letter from the president
Good morning NMASLA members,
I hope the spring weather has found you well. As I write this letter, it's nearly 90 degrees outside and it's hard to believe there aren't things I should be doing outdoors. Rob Loftis, Greg Miller, Scott Culler, and I just returned from participating in ASLA's advocacy day activities and our respective administrative meetings in Washington D.C. It was an action-packed few days of meetings, socialization, and spending late nights trying to catch up on work while away from the office. As always, it was great to see our allied professionals from other states!
2018 has proven to be very busy and is off to a great start already. The executive committee has been busy planning activities for this spring/summer, and we are excited about the continuing education opportunities we have coming up. The tour of Los Poblanos was a big hit, we completely filled all of our available registration spaces and even had a few members still on the waiting list to attend. Our second educational event of the year will be held in June and will focus on playground safety and design. Additional information will be available shortly, including registration information. Initial planning for the golf tournament has begun and we are looking forward to another great year. We are anticipating that our last event of 2018 will tie into our advocacy efforts and will allow our members to get involved. Additional information will be distributed as it becomes available.
2018 is shaping up to be another great year for landscape architecture in New Mexico, and we look forward to seeing all of you at upcoming events in the coming months.
q2 - los poblanos tour recap
What could be better? Glorious weather, stunning historic buildings and gardens, carefully thought out modern additions and beauty everywhere. And to be guided through this visual bounty by some of the most knowledgeable people one could ever hope to spend a day with!
This was our tour of Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Farm on May 27. We were treated to insights into the design and development of the original ranch house, which became an inn, and the building of La Quinta by John Gaw Meem. Baker Morrow put this great country place into the New Mexico context for us (it's actually one of five places) and Chris Wilson elaborated on architectural detail, formal approaches, and the creation of more intimate spaces off larger public spaces, both indoors and outdoors. Susan Henderson was essential to the arduous procedure of planning and zoning that allowed Los Poblanos to expand to its present size, and how the process of gaining the trust of the public played out successfully over a stretch of years. And much to the delight of the many garden geeks present, Judith Phillips went into the decisions and choices that shaped the new plantings, and shared her trials and successes and the assessments that went into decisions regarding the historical plantings. We also got to meet the new farmer for Los Poblanos, Wes Brittenham, whose engergy, enthusiasm and past experience will surely bring all the growing things to new levels of luxuriance!
To top it all off, we were treated to the presence of Matt Rembe, Executive Director of Los Poblanos, for the tour. Having grown up on Los Poblanos, he was able to add amusing personal anecdotes to what we were seeing, but most importantly we were given a rare insight into how the dedication and unthinkably hard work of the Rembe family has taken this remarkable site and not only preserved it, but created a viable 21st century model that allows it to thrive, while placing it prominently and comfortably in both local and international mileus.
Of course this is a simple gloss on the many things we saw and discussed, (there's a lot of the old Bishop's Lodge that has now been incorporated into the restaurant, for example), but the most remarkable thing was having such a congenial group of experts sharing their knowledge with us and with each other. Thank you to all our speakers, and to all you attendees that made this such a success!
#wlam2018 recap
“Thank you all who participated in the World Landscape Architecture Month social media campaign. #WLAM2018 generated just under 6,000 posts from around 1,600 users worldwide. The campaign reached over 2 million users and created over 34 million impressions. We are looking forward to celebrate the landscape architecture profession in April 2019! Let us know if you would like to be actively involved or have any ideas.”
JOHNSON FIELD (RE)CREATION
PRESS RELEASES AND COMPETITION INFORMATION
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO PRESS RELEASE
EPA PRESS RELEASE
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-winners-6th-annual-campus-rainworks-challenge
TEAM MEMBERS
University of New Mexico Student Team
Viviane Beluse, Landscape Architecture
Ricardo Carbajal, Community and Regional Planning
Hossein Goudarzi, Architecture
Tess Houle, Landscape Architecture
Kristal Metro, P.E., CFM, Civil Engineering
Travis Tabet, Landscape Architecture
Faculty Advisor
Kathleen Kambic,
Assistant Professor,
School of Architecture and Planning
What is the Challenge?
Stormwater runoff is a significant source of water pollution in communities across the United States. The Campus RainWorks Challenge seeks to engage with undergraduate and graduate students to foster a dialogue about responsible stormwater management and showcase the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green infrastructure practices.
Student teams design an innovative green infrastructure project for their campus that effectively manages stormwater pollution while benefitting the campus community and the environment.
§ Two design categories: Master Plan and Demonstration Project
§ Highlights for this year: A video pitch with each submission in both categories; for Demonstration Projects submissions only, a financial viability criteria
ABSTRACT FROM OUR PROJECT NARRATIVE
Johnson Field serves as the primary outdoor recreation area for the main campus of the University of New Mexico. With an estimated 35,000 visitors per week (West 2017), it is one of the most popular places in Albuquerque, and perhaps the state. Due to the heavy use and high visibility of the field, it is a top priority for renovation. Redesigning the field presents an opportunity to improve the services and benefits that the field provides to UNM and the larger community. Two upcoming projects in the area, the Johnson Center expansion and the Princeton Avenue realignment, expand the potential impact of a re-imagined Johnson Field. Incorporating green infrastructure (GI) into the field addresses issues of both water quantity and quality created by runoff from nearby surface parking and roads. The site is also a prime location for data collection and demonstration that would benefit not only UNM but the entire region as the Middle Rio Grande Valley expands the practice of Low Impact Development to comply with rigorous new standards laid out in the EPA-issued watershed-based Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Permit. In addition to supporting regional permit compliance, this design proposes multifaceted strategies for water conservation in the Southwest, as well as layered benefits to improve safety, access, health, habitat, and education. With the GI and LID features included in the proposed design, Johnson Field could expand beyond its current functionality to become a state-wide destination for recreation and learning.
Travis Tabet, Landscape Designer
NATIONAL PUBLIC GARDENS DAY RECAP
On Friday May 11, NMASLA had the opportunity to have an information table at National Public Gardens Day hosted by the Albuquerque Botanic Garden and Biopark. It was a great day, we had wonderful weather and the Botanic Gardens are in full bloom! Many school groups stopped by to learn a little about soil profiles and landscape architecture and take home some seed bombs. Always a great day! Thanks to the Biopark and Westwind Landscape Construction for their support.
Alicia Peterson, Landscape Designer
CHAPTER PRESIDENT COUNCIL Recap:
On April 27th and 28th, the 2018 chapter presidents council met to discuss chapter operations and ways we can improve our day to day activities. Scott Culler and I attended on behalf of NMASLA. One of the many highlights of the conference was hearing the great presentations from other chapters about what they are doing at the chapter level to engage emerging professionals, and how they have enhanced their value of membership with joint chapter conferences. We also were presented speeches by President-Elect candidates David Cutter and Wendy Miller as voting has opened to select our next representative. Either of them will have a challenge ahead in filling the shoes of NMASLA’s Greg Miller, who has done an excellent job this year. Overall, it was another productive an informational trip to our nation’s capital this year.