Our Designs Landscape Architects

....a moment of beauty and visual restoration for everyone...

When designers from Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) were asked to take on the master plan for an updated Middle Path at Kenyon College, they learned f...irsthand the trials associated with stabilizing granite paths. Middle Path is 3,600 feet long, and serves as the campus’s central artery. The architects were challenged to come up with a design that replicated the look and pleasingly loose and crunchy feel of the original river stone aggregate, without any of the path’s long-standing issues, such as frequent wash outs that left behind potholes, puddles, mud, and ice. After several months of trials and experiments with different forms of decomposed granite aggregate, stabilizers, and prehydration levels, the team found a solution. A custom blended aggregate was mixed with Organic-Lock and prehydrated to 14%, then compacted with a one-ton roller. This produced an ideal surface. The updated pathway looks visually similar to the previous incarnation, and provides an accessible surface that is easily cleared of debris, snow, and other hazards. Learn more about Organic-Lock Aggregate binder www.organic-lock.com See more

Thought this deserves being reposted. In the late 80's and forward to this publication printed in 2010, most of my practice addressed the issues of accessibility (universal design). I have over 32 years of practice/consulting experience in this supporting efforts by Rick Hansen and Sam Sullivan (Tetra), the Vancouver Resource Society. I know it is difficult to realize that there are several local professionals such as myself who are experts in the accessibility field of plann...ing and design. We are often passed over for projects and, like the knowledge and wisdom of our First Nations elders, we too may fade under the weight of this isolation created by the main stream competition for dollars and notoriety or attention, and the distractions of such competing, less enduring interests. Some of us, now elders ourselves, retain the in depth concerns for social equality that we locally have supported and helped to change. This booklet needs to be on the corner of the desks of planners and professional designers, simply as an extension to our understanding of the needs of people for disabilities. We all can plan for the future to make this a more equitable environment for all abilities, all ages. See more

Here's an ASLA resource guide on planning and designing for wildfires. https://bit.ly/2FCnauP #ASLAclimate