sara Zewde participated in the Rauschenberg Residency on Captiva Island in southwest Florida. “Rising Waters Confab II” brought together the diverse perspectives of landscape architects, artists, scientists, writers and other creative thinkers to address issues of climate change.
Curated and organized by Buster Simpson and Glenn Weiss, a full list of participants can be found on the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation website.
Photo: Carrell Courtright and the Rauschenberg Residency Rising Waters Confab
Read MoreApril 28, 2016 - This evening, Tess Schiavone presented the design for the City Center Connector streetcar system. The presentation, with Catherine Maggio of the Seattle Department of Transportation, was hosted by AIA Seattle's Urban Design Forum.
Read MoreMarch 14, 2016 - This past fall, GGN oversaw the planting of 382,616 crocus corms at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The crocuses are now in bloom.
One of the Museum’s themes is “Hope and Optimism,” and the crocus field communicates this uplifting aspect of the Museum’s mission by being the first thing to bloom on the National Mall. Once established, these flowers should bloom annually during Black History Month.
Photo: Michael Barnes Smithsonian Institution
Read MoreApril 22, 2016 - Yesterday evening Rodrigo Abela delivered a Haffenreffer Lecture as part of the Rhode Island School of Design's Spring '16 Architecture + Landscape Architecture series. In his talk, Rodrigo discussed recent projects in Washington, DC - including the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture - and the challenges of working within the monumental spaces of the city.
Read MoreApril 25, 2016 - Jennifer Guthrie, Landscape Architecture Foundation President-Elect, chaired the jury for the 2016 National Olmsted Scholar Undergraduates, which she describes as “an absolutely impressive group of applicants.” The recipient of the graduate prize is Azzurra Cox, a master’s student at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. The recipient of the undergraduate prize is Casey Howard from the University of Oregon. Congratulations to all of the nominees and finalists.
Read MoreApril 18, 2016 - Jennifer Guthrie served on the jury of the 2016 American Society of Landscape Architects Professional Awards in DC, with jury chair Kona Gray of EDSA. Each year, the ASLA Professional Awards honor the best in landscape architecture from around the globe.
Read MoreMarch 14, 2016 - This past fall, GGN oversaw the planting of 382,616 crocus corms at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The crocuses are now in bloom.
One of the Museum’s themes is “Hope and Optimism,” and the crocus field communicates this uplifting aspect of the Museum’s mission by being the first thing to bloom on the National Mall. Once established, these flowers should bloom annually during Black History Month. In African American culture, the color blue is traditionally a color of protection, so the crocuses’ blue tone symbolizes passing through a threshold into a safe place. Passing into a welcoming place is an important concept in the Museum’s landscape design, and this is why the blooming crocuses are an important part of GGN's landscape story.
Read MoreMarch 31, 2016 - Writing for Architizer, Paul Keskeys announced the keynote speakers for Banff Session 2016 today. "Every two years, many of the world’s top architects and design professionals gather to discuss topical issues pertaining to the built environment in the heart of the country’s stunning mountainous landscape. . . .Now in its 60th year, this year’s conference has been given the theme of “Convergence,” intended to reflect the 21st-century merging of disciplines including psychology, environmental science and economics.
"While the destination is characteristically Canadian, architects from all over the world will be in attendance. Keynote speakers include Shannon Nichol of Seattle-based firm Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Angela Ferguson of Australian studio futurespace [pictured above, far left] and Charles Walker, Director at Zaha Hadid Architects in London [pictured above, middle]. Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe of Toronto-based firm Shim-Sutcliffe Architects will also give their views, along with J. Robert Hillier of New Jersey practice Studio Hillier."
Read MoreMarch 15, 2016 - Shannon Nichol met with students and faculty at the College of Environment + Design at the University of Georgia today. Her visit included a mid-day lecture.
Read MoreFebruary 28, 2016 - Yesterday Grant Stewart presented with Drew Gangnes of Magnusson Klemencic Associates at the WATER + Atmosphere Symposium at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Grant and Drew discussed the collaboration between landscape architects and civil engineers related to creative water use strategies, such as stormwater reuse onsite and blackwater treatment and reuse.
Read MoreFebruary 27, 2016 - The San Francisco Recreation & Park Department and the Trust for Public Land, in partnership with San Francisco Parks Alliance, announced today the winner of a design ideas competition, to draw up the plans for the India Basin Waterfront Parks. The competition, sponsored by a generous donation from Build Inc., called for proposals to reimagine the India Basin waterfront as a spectacular and seamless 1.5-mile-long network of public parks on the City’s southeast shoreline.
“We are honored to be entrusted to work with India Basin's neighbors and visitors, to enhance the things that people already treasure about this gem of a site,” said Shannon Nichol, founding principal of GGN. “India Basin includes a rare expanse of original tideflats and preserved boatyard architecture. Our approach to the competition further softened the shoreline, added walking routes across Innes Avenue between the water and the neighborhood, and sized the park's spaces for everyday activities. We look forward to working with the community to test and hone that initial approach with the full input of neighbors and the people who will be using this park every day.”
The GGN competition team includes Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), civil engineer specializing in water resource strategies; Rana Creek, ecological restoration designer; Greenlee and Associates, horticulturalist specializing in meadow design; Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, historic preservation architects; and Alta Planning + Design, transportation planners.
Lizzie Johnson reported on this story in today's San Francisco Chronicle.
Update: J. Michael Welton of Architects + Artisans published an article on March 1 titled “ In San Francisco, GGN’s Light Touch .” On March 16, Jason Sayer of the Architect's Newspaper wrote Gustafson Guthrie Nichol to Design San Francisco Shoreline Parks at the India Basin Waterfront.
February 3, 2016 -The India Basin Design Ideas Competition boards have been posted to the competition website. The GGN team – which includes Rana Creek, Greenlee & Associates, Turnbull Griffin Haesloop, Alta Planning & Design, and Magnusson Klemenicic & Associates – is pleased to be one of five finalists, along with AECOM, Surfacedesign, Inc, SWA and Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects, and Tom Leader Studio.
Read MoreDecember 8, 2015 - Peter Miller and Suyama Space are hosting a celebration and book signing on Tuesday, December 8 from 5:30-7:00pm. The very first copies of the a+u special edition Expressions of Landscape, Kathryn Gustafson are being shipped from the printer in Japan to arrive for the event. Thaisa Way, herself a noted landscape author and professor at the University of Washington, has written the text and will be joining us. The introduction is by Toshiko Mori, architect and professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Kathryn will be on hand to sign these very first copies – it will be the first look for everyone at this extraordinary new publication.
Read MoreNovember 20, 2015 - Yesterday Sara Zewde presented her design for the Circuit of African Heritage in downtown Rio de Janeiro at Studio X Rio. She began this project as a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and she continues to work in partnership with IRPH Instituto Rio Patrimônio da Humanidade (Rio World Heritage Institute) and Washington Fajardo. NextCity's extensive article and interview with Sara is available here
Read MoreNovember 20, 2015 - Jennifer Guthrie has been named President-Elect of the Landscape Architecture Foundation.
“We are delighted to have Jennifer in this critical leadership role at such a historic time, as LAF moves into its 50th anniversary and the launch of several major initiatives,” said LAF Executive Director Barbara Deutsch. "Jennifer’s experience, energy and business savvy will be invaluable as we scale up to make a greater impact.”
More information is available on the LAF News Blog.
Read MoreNovember 18, 2015 - "Sometimes there's magic when everyone's blank slate happens at the same time and you're working together to craft a story about the land," said Shannon Nichol during last night’s event at Town Hall Seattle. The panel discussion, “Defining Trends in Landscape Architecture,” featured Kevin Kudo-King of Olson Kundig, Sandy Fischer of Land Morphology, Randy Allworth of Allworth Design, Shannon Nichol of GGN, and Richard Hartlage of Land Morphology (shown left to right above).
The event highlighted the launch of Richard’s and Sandy’s new book The Authentic Garden published by the Monacelli Press.
Read MoreNovember 17, 2015 - In anticipation of the grand opening next fall, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture hosted a kick-off event last night. The GGN design team of Chihiro Shinohara Donovan, Jill Fortuna, Kathryn Gustafson, and Rodrigo Abela joined in the celebration.
“The National Museum of African American History and Culture shone a light Monday on a major milestone — the completion of exterior construction — by lighting up the museum itself,” reported Lavanya Ramanathan for today’s Washington Post.
Read MoreNovember 9, 2015 - Gustafson Guthrie Nichol participated in several panels and special events at the ASLA 2015 Annual Meeting and Expo in Chicago, IL.
Shannon Nichol served on the ASLA Annual Meeting Education Advisory Committee, and she was also a panelist on “The Devil is in the Details: Documenting and Delivering a Legacy Project.” Bernie Alonzo moderated “Sustainable Water Systems at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,” and he was a panelist on “A Varied Palette: Design and Function of Natural Water Features.” Jennifer Guthrie was a panelist on a “Breaking the Mold: The Inspirational Workplace,” and Kathryn Gustafson was a panelist on “The Innovative Use of Metal and Stone in the Contemporary Landscape.”
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