GGN Leads Landscape Design for Long Beach Civic Center
GGN Leads Landscape Design for Long Beach Civic Center

July 8, 2016 - Today Long Beach City officials broke ground for the new 22-acre Civic Center. The new mixed-use district includes a new City Hall, Port Headquarters and Main Library, along with a re-activated Lincoln Park and new residential, retail and hotel commercial development.

“We are so pleased to be a part of the revitalization of Long Beach’s downtown civic core and look forward to seeing the collective vision of the public and project team realized,” said Jennifer Guthrie, GGN founding principal.

GGN’s landscape design is strategically planned to be an inviting and welcoming civic place for a broad demographic of users, morning through night. Thoughtful attention is placed on the integration of active program elements that will draw these users, such as a children’s play area, dog park, musician’s corner, flexible lawn spaces, and public seating. A robust palette of water-wise plants and adapted species will provide educational value to visitors.

Civic design moves include restoring Long Beach’s historic streetgrid, linking pedestrian spaces through plazas and promenades, opening up site lines to maximize signature views, and expanding the city’s existing bike system.

This project is targeting New Development LEED Gold Certification.

The Civic Center is being developed under an innovative public-private partnership with Plenary-Edgemoor Civic Partners and the City of Long Beach.

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Cheryl dos RemediosLong Beach, CA2016a
GGN Participates in the Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future
GGN Participates in the Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future

June 11, 2016 – On June 10 and 11, over 700 people attended the Landscape Architecture Foundation "Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future" at the University of Pennsylvania. The Summit was called to "critically reflect on what landscape architecture has achieved over the last 50 years and present bold ideas for what it should achieve in the future.” Jennifer Guthrie, President-Elect of the Landscape Architecture Foundation, worked with the LAF Board and LAF Staff to plan this successful event.

Over the course of the two days, 70 established and emerging leaders presented their “Declarations” and engaged in lively debate about realizing landscape architecture’s potential and effecting real world change. Kathryn Gustafson was one of these distinguished speakers, and she spoke about the importance of resiliency and its relationship to beauty and the human spirit.

In addition to Kathryn Gustafson, several members of GGN's team were in attendance at the Summit, including Rodrigo Abela, Grant Stewart, Keith McPeters, Bernie Alonzo, Tess Schiavone, Jill Fortuna, Emily Scott, Michael Benson, Meg Herndon, and Cheryl dos Remedios.

From this Summit, the Landscape Architecture Foundation will redraft a new declaration that will set the course for landscape architecture to make its vital contribution in the 21st century. LAF also plans to produce a landmark publication of the ideas presented at the Summit.

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Cheryl dos RemediosPhiladelphia, PA2016a
Rebecca Fuchs Interns at Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center
Rebecca Fuchs Interns at Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center

June 3, 2016 - As a key GGN design team member for the New Burke Museum, Rebecca Fuchs’ keen interest in native plants resulted in a six-week internship at Oxbow Farm & Conversation Center this spring, growing native plants from seed for the New Burke project. Oxbow’s native plant nursery aims to grow the highest quality native plants, using ecologically sound practices and local plant material, and to become a facility fostering research and education that contributes to the restoration, landscape, agriculture, and nursery-growing community.

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NewsTherese GrafCarnation, WA2016a
GGN Announces New Hires
GGN Announces New Hires

May 27, 2016 - Several talented individuals have joined the staff of landscape architecture firm GGN.

Ashley Ludwig joins GGN as an Associate, following several years practicing landscape architecture in New York. She is a project leader for the India Basin Shoreline Park and the Long Beach Civic Center projects, both located in California.

Katherine Liss joins GGN as an Associate, following seven years practicing landscape architecture in New York. She is leading GGN projects throughout the United States.

Alex McCay joins as a Designer, having received his Masters in Landscape Architecture from Pennsylvania State University last year.

Wolfgang Umana joins as the Administrator of GGN’s Washington, DC workspace, having recently received a degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University.

 

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Cheryl dos RemediosSeattle, WA2016a
The New Burke Museum's Landscape Design
The New Burke Museum's Landscape Design

May 19, 2016 – Over 500 people gathered on the University of Washington campus yesterday to celebrate starting construction on the New Burke Museum.

“The landscape of the New Burke is designed to be as multifaceted and welcoming as the museum,” said Shannon Nichol, GGN founding principal. “It will serve as a new campus quad, a colorful garden experience, and a living emblem of our state’s natural heritage.”

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Cheryl dos RemediosSeattle, WA
Cooper Hewitt High School Design Summit
Cooper Hewitt High School Design Summit

May 13, 2016 – Today Rodrigo Abela and Emily Scott provided short mentoring sessions at the High School Design Summit hosted by the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building in Washington, DC. Over 200 students participated in this opportunity to meet with designers from a variety of fields, including fashion, architecture, and product design.

GGN was the recipient of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Architecture in 2011.

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Cheryl dos RemediosWashington, DC2016a
Sara Zewde attends Rauschenberg Residency
Sara Zewde attends Rauschenberg Residency

May 3, 2016 - Last week Sara Zewde participated in the Rauschenberg Residency on Captiva Island in southwest Florida. “Rising Waters Confab II” brought together the diverse perspectives of landscape architects, artists, scientists, writers and other creative thinkers to address issues of climate change. 

Curated and organized by Buster Simpson and Glenn Weiss, a full list of participants can be found on the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation website.

Photo: Carrell Courtright and the Rauschenberg Residency Rising Waters Confab

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Aria GoodmanCaptiva Island, FL2016a
Crocuses Bloom at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Crocuses Bloom at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

March 14, 2016 - This past fall, GGN oversaw the planting of 382,616 crocus corms at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The crocuses are now in bloom.

One of the Museum’s themes is “Hope and Optimism,” and the crocus field communicates this uplifting aspect of the Museum’s mission by being the first thing to bloom on the National Mall. Once established, these flowers should bloom annually during Black History Month. 

Photo: Michael Barnes Smithsonian Institution

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Aria GoodmanWashington, DC
Rodrigo Abela speaks at the RISD Spring '16 Lecture Series
Rodrigo Abela speaks at the RISD Spring '16 Lecture Series

April 22, 2016 - Yesterday evening Rodrigo Abela delivered a Haffenreffer Lecture as part of the Rhode Island School of Design's Spring '16 Architecture + Landscape Architecture series. In his talk, Rodrigo discussed recent projects in Washington, DC - including the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture - and the challenges of working within the monumental spaces of the city.  

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Aria GoodmanProvidence, RI2016a
Jennifer Guthrie chairs 2016 National Olmsted Scholars Jury
Jennifer Guthrie chairs 2016 National Olmsted Scholars Jury

April 25, 2016 - Jennifer Guthrie, Landscape Architecture Foundation President-Elect, chaired the jury for the 2016 National Olmsted Scholar Undergraduates, which she describes as “an absolutely impressive group of applicants.” The recipient of the graduate prize is Azzurra Cox, a master’s student at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. The recipient of the undergraduate prize is Casey Howard from the University of Oregon. Congratulations to all of the nominees and finalists.

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Aria GoodmanWashington, DC2016a
Crocuses Bloom at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Crocuses Bloom at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

March 14, 2016 - This past fall, GGN oversaw the planting of 382,616 crocus corms at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The crocuses are now in bloom.

One of the Museum’s themes is “Hope and Optimism,” and the crocus field communicates this uplifting aspect of the Museum’s mission by being the first thing to bloom on the National Mall. Once established, these flowers should bloom annually during Black History Month. In African American culture, the color blue is traditionally a color of protection, so the crocuses’ blue tone symbolizes passing through a threshold into a safe place. Passing into a welcoming place is an important concept in the Museum’s landscape design, and this is why the blooming crocuses are an important part of GGN's landscape story.

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Aria GoodmanWashington, DC2016a
Shannon Nichol to speak at Banff Session 2016
Shannon Nichol to speak at Banff Session 2016

March 31, 2016 - Writing for Architizer, Paul Keskeys announced the keynote speakers for Banff Session 2016 today. "Every two years, many of the world’s top architects and design professionals gather to discuss topical issues pertaining to the built environment in the heart of the country’s stunning mountainous landscape. . . .Now in its 60th year, this year’s conference has been given the theme of “Convergence,” intended to reflect the 21st-century merging of disciplines including psychology, environmental science and economics.

"While the destination is characteristically Canadian, architects from all over the world will be in attendance. Keynote speakers include Shannon Nichol of Seattle-based firm Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Angela Ferguson of Australian studio futurespace [pictured above, far left] and Charles Walker, Director at Zaha Hadid Architects in London [pictured above, middle]. Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe of Toronto-based firm Shim-Sutcliffe Architects will also give their views, along with J. Robert Hillier of New Jersey practice Studio Hillier."

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Cheryl dos RemediosBanff, AB2016a
Grant Stewart presents at the WATER + Atmosphere Symposium
Grant Stewart presents at the WATER + Atmosphere Symposium

February 28, 2016 - Yesterday Grant Stewart presented with Drew Gangnes of Magnusson Klemencic Associates at the WATER + Atmosphere Symposium at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. Grant and Drew discussed the collaboration between landscape architects and civil engineers related to creative water use strategies, such as stormwater reuse onsite and blackwater treatment and reuse.

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Cheryl dos RemediosWinnepeg, MB 2015
India Basin Waterfront Jury Selects GGN
India Basin Waterfront Jury Selects GGN

February 27, 2016 - The San Francisco Recreation & Park Department and the Trust for Public Land, in partnership with San Francisco Parks Alliance, announced today the winner of a design ideas competition, to draw up the plans for the India Basin Waterfront Parks. The competition, sponsored by a generous donation from Build Inc., called for proposals to reimagine the India Basin waterfront as a spectacular and seamless 1.5-mile-long network of public parks on the City’s southeast shoreline.  

“We are honored to be entrusted to work with India Basin's neighbors and visitors, to enhance the things that people already treasure about this gem of a site,” said Shannon Nichol, founding principal of GGN. “India Basin includes a rare expanse of original tideflats and preserved boatyard architecture. Our approach to the competition further softened the shoreline, added walking routes across Innes Avenue between the water and the neighborhood, and sized the park's spaces for everyday activities. We look forward to working with the community to test and hone that initial approach with the full input of neighbors and the people who will be using this park every day.”

The GGN competition team includes Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), civil engineer specializing in water resource strategies; Rana Creek, ecological restoration designer; Greenlee and Associates, horticulturalist specializing in meadow design; Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, historic preservation architects; and Alta Planning + Design, transportation planners. 

Lizzie Johnson reported on this story in today's San Francisco Chronicle. 

Update: J. Michael Welton of Architects + Artisans published an article on March 1 titled “ In San Francisco, GGN’s Light Touch .” On March 16, Jason Sayer of the Architect's Newspaper wrote Gustafson Guthrie Nichol to Design San Francisco Shoreline Parks at the India Basin Waterfront.

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Aria GoodmanSan Francisco, CA2015
India Basin Design Ideas Competition
India Basin Design Ideas Competition

February 3, 2016 -The India Basin Design Ideas Competition boards have been posted to the competition website. The GGN team – which includes Rana Creek, Greenlee & Associates, Turnbull Griffin Haesloop, Alta Planning & Design, and Magnusson Klemenicic & Associates – is pleased to be one of five finalists, along with AECOM, Surfacedesign, Inc, SWA and Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects, and Tom Leader Studio. 

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Aria GoodmanSan Francisco, CA2015
Expressions of Landscape, Kathryn Gustafson
Expressions of Landscape, Kathryn Gustafson

December 8, 2015 - Peter Miller and Suyama Space are hosting a celebration and book signing on Tuesday, December 8 from 5:30-7:00pm. The very first copies of the a+u special edition Expressions of Landscape, Kathryn Gustafson are being shipped from the printer in Japan to arrive for the event. Thaisa Way, herself a noted landscape author and professor at the University of Washington, has written the text and will be joining us. The introduction is by Toshiko Mori, architect and professor at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Kathryn will be on hand to sign these very first copies – it will be the first look for everyone at this extraordinary new publication.

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Aria GoodmanSeattle, WA2015