Greetings from Denver! It is great to be in a City where our Rams beat the host team! Denver has been a great host. Lots of signs in downtown Denver welcoming ASLA and a vibrant downtown experience.
A few highlights of the Trustee meeting and convention. First, big congratulations to Hunter Beckham. Hunter was inducted as a Fellow and as Vice-President for Professional Practice for ASLA. Both well earned achievements and a busy weekend for Hunter at the convention.
The biggest highlight of the Trustee meeting was the approval of a budget to renovate the ASLA headquarters in Washington DC. If you have been to the headquarters, you know the need for the renovation. While ASLA’s greenroof has been a great success in raising awareness of the profession, the rest of the building is in sore need of an upgrade. Besides many needed functional upgrades, the renovation will include a more transparent first floor and better meet the public space of the street. The entrance and façade of the building will let visitors know that they are approaching the headquarters of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Leading practitioners who have seen the early concept sketches are calling the renovated building the “Center for Landscape Architecture”. It will truly be a worthwhile investment that will pay dividends for ASLA for years to come. You will be hearing more about the renovation next year as part of the funding will be a capital campaign. James Barnett is leading a committee of practitioners who will be spearheading the campaign.
The other big item from the Trustee meeting was that ASLA and the USGBI are close to finalizing the agreements necessary for the USGBI to host SITES moving forward. Again, look for more news going into next year.
The Annual Meeting was a great success with over 5,200 attendees and the largest expo to date! It’s amazing to see the bread and scope of our profession and all the landscape architects who come to the conference. A quick story – I ran into the president and executive director of APA at a reception while in Denver. They were impressed with our conference turnout, especially as it relates to the percentage of overall members.
There is really too much going within ASLA to quickly summarize in one report. If you want to talk in detail about what is going on, especially with the “Center for Landscape Architecture”, feel free to call or email me anytime at 314-265-3178 or [email protected]. I’m always honored to serve as your trustee.
Read More