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WASLA Spring Conference 2009
Engaging Change: A Green(er) Perspective
When:
April 3, 2009
8:00 am – 5:30 pm
Where:
Seattle Center Northwest Rooms
Online Registration:
www.regonline.com/WASLA2009
REGISTRATION FEES
Member: $150
Non-member: $170
Student: $45
Registration closes March
31, 2009.
Schedule:
CONCURRENT
SESSION 1
8:00-9:15 AM
1A. Green
Youth: Helping Children Develop Ecological Literacy
Panelists: Julie Johnson, University of Washington Department
of Landscape Architecture; Abby Ruskey, Environmental Educators
Association of Washington; Erin MacDougall, PhD, Seattle & King
County Public Health Chronic Disease Prevention & Healthy Aging
Program Manager Panelist and Moderator: Jena L. Ponti, RLA, ASLA,
Bruce Boody Landscape Architect, Inc.
Today’s youth face a future of environmental challenges. To
effect positive change, they need a foundation of ecological
understanding that grows from experiences in and appreciation
for the natural world. The No Child Left Inside Act, passed by
Congress last September, heralds a recognition on a national
level of the importance of our children’s ecological literacy
and providing nature-based places in schoolyards and local
landscapes for developing a relationship with the natural
environment. Environmental education and access to nearby nature
can enhance children’s learning, development, health, and
understanding of nature. On a local level, King County has
numerous examples of green schoolyards, outdoor classrooms, play
gardens, and gardening and nutrition programs, all bring
students outside for hands-on, holistic learning while engaging
them with their community.
Landscape architects play a critical role in supporting
children’s ecological learning, by empowering children through
participatory design processes; working with educators,
community and organizations towards rich natural settings for
learning and play; and advocating the value design that fosters
meaningful childhood experiences of the world that sustains
them.
This panel session discusses this national policy, state
environmental education efforts, and local initiatives, which
create an exciting context for sustainable design addressing
children and future generations.
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View White Paper
1B. LID and Sustainable Development
Panelist: Peg Staeheli, ASLA, LEED®, SvR Design Company,
Critter Thompson, Ecologist, LEED®, Mithun; Nicholas Taylor, PMP,
Arup; Moderator: David Hilgers, ASLA, LEED®, Triad Associates.
A distinguished group of panelists, leading the local and
international design community in Low Impact Development (LID)
and sustainability, will discuss how their firms have integrated
sustainability and LID within their project work. Presentations
will include a general overview and a specific project
description, with lessons learned and strategies on how to
implement sustainable techniques within the built environment.
Following the presentations the panel will open up to a question
and answer interaction with the audience.
CONCURRENT SESSION 2
9:30-10:45 AM
2A. Productive
Parks: Sustaining Communities
Presenters: Marieke Lacasse, RLA, ASLA, CSLA, LEED AP, GGLO;
Laura Haddad, RLA, HaddadΙDrugan
Recently parks have adopted principles of ecological design. But
where can we push further, to have the most valuable impact on
our future parks? We are proposing to reinvent parks as
laboratories of innovation that operate across environmental,
social, economic, and aesthetic agendas, synthesizing nature and
artifice, utility and recreation. With renewable energy now a
necessity, we will strategize methods of integrating its
production into our parks, discussing how design collaborations
can lead to artistic machines and working landscapes that act as
mechanisms of green energy. What distinguishes parks from other
city lands is their role in fostering community. Seattle’s
Fremont Peak Park has been a lightning rod for its community and
is a socially productive park. It has become the nucleus of its
community, absorbing its energy and reflecting its values back
out to the neighborhood.
We will look at this case study then brainstorm how future parks
can nurture and harness the relation between powerful community
energy and renewable energy in ways that benefit both, while
also contributing to the green infrastructure, where they would
have a larger impact.
2B. Achieving Sustainable Urban Development
Economically: Tools for Meeting Seattle’s Green Factor
Presenters: Sarah Preisler, RLA, SvR Design Company; Michael
Hoffman, Architect, H+dIT Collaborative, Dave LaClergue, Land
Use Planner, City of Seattle Department of Planning and
Development.
Seattle is part of a nationwide movement to embed green
infrastructure within the basic functions and aesthetics of the
modern city by facilitating a mass market development model that
assesses green infrastructure elements for their practical
ability to provide broad site benefits and cost savings.
Seattle’s Green Factor program uses a scoring system that
requires developers to incorporate green infrastructure elements
into project design to further the City’s sustainability goals.
This panel will discuss how to leverage the Green Factor as a
tool to create multi-functional designs rather than simply
looking at it as a numbers game. It will provide an overview of
the Green Factor from multiple perspectives – the City,
owner/client, architect, and landscape architect. Topics covered
include:
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The City’s goals
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Upcoming revisions to the
program
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Common concerns with applying
the Green Factor
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Green infrastructure elements
that can meet multiple project design and performance goals
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Adaptive reuse of existing
technologies to meet Green Factor requirements
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Capitalizing on public,
semi-public, and private spaces to meet the Green Factor
while simultaneously achieving other goals
A zero lot line mixed
residential-commercial infill project within the Beacon Hill
neighborhood will be presented to illustrate the points
discussed.
CONCURRENT SESSION 3
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
3A.
Transportation Corridors: Designing for Livability
Presenters: Val Batey, Senior Planner, Sound Transit; Tessa
Greegor, Principal Planner, Cascade Bicycle Club; Rob Johnson,
Transportation Choices Coalition; Sandy Salisbury, Landscape
Architect and Climate Change Adaptation Lead, WSDOT
The means by which we move people through urban, suburban, rural
and wild landscapes is a critical issue across the State of
Washington. While effective transportation corridors are vital
to the economic health and quality of life of our rapidly
growing human population, these corridors frequently carve
through valuable and irreplaceable aquatic and terrestrial
ecosystems, fragmenting and reducing the function of those
ecosystems. Similarly, transportation corridors need to deliver
people to their desired locations without disrupting or dividing
the neighborhoods within which they function. Landscape
Architects are faced with these and additional challenges as
they weave thoughtful and intentional design into bicycle
routes, light rail, and vehicular corridors. This session
explores opportunities for using effective, integrated
transportation corridor design to improve the livability, health
and function of our communities. Hear directly from
transportation representatives about design issues, circulation
needs, and the complexity of cultural, economic and ecological
issues defining corridor projects.
3B. Sustainable Communities: LEED-ND as an
Emerging National Evaluation Tool for Environmentally
Responsible Development
Presenters: Catherine Benotto AIA, ASLA, LEED AP, Weber
Thompson; Ginger Garff, LEED AP, Weber Thompson; Cheryl Sizov,
Senior Urban Planner, City of Seattle Department of Planning and
Development
LEED for Neighborhood Development is a new tool for combining
metrics that create good human habitat and fight sprawl while
preserving the natural environment. This presentation will
discuss the design opportunities, challenges and metrics of LEED-ND
as it applies to both urban and rural sites. We will also
discuss the ways that LEED-ND can work with and complement the
Sustainable Sites Initiative. Then we will break into groups and
give the audience a chance to play planner and try their hand at
designing a community that meets LEED-ND certification.
Led by Weber Thompson’s Catherine Benotto AIA, ASLA, LEED AP and
Ginger Garff, LEED AP who are leading the LEED-ND certification
process for Seattle’s South Lake Union Urban Center, this
interactive presentation offers a unique look at the
possibilities under LEED ND. Cheryl Sizov from the City of
Seattle will offer perspective from the City to start, and then
the session will give attendees the opportunity to get their
hands dirty and try to create a community of their own.
LUNCH BREAK AND KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Banquet Room: 12:15-1:30pm
Welcome and WASLA news
Ed Winkley, RLA, WASLA President
Keynote Address
Building a Bright Green Future that Works
Alex Steffen, Executive Editor and Co-Founder,
WorldChanging.com
We are very pleased to announce that Alex Steffen is presenting
this year's keynote address. Steffen is the editor of
Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century (2006),
and is the Executive Editor and Co-Founder of Worldchanging, a
Seattle-based “media organization that comprises a global
network of independent journalists, designers and thinkers
covering the world’s most intelligent solutions to today’s
problems. Worldchanging has brought awareness to innovative
responses to concerns like refugee aid and renewable energy, and
to cutting-edge solutions for improving building, city planning,
transportation, communication and quality of life. By connecting
thoughtful people with the boldest new ideas, they have earned a
devoted following: a recent Nielsen study named them the
second-largest sustainability website on the planet.” For more
information about Worldchanging and Alex Steffen please visit
www.worldchanging.com.
CONCURRENT SESSION 4
1:40 – 2:45 PM
4A. You’re
Hired: How to Stand Out in the Crowd
Presenters: Charles Warsinske, ASLA, SB&A; Robert Shrosbree,
ASLA, Site Workshop; Jason Henry, ASLA, LEED®, The Berger
Partnership; Don Benson, ASLA, WASLA Trustee, URS Corp; Kristen
Lundquist, ASLA, Brumbaugh and Associates; Gustafson Guthrie
Nichol Ltd. Representative. Moderator: Kellye Hilde, ASLA, Triad
Associates.
This session is designed to allow for an open discussion between
practicing landscape architects and students/emerging
professionals on entering and succeeding in the landscape
architecture profession. The audience will have an opportunity
to ask the panel, made up a professionals, about their
expectations for a new hire, the do’s and don’ts of
interviewing, portfolio and resume tips, mentorship and
internship opportunities and how to emerge in a struggling
market. This session is valuable for new graduates and emerging
professionals looking for advice and guidance from some of the
industries top landscape architects.
4B. Climate Change: What, When and How Do We
Adapt?
Presenters: Lara Whitely Binder, Outreach Specialist,
Washington Climate Impacts Group; Jennifer Knauer, Landscape
Architect and Planner, Consultant to Puget Sound Partnership,
Jones and Jones Architects, Landscape Architects and Planners
This two-part session will address recent work assessing climate
change impacts to regional landscapes, tools available to
landscape designers and planners, and climate change adaptation
strategies under development at the state and local levels.
The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) at the University of Washington
recently completed an assessment of potential climate change
impacts to Washington State (http://cses.washington.edu/cig/res/ia/waccia.shtml).
The first half of this session will include a presentation from
CIG summarizing projected changes in temperature and
precipitation and impacts to regional hydrology, including
flooding, hydroelectric resources and freshwater resources, as
well as sea level rise, storm events and coastal ecosystems. The
second half of the session will introduce current work at the
state and local levels focused on developing adaptive
management, design and planning strategies that address the
projected impacts of climate change and provide tools for
designers and planners faced with identifying creative solutions
for an unknown future.
CONCURRENT SESSION 5
3:00-4:00 PM
5A. Soil
Strategies for Site Restoration and Green Roofs: Cost Effective
Green Techniques
Presenters: David McDonald, Biologist and Environmental
Scientist , Seattle Public Utilities; Howard Stenn, Principal,
Stenn Design; Sandy Salisbury, RLA, Washington State Department of Transportation; Brian
Taylor, P.E., Civil Design Engineer, Magnusson Klemencic
Associates
Healthy soil is the foundation of successful landscapes, as is
soil “growing media” for green roofs. Soil restoration is at the
core of ASLA’s Sustainable Sites Initiative, because it is
essential for climate protection, stormwater management, water
conservation, and human and wildlife habitat. Soil and site best
practices are now required by Washington State and an increasing
number of local codes as part of Low Impact Development
ordinances. Appropriate engineered growing media are also
crucial for successful green roofs. Soils and growing media
knowledge can save the savvy practitioner money and time on a
variety of development projects. This presentation will put your
clients on the cutting edge, with practical techniques for:
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Green roof growing media
specifications, based on local research
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Complying with new State and
local soil BMP regulations
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Protecting existing soil and
vegetation
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Using compost and other
organic amendments effectively
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Construction sequencing for
site BMPs
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Understanding how to specify
and inspect soil and compost
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Using organics as EPA-approved
erosion control BMPs
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Innovative site BMPs such as
living embankments, flood and slide restoration
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New specifications from City
of Seattle and Washington DOT
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Practical “lessons learned”
from many projects: big, small, urban, rural, public and
private.
Participants will receive a manual
and other print and online resources for design professionals.
5B. Green
Shores: Tools for Transforming Coastal Development
Presenters: Brian Emmett, M.Sc.,R.P.Bio. Marine Habitat
Biologist, Archipelago Marine Research Ltd.
Coastal development is recognized as one of the major threats to
coastal ecosystems and fisheries. In many jurisdictions, the
regulatory approach is inadequate and has failed to consider the
broad range of impacts on the coastal environment. The coastal
development practitioners and local governments are best
positioned to make a difference, but often lack the enabling
tools.
How can we work towards more sustainable coastal development? We
will discuss the incorporation of valued ecosystem services in
designing shore developments so that we can minimize the impacts
of new developments and restore the coastal ecosystem function
of previously developed sites.
We will discuss tools for the greening of the coastal
development market and methods of working towards more
sustainable use of coastal ecosystems through community planning
and site design that recognizes ecological features, functions
and processes. The new coastal development rating system,
similar to LEED for Green Buildings, will be introduced as a way
of adding green value. We will examine ways of minimizing the
environmental impact of the built environment by transforming
the way shore developments are designed and constructed. A
review of some case examples that demonstrate Green Shores
principles will help envision possible outcomes of this process
on the ground.
http://www.greenshores.ca
CONCURRENT SESSION 6
4:15 – 5:30 PM
6A. Engaging
the Past: Sustainable Change to Washington’s Modern Landscapes
and Olmsted Legacies
Panelist: Brice Maryman, SvR Design Company; Shannon Nichol,
ASLA, Gustafson, Guthrie, Nichol, Ltd.; Cheryl dos Remedios,
Cultural Programs City of Kent; Brooks Kolb, ASLA, Brooks Kolb
LLC; Susan Olmsted, Mithun; Eliza Davidson, Arbutus Design;
Susan Dolan, National Park Service.
This two-part session will present The Cultural Landscape
Foundation’s 2008 Landslide series “The Marvels of Modernism,”
including two Washington landscapes that were included in this
year’s list. The second part of this session will be a panel
discussion regarding the 21st Century challenges and approaches
to respecting design intent of Olmsted’s historic public
landscapes such as the legacy of the state Capitol Campus in
Olympia. Issues of landscape preservation, local WASLA advocacy,
interventions in historic landscapes, community education, and
preservation advocacy will be explored and discussed.
6B. Priority Green: Sustainable Site
Features in Demand by the Current Market
Room 2: 4:15 – 5:30 pm
Presenters: Karen Kennedy, University of Washington MLA
student, Jeff Bates, AIA, Shugart Bates; Linda Pruit, The
Cottage Company; Catherine Benotto, AIA, ASLA, Weber Thompson,
PLLC; Jeff Cox, ASLA, Triad Associates; Matt Holzemer, Lorig
Associates, LLC. Moderator: Sue Eastman Jensen, ASLA, LEED AP.
This session will include an overview of the Sustainable Sites
Initiative and an overview of common Sustainable Site Features
and LID practices for urban scale private development and
current informal research on which elements our development
community finds most useful, affordable and marketable in this
current down economy. A distinguished panel of architects,
landscape architects, developers and marketing professionals
will discuss the local development economy, and the near term
future of green, sustainable site design. The session will
cover:
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The Sustainable Sites
Initiative
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Green Site Design Elements and
Features that are in demand in this current market
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The most cost efficient green
site design features
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How is Sustainable Site Design
being promoted and marketed?
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Will the owners and HOA be
able to maintain features like green roofs and green walls?
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How do we balance the green
features desired by users and buyers against those required
for entitlement and those needed to truly make a positive
difference in our environment?
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Keynote Address