The Architect’s Newspaper presents the 4th annual Outdoor Spaces virtual conference, which will take place on May 8. Featuring projects and ideas in landscape architecture, the conference will highlight issues related to ecology, decarbonization, community-centered urban design as well as new technological developments in the field. Click here to view additional conference information and register.
Leading from the Middle: Climate & the Rise of Landscape Architecture
The day starts with Gerdo Aquino, CEO and principal at the national landscape architecture firm SWA Group, who will present the keynote address. Since COVID-19, the world has witnessed dramatic environmental change, which has intertwined our cities’ and landscapes’ equity and environmental goals. Aquino will discuss the lessons AEC professionals have learned from the pandemic and the climate crisis that continues to reshape all aspects of society and nature, in addition to SWA’s ever-evolving work in the design space.
Soak It Up: Carbon Sequestering Sites
Next, join internationally recognized landscape architect and climate advocate, Pamela Conrad, founder of Climate Positive Design, in exploring carbon sequestering sites. With over 20 years of experience, Conrad’s career has focused on implementing carbon-sequestering nature-based solutions in the built environment, ranging from large-scale habitat restoration to urban waterfront adaptation. Audience members will learn how to develop solutions supporting equity, biodiversity, and community resilience in their practice.
From the Ground Up: The Role of Museum Gardens in the City Life
Museums play multifaceted roles in cities as custodians of culture and history and as essential components of urban life. Paul Peters, principal at Hood Design Studio, will demonstrate how museums serve as repositories for our collective histories, cultures, arts, and sciences and function as social spaces for communal gathering and experience sharing. Peters will examine these ideas through two case studies: the Oakland Museum of California and the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. The conversation will explore each museum’s relationships with its corresponding city and the impactful role it plays in everyday life, showcasing how these cultural institutions and their gardens represent a new form of public space in our cities.
The Underline: The Re-Naturalization on an Active Transportation Corridor
Leaders from Field Operations will discuss The Underline, a linear park in Miami under development beneath an underused rail line. Isabel Castilla, associate partner and Alejandro Vazquez, director, both at Field Operations, are the masterminds behind this ambitious project. Castilla and Vazquez will delve into the challenges of large-scale planting strategies and present on innovative re-naturalization strategies that improve site resiliency. Among these remediation techniques that Field Operations developed specifically for this unprecedented infrastructure reuse project are the “integration of dry Rockland swales, bio-retention ponds, and micro-forests utilizing the Miyawaki afforestation method.”
Additional topics will be covered in CEUs led by sponsors Bison IP, Unilock and mmcité street furniture. Subjects of these talks include: sustainable materials, biophilic rooftop design, carbon reduction strategies in segmental retaining walls and pavers, and more.
Click here to learn more about Outdoor Spaces and register.
