DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER SOUTH TERRACE GREEN ROOF, PITTSBURGH, PA
Honor Award: General Design | Pashek Associates
The 20,000sf South Terrace Green Roof: solidifies the Convention Center as a national leader in green technologies; creates a half an acre of green space in an urban setting; helps attract events looking for green facilities; serves as an accessible and flexible outdoor event space; and teaches the environmental benefits of green roofs and native meadow plants to hundreds of thousands of people who visit every year. The jury remarked that the plant material selection capitalized on opportunities presented by architecture and they bring out the best qualities in the building and the planting design.
THE ORCHID CONSERVATORY AT DANIEL STOWE BOTANICAL GARDEN, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
Honor Award: General Design | MTR Landscape Architects, LLC
Botanical Gardens strive to enchant visitors and to inspire them to return to learn. This project designed a conservatory and its interior gardens to showcase orchids and bromeliads – ‘poster children’ for conservation issues. Planting beds, living walls, and suspended garden elements immerse visitors in gardens and habitats, while controlled views create surprise and discovery. The jury was very impressed to see the landscape architect serve as the lead designer and to have a building designed around the interior landscape design.
LANDIS HOMES SOUTH CAMPUS EXPANSION,
Honor Award: General Design | RGS Associates, Inc.
The South Campus Expansion at Landis Homes Retirement Community is the culmination of nearly a decade of advanced planning, creative design and innovative construction. This award-winning, LEED Gold Certified community evolved from the clients’ strong stewardship ethic combined with the landscape architects’ effective and efficient utilization of remaining campus growth areas. The jury appreciated that the reuse of reclaimed water permeated every aspect of the neighborhood design and connected homeowners to a low impact development practices.
WOODLAND GREEN PEDESTRIAN PARK, Philadelphia, PA
Merit Award: General Design | ThinkGreen LLC
Philadelphia’s 2011 Pedestrian Plaza Program aimed to make city streets safer for pedestrians and drivers by converting underutilized street segments into public spaces. Several local institutions and community associations collaborated to transform a concrete traffic triangle and cut-through street into a park-like gateway for the neighborhoods of West and Southwest Philadelphia. The Woodland Green Pedestrian Park would introduce green space, incorporate sustainable stormwater strategies and promote efficient building practices. The jury felt that this was a great use of limited community resources to spark interest in streetscape areas and spur change in the area.
POOL BARN, Bryn Mawr, PA
Honor Award: Residential Design | Hess Landscape Architects
The design of this residential property creates new exterior amenities among several older site features, all of which were renovated to uniformly characterize the space. Adaptive reuse of materials and structures reduce the environmental impact and costs of the project. Regionally appropriate plantings define the garden, which is at once dramatic, yet also soothing. The owners’ fervent desire for privacy helped define the space, creating an inward-focusing, tranquil garden. The jury thought the landscape architect executed a fantastic axial design that effectively used lines, tones, colors, and lighting to perfectly tie the landscape to with the pool barn.
WALKABILITY STUDY AND SMART TRANSPORTATION PLAN, Hellertown, Northampton, PA
Merit Award: Analysis & Planning | Barry Isett and Associates
Hellertown residents desire a network of transportation alternatives, which support walkable, pedestrian friendly routes from home to points of interest, in and beyond the Borough. The study was to provide a road map to develop a place where residents can: safely access the numerous resources within a short, comfortable walk; choose from a variety of viable transportation alternatives; and enjoy a Main Street’s economic vitality. The jury recognized the effective use of before and after images that conveyed appropriate solutions and realistic methods for implementation and offered great details on the bump out planters and pervious pavement.
P32+ TRAIL NETWORK,
Award of Excellence: Communication | Environmental Planning & Design, LLC and Gradient Labs
Advocates throughout 51 counties are working to link 1,400+ miles of trails using technology to collaborate and prioritize despite the obstacle of distance. From paper maps to a cloud-based GIS database, trail information was compiled and shared. A user-friendly website (gototrails.com) accesses the same database to enhance understanding and utility. A mobile app enriches the trail-user experience for navigation, interpretation and reporting issues. Information feeds back to the GIS cloud—furthering its accuracy and effectiveness. The jury saw this as an incredible resource to professionals, government staff, and non-profits working on trail design in this area of the country and believe this could serve as the model for similar systems around the country.