December 15, 2016 - GGN is honored to announce that Lower Rainier Vista has received The Architect's Newspaper's Fourth Annual Best of Design Award in the category of Landscape>Public, which we celebrate with our collaborators at the University of Washington, KPFF Consulting Engineers - Seattle, Sellen Construction, Merlino Construction Inc., AEI/Pivotal Lighting Design, and Hilfiker Retaining Walls.
Read MoreDecember 8, 2016 – Oceanwide Center celebrates groundbreaking in the Transbay area of San Francisco. Jill Fortuna joined San Francisco officials, the client group, and other members of the design team at the Oceanwide Center for the celebratory ceremony.
A new mixed-use development, Oceanwide Center will provide 1.35 million square feet of office space, 650,000 square feet of residential units and expanded public space. The expanded streetscape will feature a pocket park and ‘urban room’ plaza with lush tropical vegetation and water features. Aspiring to be LEED Platinum, the project will maximize planting and storm water re-use as well as offering improved connectivity and space recreation.
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December 3, 2016 - The National Museum of African American History and Culture, together with Yale University and Brown University, hosted an international symposium of scholars, activists, and designers grappling with the public memory of slavery titled, “Slavery and Global Public History Conference: New Challenges.” Sara presented her project at the Valongo Wharf of Rio de Janeiro, as part of the panel Building and Design of Slave Memorials and Museums.
Read MoreNovember 23, 2016 - The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) 2016-2017 Board of Directors began its term at last month’s LAF Annual Board Meeting in New Orleans. Jennifer Guthrie of GGN became President, succeeding Kona Gray of EDSA. Adam Greenspan of PWP became President-Elect.
“The Landscape Architecture Foundation is completing a momentous year – LAF’s 50th anniversary, a successful Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future, and the creation of The New Landscape Declaration. I am delighted to continue to work with the LAF board and staff, as President, to envision the next 50 years of the organization,” said Jennifer Guthrie.
Over the past 50 years, LAF has been a noted leader in its mission to support the preservation, improvement and enhancement of the environment. Today, this is accomplished through three core pillars of the organization: Research, Scholarship, and Leadership. Through generous donations and grants, LAF has invested $2.6 million in research initiatives and has awarded over $1.25 million in scholarships and fellowships.
“This is such a pivotal and exciting time in LAF’s trajectory as an organization,” said LAF Executive Director Barbara Deutsch. “As we begin to advance the vision laid out in our New Landscape Declaration, Jennifer’s leadership and strategic thinking will be essential.”
Read MoreNovember 14, 2016 - The University of Iowa’s new Children’s Hospital celebrated its dedication ceremony. The new hospital intends to offer high quality service and technology in an enabling environment. “GGN is proud to be part of the team that worked on this special project,” said Rodrigo Abela, who attended Friday’s dedication ceremony.
Read MoreNovember 9, 2016 - The Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce announced today that GGN has been awarded the 2016 Washington American Society of Landscape Architecture Honor Award for the Lower Rainier Vista and Pedestrian Bridge. “Nineteen projects won 2016 Professional Awards from the Washington Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects at a ceremony held recently at Januik|Novelty Hill Winery in Woodinville. There were 51 submissions for the awards, which honor excellence in landscape architecture design. The projects are by Washington-based landscape architects and can be located anywhere in the world.”
Read MoreNovember 1, 2016 - Several talented individuals have joined the staff of GGN.
M. Humphreys joins as an Accounting Assistant bringing over a decade of experience with Seattle design firms.
Lauren Schmidt joins as a Designer with an expertise in Revit and BIM. She returns to the United States after several years of working in the Netherlands.
Lesia Mokrycke joins as a Design Intern. Lesia is completing her Masters of Landscape Architecture and Master of Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kate Mortensen joins as an Administrator in Seattle. Kate has a degree in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts from the University of Washington, and experience at the Bellevue Arts Museum.
Read MoreOctober 26, 2016 - Headwaters Park, located at 5th & Taylor in Seattle, is a temporary park that is part of Seattle Department of Transportation’s Adaptive Streets Program. In the design of the park, GGN participated in a collaborative design process with SDOT, Don Carlson, Buster Simpson, and the Growing Vine Street team. The pavement pattern featured on SDOT’s blog was envisioned by Chihiro Shinohara Donovan from GGN and interpreted by SDOT painters. It depicts an abstracted bird’s eye view of running water beneath a dense tree canopy. The installation of this temporary park is currently underway.
Read MoreOctober 25, 2016 - Sara Zewde presented at the 4th Annual Morton B. Gulak Urban and Regional Planning Lecture at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. In her lecture, "Design in the Southern City Now," Sara maintained that planners and designers have a unique opportunity to negotiate cultural memory in the Southern City through the design of the public realm." Sara discussed opportunities in infrastructure design, plazas and parks, streetscapes, and the Question of the Civil War Memorial. Following the lecture, Sara conducted a roundtable discussion among mayoral candidates and city officials in the city of Richmond, Virginia.
Read MoreOctober 24, 2016 – David Malda presented at the American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Meeting & Expo in New Orleans as part of the panel "History as Resource for Contemporary Street Design." Considering public streets beyond circulation needs, the panel discussed the significance and potential of the dynamic histories of streetscapes and the associated impact on culture.
The panel also consisted of Thaisa Way from the University of Washington Department of Landscape Architecture as moderator, Ann Komara from the University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture and Planning, and Ron Henderson from IIT Program of Landscape Architecture, Chicago and L+A landscape architecture.
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October 21, 2016 - At the American Society of Landscape Architects Annual Meeting & Expo in New Orleans, Tess Schiavone discussed the integral role of food needs within landscape architecture on the panel, "Food for Thought: Bringing Healthy Food to Urban Communities". Fellow panelists included Scott Dismukes from Firma, Britton Jones from Coen + Partners, and moderator Jela Ellefson from Eastern Market Corporation.
Read MoreOctober 5, 2016 – On Thursday, October 6, Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting a public meeting to discuss the design of Smith Cove Park. GGN is leading the planning and design effort with Olson Kundig for this waterfront park in Seattle, WA. Smith Cove Park is located just west of Pier 91, at the foot of Magnolia Hill on Elliott Bay.
GGN is currently designing a vision plan for the 9.5 acre waterfront property. Included in the project’s first phase will be improvements to an existing sports field. GGN’s vision expands upon the traditional approach to a sports field, incorporating a natural turf, rectangular space into a larger “Field Oval” with a soft, tree-lined edge. The large oval lawn, which will be used for picnicking, pick-up games, community events, and youth soccer games, has a curvilinear geometry that draws from the history of the site as a tidal flat. Based on its unique siting, the “Field Oval” is oriented towards the water to frame views of Mt. Rainier and downtown Seattle. Access to the water’s edge will be enhanced, so that park visitors can stroll along the beach and launch a kayak into Elliott Bay.
Through the public meeting, Seattle Parks and Recreation will work with the GGN design team to incorporate community insights regarding how specific program elements are prioritized within the first phase of the project’s budget. “We’re thrilled to be working with Parks and the community to design a Seattle waterfront park on such a beautiful and historically rich site,” said Tess Schiavone, Principal.
GGN is teaming with the exceptional thinkers at Olson Kundig, who have contributed research and analysis into the site’s connection to surrounding neighborhoods and communities, in order to evaluate programming ideas that will activate the park. The design effort is also strengthened by the contributions of Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, Hart Crowser, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, DCW Cost Management, Niteo, and Rushing. With Seattle Parks and Recreation’s leadership, the design team looks forward to building upon the existing momentum and enthusiasm of neighborhood groups, like the Friends of Smith Cove Park, in defining what the park can be.
Read MoreOctober 3, 2016 - As part of Clemson University’s School of Architecture Lecture Series, Sara presented a history and critique of the ecological paradigm in landscape architecture, “Ecologies of Memory.” In regions like the Lowcountry of South Carolina, investigating the cultural histories of landscapes can propel innovations in the way we design for ecological sensitivity. Sara presented independent design work in Brooklyn, New York; Houston, Texas; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as case studies.
The Clemson University School of Architecture Lecture Series is made possible from support provided by the Clemson Architectural Foundation.
Read MoreSeptember 26, 2016 – Kara Weaver led a presentation and tour at GGN for incoming University of Washington Department of Landscape Architecture students, an annual event.
Read MoreSeptember 16, 2016 – Bryn Kepler volunteered on behalf of the Seattle Design Festival at the School of Visual Concepts’ Annual SVC Letterpress Wayzgoose event. Hosted by Design in Public, a strategic initiative of the AIA Seattle, the event featured an open house, printing demo, letterpress swap meet, and marketplace.
Read MoreSeptember 13, 2016 – The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will open to the public September 24 as a primary exhibition space for African American history and culture, as well as a centerpiece venue for ceremonies and performances.
GGN’s landscape design integrates the museum into the larger composition of the National Mall and Washington Monument grounds, thereby creating a link to a broader American story and establishing the site as an integral component of the museum experience.
"From a landscape design perspective, what makes this museum unique is that it holds a position of both terminus and junction. It is the last museum on the National Mall, and it is also where the National Mall, Washington Monument, and White House grounds meet," said Kathryn Gustafson, Founding Principal. "Conceptually, the landscape design is symbolic of the museum's mission."
Live Oaks, Magnolias, and American Beeches are part of a diverse planting palette chosen and composed to reinforce broad themes of the museum: resiliency, spirituality, hope, and optimism. The site is designed to encourage visitors to extend the museum experience outside, and to linger and reflect on the important narratives being told within.
GGN worked with the architectural team of Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroupJJR from the beginning of the project as part of the competition team. In the role of landscape architect, GGN created the site master plan, envisioned the landscape design, and oversaw landscape construction.
“The site design is really a small part of a much larger composition that has been evolving over the past 200 years. It is humbling to have had a hand in the continued evolution of this significant national space,” said Rodrigo Abela, Principal.
Photo credit: Andrew Moore
Read MoreSeptember 6, 2016 – Makie Suzuki co-directed a University of Washington traveling seminar from August 27th to September 5th, that helped students to engage in an up-close examination of Tokyo’s urban landscapes. The group also visited Taipei.
“Some see Tokyo as 'a futuristic mega-city which is systematically ordered and emits futuristic glow.’ This monolithic impression can be decoded into layers of memories of the city, functionally organized organic forms, and everyday activities of people in Tokyo. Through personal experience, students are exploring invisible aspects of Tokyo, which are weaved into and create the dynamic color of Tokyo as a whole.” Makie Suzuki, PLA, LEED AP BD+C, Associate
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September 5, 2016 - Sara conducted a lunchtime workshop titled, “Design at the Margins of the Urban Renaissance,” at the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) and gave an inaugural lecture at Kent State University for local practitioners, faculty, and student on design practice in the midst of the urban renaissance. "Cities across the country are witnessing large investments in urban development and infrastructure. But, this renaissance is provoking tension. As we design the re-developing public realm, we have the opportunity to negotiate this tension, by rooting our design in the spatial traditions of the urban core." To illuminate these ideas and prompt a discussion among participants, Sara presented independent design work from Houston, Texas and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Read MoreAugust 31, 2016 – Shannon Nichol and Piet Oudolf led tours of the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park. Shannon's tour offered insight into the history and making of the garden as well as the inspiration for the Lurie Garden's iconic design elements.
Read MoreAugust 31, 2016 –The Lurie Garden hosted a design team panel discussion at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion Stage in Millennium Park. Panelists included (from left to right) Laura Ekasetya, Lurie Garden Head Horticulturist; Piet Ouldolf of Hummelo, the Netherlands; Shannon Nichol of GGN; Roy Diblik of Northwind Perennial Farms; and moderator Scott Stewart, Ph.D., Acting Executive Director, Millennium Park Foundation and Director, Lurie Garden.
"The Lurie Garden team is excited to begin implementing the next evolutions of the garden based on this week's conversations with Piet Oudolf and Shannon Nichol." - Scott Stewart, Ph.D., Acting Executive Director, Millennium Park Foundation and Director, Lurie Garden
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