2023 ASLA Central States Awards Honor Eight Projects by Fay Jones School Students, Faculty
Eight projects by students and faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design were recently recognized in the 2023 ASLA Central States Awards program.
Eight projects by students and faculty in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design were recently recognized in the 2023 Central States Awards program by the Central States region of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
In all, 27 design projects were selected for honors out of 103 entries from students, faculty and design professionals. The categories this year were expanded to promote a broader recognition of landscape architectural practice and its impact on quality of life.
"The portfolio of works from the Department of Landscape Architecture students, faculty and alumni demonstrate a passion for helping human and natural communities through sustainability and ecological justice," said Ken McCown, professor and head of the department. "These projects show how landscape architecture professionals are at the forefront of making great places for people while protecting and enhancing ecological resilience through nature-based solutions."
Two student projects received Honor Awards, which recognize superior professional accomplishment.
Hagen Rushing won an Honor Award in Commercial Design (Student) for "Café Rue" in Fayetteville. "Cafe Rue" is a commercial design project with a focus on biophilia and ecosystem services.
Emily Finley and Lillyan Priest won an Honor Award in Analysis and Planning (Student) for "Sutures of the Rio Grande / Bravo: Restoring Access Through History & Ecology" in the Lower Rio Grande / Rio Bravo Valley along the border of Texas and Mexico. The project aims to heal the regional divide between the United States and Mexico by restoring and reconnecting access to the river through historic landscape geometries.
Gabriel Diaz Montemayor, assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion and associate professor of landscape architecture, said that these projects winning Honor Awards is an important recognition for the program and the school.
"It demonstrates the collaborative rewards through disciplines and programs, while advancing critical aspects related to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in the built environment," Montemayor said. "An Honor Award in the ASLA Central States' student awards program is certainly proof of the quality of the work produced by our students."
Six projects from Fay Jones School students and faculty received Merit Awards, which recognize outstanding accomplishment.
Charles Goodgame won a Merit Award in Parks, Recreation and Open Space Design (Student) for "Re-Connection: AGFC" in Springdale.
The project focuses on the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center, which is operated by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, as it aims to restore Bobwhite quail habitat through the integration of prairie land and to restore the connection between people and ecology.
Landyn Green won a Merit Award in Parks, Recreation and Open Space Design (Student) for "Reconcile + Renew: J.B. & Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center" in Springdale.
The design strives to continue the conservation efforts of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission through enhancing Arkansas fish and wildlife habitats while promoting sustainable use and public understanding. It also enhances relationships between people and the natural environment.
Joiner Dotson and Saba Rostami-Shirazi won a Merit Award in Parks, Recreation and Open Space Design (Student) for "Habitat Loops: Regenerating the Urban Meanders of the Rio Grande / Bravo" in the binational metropolitan area of Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
"Habitat Loops" is an exploration into how to reimagine the relationships with the border and the Rio Grande / Rio Bravo Valley through renaturalized corridors and parks. This project dives into creating equitable spaces for both people and wildlife with the catalyst of birdwatching.
Kimball Erdman, professor of landscape architecture, and Jordan Cook, a former student (who graduated in May 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architectural Studies), won a Merit Award in Research: Historic Preservation for "Historic American Landscapes Survey Documentation: Oakland & Magnolia Plantations" in the Cane River Creole National Park, Louisiana.
Survey drawings were created for the Magnolia and Oakland Plantations in the Cane River Creole National Historical Park, Louisiana, with additional assistance from students in Erdman's spring 2022 Historic Landscape Preservation class. The two drawing sets will be publicly accessible through the Library of Congress.
Emily Booth, Cada Fischer, Noah Geels, Charles Goodgame, Landyn Green, John Ivy, Dawson Oakley, Brett Paris, Hagen Rushing, Aaron Schlosser, Celstene Sebag, Jessica Shearman, Winnie Vanlandingham, Kobee Wade and Reed Waters won a Merit Award in Analysis and Planning (Student) for "Remediate & Renew: The Campus Resource for Water, Food, and Engagement" in Fayetteville.
"Remediate & Renew" redesigns the landscape surrounding Vol Walker Hall, home to the Fay Jones School, as well as the building's existing green roof and two new green roof opportunities. It engages two issues related to campus and the region: stormwater mitigation and food insecurity.
Oliver Right, Kaiden Couffer and Isaiah Wright won a Merit Award in Analysis and Planning (Student) for "Eureka Springs School of the Arts Site Revitalization" in Eureka Springs.
The focus of this site revitalization project was to reconnect the school's faculty and students through better designed circulation, while utilizing outdoor spaces and controlling stormwater runoff.
Jurors for this year's awards were Fran Beatty, ASLA, with Topophilia Studios in Humbolt County, California; Will Belcher, ASLA, with Ground Control in Philadelphia; Angela Dye, FASLA, with A Dye Design in Telluride, Colorado; Kona Gray, FASLA, with EDSA in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Misa Iuone, ASLA, with Ross Barney Architects in Chicago; Heidi Natura, FASLA, with Living Habitats in Chicago; and Keenan Smith, MAUD, AIA, with City Lights Design Alliance in Dripping Springs, Texas, and a professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Arkansas Chapter of ASLA hosted the annual ASLA Central States Conference on April 19-21 in Fayetteville. The Central States comprises six chapters that represent North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Contacts
Tara Ferkel, communications specialist
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
479-575-4704,
tferkel@uark.edu
Michelle Parks, director of communications
Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design
479-575-4704,
mparks17@uark.edu