2011 BSLA Awards Program

Entries have been received, sorted and are off to the Jurors for initial review. The Jury will be meeting in March and will select our 2011 winners. Award Certificates will be presented at the 2011 Awards Gala on April 28 at the Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge.

The Gala will be a casual reception format that attendees enjoyed last year. Great food, delightful ambience, good music, interesting conversation - it's a great evening for $50. Watch your email next week for registration information.

Successful Networking at MEET MA

Small idea born at the BSLA’s annual Planning Advance, takes wings and flies! 

The BSLA first conceived of the idea of a multi-disciplinary networking event in Sept 2010 at our Annual Planning Advance.  The BSLA Executive Committee wanted to provide members with an opportunity to build new business relationship and potential design collaborations to help them in these trying economic times. This was the starting point for the development of what became Meet Massachusetts – Winter 2010.  This event brought together members of 6 of the leading planning and design professional organizations in the Boston area in one place(ASID, BSLA, BSA, MACP, MA-APA and IFDA) – to “meet new faces in the new year, to make new professional relationships that may lead to future partnering opportunities and collaboration  - and for some good old fashion camaraderie.”

Passed hors devours, drinks, and a clear February evening provided great views of the Boston Harbor from the 33rd floor of the UMass Club.

Lots of networking, meeting new people, exchanging of business cards.  And a list of all registrants with contact information was provided to all those who attended.

Kathleen Ogden, BSLA President-Elect, gave some opening remarks and thanked the event’s Lead Sponsors (Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc, Stantec Landscape Architecture and Planning, and the BSC Group) The event’s Program Partner, MA Chapter of the USGBC, was represented by Neil Angus who shared a few words on the local chapter’s work and the new LEED ND rating system.  Neil pointed out the this system truly incorporates all of the various levels of design and planning represented by the professionals at the event.

The event organizers are planning to repeat the event again in the late summer or next winter.

PRESENT AT BUILDBOSTON as part of the LANDSCAPE SYMPOSIUM. BSLA wants to show the best we have to offer.

Have you become something of an expert on a topic important to LA?

BSLA has coordinated a Landscape Architecture Symposium as part of BuildBoston for the past several years. The Symposium is an important educational opportunity for LA’s, architects, engineers and other allied professions. Last year our workshops were received extremely well, and the presenters had a forum to demonstrate the quality of their work as an LA.

We're looking to elevate the level of discussion this year, and encourage all of you to submit proposals that push traditional boundaries, dive deep into issues and/or case studies, and extend technical discussions beyond introductory levels. We are looking for workshops with a focus on sustainable design to add to our Landscape Symposium. Topics should interest Landscape Architects, Architects and Engineers. Panels should include architects, clients and engineers if possible.We plan to again offer four workshops and this year we will be able to apply to offer Continuing Education Units.

You are invited to submit topics and ideas to BSLA to lead or participate in a topic for BuildBoston, November 2011. Please contact Ray Dunetz with your interest by February 28 with your interest.

March 16 (Wednesday)

Site Furnishings with Landscape Forms and Local Landscape Architects

Please join the Boston Society of Landscape Architects and the Emerging Professionals Committee for a presentation highlighting our annual sponsor, Landscape Forms, with a panel on the creation of custom site furnishings. A representative from Landscape Forms will discuss the attributes of site furnishings and how to distinguish a quality product. Finally, two local landscape architects will discuss their process of working with Landscape Forms to develop custom site furnishings for their projects.

6:00 refreshments; 6:30 program
Boston Architectural College, Casieri Hall

Preregistration is requested. Sign up here.

March 23 (Wednesday)

Brave New World of Manufactured Soils
(Offered Jointly by BSLA and Arnold Arboretum)
Educational Program - 1.0 LACES

Presented by John Swallow and Rob Pine of Pine and Swallow Environmental. (Full Course Detail) (To Register)

6:00 pm refreshments; 6:30 pm program at Arnold Arboretum. Free for members of BSLA/ASLA/ Arnold Arboretum
$25.00 for non members

Sponsored by Agresource, DH Loam, New England Specialty Soils, Read Custom Soils

Other Events On the Calendar

February 25 (Friday) - Providence, RI - all day - University of Rhode Island Green Industry Conference & Exposition

March 3 (Thursday) - Springfield, MA - all day - ELA Conference and Eco-Marketplace

March 4 (Friday) - Sugarbush, VT -Ski all day

Invitation from VT ASLA to BSLA -

Another storm is upon us – and the snow is piling up!  So, what better time for a reminder of the upcoming VT ASLA Ski Day – March 4, 2011 at Sugarbush Resort.

This event is purely social (but some may see the networking benefits).   There is no official member meeting, no fund raising, no educational credits.  Just good ole Vermont skiing, riding, and gliding with Landscape Architects and allied professionals!  Feel free to bring your family to join the fun; the more the merrier!

A couple important details

1. VT ASLA Ski Day 2011 will be held March 4, 2011 at Sugarbush Resort.  Nordic Skiing at Oles Cross Country Center in Warren, VT.
2. You must RSVP by February 25th to aportz@segroup.com or call (802)862-0098.
   

   a. Please include your sport of choice (alpine, board, tele, or nordic). Tickets are $46/person. Nordic is $16/person.

   b. Please include how many will be attending dinner at the Timbers Restaurant.  Dinner cost is anticipated to be $40/ fixed (soup/salad, entrée, and (2) drinks).  More info coming once the group is confirmed.

3. We must have 20+ people to get the group rate for Sugarbush.  I will keep you all posted on the number count as the RSVP’s come in.

Lastly, landscapeforms (www.landscapeforms.com) has once again donated (1) Parc centre table and (2) chairs.  Only one lucky person will win this great set of outdoor furniture.  You must be 18 years or older to win (that’s a joke) and attend the entire day and dinner (that’s not!).  Other raffle prizes included – so come join the fun.

Think Snow!  Adam Portz, VT ASLA President.

March 8 (Tuesday) - UMass Amherst - all day - 2011 Community Tree Conference
Tree Workers & Working Safely - A Reality Check

Welcome New and Returning Members

Jennifer Brehm, ASLA, Payette Associates, Boston, MA

Sophia Emperador, Associate ASLA , Cambridge, MA

Gavin Johnston, Affiliate ASLA , Stone Farm, Newburyport, MA

Shanshan Lu, Associate ASLA, The Ager Group, Cambridge, MA

Paul D. McKechnie, Jr., ASLA, McKechnie Associates, Inc, Medfield, MA

Stephanie E. Smoot, ASLA, Lincoln, MA

Makie Suzuki, ASLA , Sasaki Associates, Watertown, MA

Job Opportunity

Project Manager
Robert Hanss Inc.

Robert Hanss Inc., a landscape construction company based in Newton, MA is seeking a dedicated, motivated project manager to add to our team.  The majority of our projects are in the residential and institutional sectors of the field.  All applicants should have a considerable amount of construction experience with a high level of competence in site layout, project administration and creative problem solving.  An established network of resources is an advantage as is the use of a design background to understand the objectives associated with each project.  The day-to-day tasks that accompany the position can be rigorous and availability six days a week during the construction season is necessary.

Please send cover letter and resume to:
rhanss@roberthanss.com

FROM ASLA: In case you missed it, this section was part of a letter from ASLA Executive Director Nancy Somerville.

Public Awareness
The visibility of the profession remains our top priority, and this year again saw continued growth in media coverage of the profession. Why? Because concern about community livability and environmental issues continues to grow, and the work that you do as landscape architects is seen as the solution to those pressing problems.

Whether it’s a literally high profile project like New York City’s High Line, the Southwest Montgomery Green Street Plan in Portland, Oregon, a rooftop farm in downtown Chicago, or a transit master plan for Philadelphia, the work of landscape architects is capturing the imagination of the public and their policy makers.

To leverage that attention, we have put a strong emphasis on growing our website content related to sustainability and community livability. We created a series of thematic resource guides organized around climate change, sustainable urban development, transportation, livable communities, and green infrastructure. In addition, we launched a well-received, three-part Sustainability Toolkit, which provides online resources, assessment tools, checklists, modeling software, and case studies designed to aid policy makers and design professionals roll out sustainable projects at the regional, urban, and local levels. We also developed a residential counterpart to help educate homeowners and developers. The pages have received more than 40,000 views.

With the help of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, we have expanded our sustainable landscapes pages aimed at the general public to include 10 new case studies and a new online channel to showcase an initial five easy-to-understand animations of sustainable landscape design principles.

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