Shannon Nichol presents international keynote at the 2020 Hengshui Lake Eco-Civilization International Conference
Shannon Nichol presents international keynote at the 2020 Hengshui Lake Eco-Civilization International Conference

October 23, 2020 - Shannon Nichol gave the international keynote presentation “Local Ecology in Concept Design” at the 2020 Hengshui Lake Eco-Civilization International Conference held October 23 through 26 in Hengshui, Hubei Province, China. Shannon introduced GGN’s design philosophy and emphasized the importance of working with local communities and ecologies in projects throughout the design process. The presentation was pre-recorded and over 30,000 audiences tuned in, virtually as well as in person.

Image Credit: 2020 Hengshui Lake Eco-Civilization International Conference

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Cheryl dos RemediosHengshui, Hubei Province, CHINA2020
Tidal Basin Ideas Lab Reimagines the Future
Tidal Basin Ideas Lab Reimagines the Future

October 21, 2020 - This morning, the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab unveiled ideas from five leading landscape architecture firms reimagining the future of Washington DC’s iconic Tidal Basin and National Mall. The ideas – from DLANDstudio, GGN, Hood Design Studio, James Corner Field Operations, and Reed Hilderbrand – are presented in a museum-quality online exhibition.

GGN envisions a dynamic series of incremental changes that will adapt the site to the environmental challenges of the future and give rise to a new cultural aesthetic. Achieved over three stages between today and 2090, this adaptive plan will accommodate forecasted sea level rise and will integrate regional ecologies to bring an overdue, ecological point of view. Monuments will be adapted, protected, or relocated to ensure the national importance of this collective space.

“While there is an immediate urgency, this strategy lays the groundwork for the next hundred years. The choices we make now will have significant and long lasting impact for multiple generations,” said Rodrigo Abela.

Learn more on the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab's website.

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NewsCheryl dos RemediosWashington, DC2019
GGN is Hiring
GGN is Hiring

September 25, 2020 — Work with us and learn with us. See ggnltd.com/jobs for current openings centered on building our team’s diverse, combined and independent ways of seeing, and solving new puzzles every day. As always, we welcome and crave hands-on interests and experience, seemingly unrelated and unfancy work included in resumes, and alternative paths into landscape/architecture/etc.

Image: One of more than 20 subtly varied grading iterations studied by Laurel Li for a team meeting on the Gates Foundation Urban Habitat Meadow, pencil on trace, c. 2011.

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Cheryl dos RemediosSeattle, WA & Washington, DC2020
ASLA Rebroadcast of Drawing Lecture with David Malda
ASLA Rebroadcast of Drawing Lecture with David Malda

April 29, 2020 - ASLA will offer a rebroadcast of Drawing Still Matters: Exploring the Value of Drawing in Landscape Architecture, GGN Principal David Malda’s panel discussion with Michael Batts (STEWART) and Kona Gray (EDSA), first delivered at the ASLA Conference in Landscape Architecture in San Diego in November 2019.

The discussion explores the power of drawing to connect cultures, disciplines, and generations, with particular reference to GGN’s work on the John Trevino Jr. Metropolitan Park Master Plan in Austin, Texas, thus supporting an on-going dialogue around the unique potential for this place.

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LecturesGuest UserRemote2020
GGN is a Supporting Sponsor for Burke Museum Spring Gala
GGN is a Supporting Sponsor for Burke Museum Spring Gala

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.

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NewsGuest UserSeattle, WA2019
Jennifer Guthrie Delivers Charles H. Burger Landscape Architecture Lecture at NC State
Jennifer Guthrie Delivers Charles H. Burger Landscape Architecture Lecture at NC State

February 26, 2020 - Jennifer Guthrie delivered the Charles H. Burger Landscape Architecture Lecture at North Carolina State University. The lecture, entitled "20 + 20", reflected on the practice and work of GGN over the past twenty years, and looked to what the next twenty years will bring. Projects discussed included the Lurie Garden and India Basin Shoreline Park.

A recording of the lecture in its entirety can be viewed online here.

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LecturesGuest UserRaleigh, NC2019
Shannon Nichol Invited to Take Part in Landscape Practices Seminar at Harvard GSD
Shannon Nichol Invited to Take Part in Landscape Practices Seminar at Harvard GSD

February 21, 2020 - Shannon Nichol was invited to take part in Harvard’s Graduate School of Design’s Spring 2020 elective seminar, Landscape Practices, which featured lectures by a range of landscape architecture practitioners working at various scales and stages of their careers.

Led by Chris Reed, “the seminar will shed light upon the ways in which a diverse array of practitioners and designers have both conceptualized what they do—the nature of and ideas behind their work—and operationalized it in terms of how they do it—the mechanisms, structures, and strategies that put their ideas into play.“

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LecturesGuest UserCambridge, MA2020
"GGN: Landscapes 1999 to 2018" Featured on New Books in Architecture Podcast
"GGN: Landscapes 1999 to 2018" Featured on New Books in Architecture Podcast

February 2, 2020 - GGN: Landscapes 1999-2018, authored by Dr. Thaisa Way and published by Timber Press, was featured on the New Books in Architecture podcast, which showcases interviews with scholars of architecture about their new books and seeks to raise the level of public discourse by introducing scholars and other serious writers to a wide public via new media. Thaisa Way and GGN Principals Shannon Nichol, Jennifer Guthrie, and Rodrigo Abela were interviewed by host Tricia Keffer.

GGN: Landscapes 1999-2018 is the first book devoted to GGN’s work. Dr. Way surveys several of our projects with an eye towards addressing practical design questions, with a foreword by Dr. Scott Stewart. Many of our favorite photographers have contributed their work, including new photos by Catherine Tighe.

A full recording of the interview can be accessed here.

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NewsGuest UserKey Largo, FL2020
David Malda Presents at Country Living Expo & Cattlemen's Winterschool
David Malda Presents at Country Living Expo & Cattlemen's Winterschool

January 25, 2020 - GGN Principal David Malda taught a two-session class called “Introduction to Landscape Design” at the County Living Expo and Cattlemen’s Winterschool in Skagit County, WA. The event was hosted by Hosted by Stanwood FFA and presented by the Livestock Master Foundation, WSU Skagit & Snohomish County Extension Livestock Advisor Program and the Cattlemen’s Association.

The intro class “focused on design fundamentals to help improve and design individual landscapes from the ground up. Particular emphasis will be given to: site analysis, exploring how you have used or want to use your landscape or outdoor space, and connecting your home to your outdoor living space and the surrounding environment.”

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LecturesGuest UserSkagit County, WA2020
GGN Participates in Camas Planting Ceremony at New Burke Museum
GGN Participates in Camas Planting Ceremony at New Burke Museum

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!

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NewsGuest UserSeattle, WA2019
The 2019 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture: GGN Presentations
The 2019 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture: GGN Presentations

November 13, 2019 - GGN is participating in four education sessions at the 2019 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture in San Diego, CA, November 15-18, 2019.

On Friday, Lauren Schmidt is presenting Zero to One: Open Your Practice to the World of BIM with Xue (Phyllis) Zhou of AECOM and Aiden Ackerman of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Also on Friday, David Malda will speak on the topic of Drawing Matters: Exploring the Value of Drawing in Landscape Architecture with Michale Batts of STEWART and Kona Gray of EDSA.

On Saturday, Kathryn Gustafson will speak to Finding Design: Case Studies in the Creative Process with Walter Hood of Hood Design Studio and Susan Cohen.

On Sunday, Kara Weaver will speak about Integrating Security into Site Design: Evolving Strategies for Protecting Public Spaces with Margaret Plumb of Design Workshop and Len Hopper of Weintraub Diaz Landscape Architecture.

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Cheryl dos RemediosSan Diego, CA
The 2019 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture: GGN Presentations
The 2019 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture: GGN Presentations

November 13, 2019 - GGN is participating in four education sessions at the 2019 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture in San Diego, CA, November 15-18, 2019.

On Friday, Lauren Schmidt is presenting Zero to One: Open Your Practice to the World of BIM with Xue (Phyllis) Zhou of AECOM and Aiden Ackerman of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. This workshop is addressing the challenges and solutions landscape teams face when starting to use BIM. Lessons from project cases are being shared, with broad research of how numerous landscape firms are scaling up BIM use. Participants will get hands-on practice on modeling a sample landscape project and evaluating workflow among different software.

Also on Friday, David Malda is speaking on the topic of Drawing Matters: Exploring the Value of Drawing in Landscape Architecture with Michale Batts of STEWART and Kona Gray of EDSA. Rather than the familiar debate over digital versus hand graphics, this session considers the value of drawing as a process connected to seeing, thinking, and engaging throughout design.

On Saturday, Kathryn Gustafson is speaking to Finding Design: Case Studies in the Creative Process with Walter Hood of Hood Design Studio and Susan Cohen. This session reviews ways in which an active imagination and a creative spirit fuels the design process in landscape architecture.

On Sunday, Kara Weaver is speaking about Integrating Security into Site Design: Evolving Strategies for Protecting Public Spaces with Margaret Plumb of Design Workshop and Len Hopper of Weintraub Diaz Landscape Architecture. This session examines how landscape architects are protecting urban public spaces by integrating innovative security features into a site while creating vibrant public spaces.

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Cheryl dos RemediosSan Diego, CA2019
Kathryn Gustafson Gives Lecture at the Bainbridge Art Museum
Kathryn Gustafson Gives Lecture at the Bainbridge Art Museum

November 3, 2019 - Kathryn Gustafson delivered a lecture at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art entitled “The Sky is Mine.” Followed by an intimate wine reception with 250 guests, the lecture focused on the creative development and impact of five projects Kathryn worked on with GGN and Gustafson Porter + Bowman, respectively: the City of Paris' Site Tour Eiffel winning design just awarded in May; the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London; the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery; the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.; and Valencia's Parque Central.

Proceeds from the event supported the Heronswood Art in the Garden fund.

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LecturesGuest UserBainbridge Island, WA2019
Shannon Nichol Delivers Adleman Lecture at Cornell University
Shannon Nichol Delivers Adleman Lecture at Cornell University

October 23, 2019 - Shannon Nichol delivered the second annual Adleman Lecture at Cornell University, titled “Repair Work: Drawing and Building Parts of the Landscape.” This annual memorial lecture is endowed by Michael R. Van Valkenburgh in honor of Professor Marvin I. Adleman. The lecture took place at 6:15 on October 23 at 151 Warren Hall on the Cornell campus in Ithaca, NY.

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LecturesGuest UserIthaca, NY2019
GGN is participating in the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab
GGN is participating in the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab

October 22, 2019 - Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Trust for the National Mall, in partnership with the National Park Service, announced the five landscape architecture firms participating in the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab. GGN, DLANDstudio, Hood Design Studio, James Corner Field Operations, and Reed Hilderbrand are working in concert to address the challenges and opportunities facing the National Mall Tidal Basin.

"The Tidal Basin is a unique landscape with important historical and environmental significance for Washington, DC,” said Kathryn Gustafson. “How we approach, think, and act on the Tidal Basin will be a great learning process that will evolve. The Idea Lab is timely, as similar challenges to important historic sites need to be addressed in many other places around the world."

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Cheryl dos RemediosWashington, DC
GGN is participating in the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab
GGN is participating in the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab

October 22, 2019 - Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Trust for the National Mall, in partnership with the National Park Service, announced the five landscape architecture firms participating in the Tidal Basin Ideas Lab. GGN, DLANDstudio, Hood Design Studio, James Corner Field Operations, and Reed Hilderbrand are working in concert to address the challenges and opportunities facing the National Mall Tidal Basin.

"The Tidal Basin is a unique landscape with important historical and environmental significance for Washington, DC,” said Kathryn Gustafson. “How we approach, think, and act on the Tidal Basin will be a great learning process that will evolve. The Idea Lab is timely, as similar challenges to important historic sites need to be addressed in many other places around the world."

Unlike a Design Competition, which typically selects a winner with a conclusive master plan, the Ideas Lab is a platform for the exchange of approaches and solutions between designers, stakeholders, and the public. Concepts will be provocative and challenging, presenting cultural landscape opportunities in a new light, in order to take on fundamental issues in a comprehensive and respectful way. Results of the Ideas Lab will be on view at a curated exhibition in Washington, D.C. in spring 2020 and available widely online. The results will showcase creative collaboration and design opportunities relevant for the Tidal Basin today and for generations to come.

The forum is presented by American Express, with Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) serving as civic partner to the initiative.

More information is available on the Save the Tidal Basin [Ideas Lab] website.

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Cheryl dos RemediosWashington, DC2019
Kathryn Gustafson Delivers Alan H Rider Lecture at Carnegie Mellon
Kathryn Gustafson Delivers Alan H Rider Lecture at Carnegie Mellon

October 21, 2019 - Kathryn Gustafson delivered the Alan H Rider Distinguished Lecture at Carnegie Mellon University on October 21. Her lecture, titled “Designing in Paris, Valencia, Hong Kong & Hazelwood,” addressed the complexities of designing on sites with vastly different challenges: overwhelming tourism, invasive infrastructures, and industrial migrations, and discussed past projects including including the landscape design of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in DC and the public plaza of Hazelwood Green in Pittsburgh.

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LecturesGuest UserPittsburgh, PA2019
Lower Rainier Vista & Pedestrian Land Bridge Receives ASLA Honor Award
Lower Rainier Vista & Pedestrian Land Bridge Receives ASLA Honor Award

October 2, 2019 - Yesterday the American Society of Landscape Architecture announced that GGN’s Lower Rainier Vista & Pedestrian Land Bridge has received a National ASLA Professional Honor Award in General Design. The awards presentation ceremony will take place during the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture, to be held this November in San Diego, California.

The Lower Rainier Vista project at the University of Washington extends and completes the Olmsted Brothers’ historic vision for a monumental campus axis within the intersection of many transportation modes. The design references Collegiate Gothic forms and uses fine-tuned grading of the Vista to frame views, integrate modern infrastructure, and provide new ADA connections. A new land bridge facilitates multimodal integration of pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and automobiles between the new light rail station at Husky Stadium, the University of Washington Medical Center, and the University campus heart. KPFF was the structural and civil engineer on the project.

Founded in 1899, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is the professional association for landscape architects in the United States, representing nearly 15,000 members. The Society’s mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education, and fellowship.

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Cheryl dos RemediosSeattle, WA2019