11/06/09
LandDesign names Jeanne LeBron new Director of Federal Programs
To further demonstrate LandDesign’s commitment to exceptional service for our federal government clients, Jeanne LeBron has been named Director of Federal Programs. In this new position, Ms. LeBron will be responsible for the strategic direction, program development, operations, and execution of our federal government projects. Ms. LeBron is a Fellow in the Society of American Military Engineers and currently sits on their Board of Direction as a member of the Executive Committee. Prior to joining LandDesign, Ms. LeBron served as the Chief Marketing Officer for a regional A/E/C firm. Her experience includes marketing and sales, office leadership, small business advocacy, and coordination and communication of agency programs for consulting firms.
10/26/09
The Station at Potomac Yard receives Bronze Award from FIRE CHIEF magazine
The Station at Potomac Yard was recently recognized by FIRE CHIEF magazine with a Bronze Award for Fire Station Design. The facility is Alexandria, Virginia’s first new fire station in over 30 years and the first new mixed-use station in the United States, including a four-bay fire station, 44 affordable housing units, 20 workforce housing units, and neighborhood retail space. LandDesign was responsible for all stages of landscape architecture, including streetscape design, open space that serves as a front yard, memorial area, paving and planting design, and design touches like a kitchen garden. The facility opened in October 2009, is LEED-certified, and has won several other awards. For more information, check out an article about the project in FIRE CHIEF's April 2008 issue – http://firechief.com/station-design/good_neighbors_0401.
10/12/09
LandDesign selected to participate in international design competition
LandDesign has been selected to participate in an international design competition for the City of Zhuhai (near Macau) in China. The competition consists of planning and design of an important 33-mile (55 km) coastal road, with four important nodes along the coast receiving detailed design treatment. Leo A Daley and 505Design are supporting the team with architectural design services.
10/02/09
LandDesign selected for Wilma Dykeman Riverway project
Teamed with Wilbur Smith Associates, LandDesign was selected by the City of Asheville to provide planning and landscape architecture services as well as to be a task leader for the community involvement process for the Wilma Dykeman Riverway project, a critical phase of implementation for a French Broad River project that's master plans have been under development since the 1980's. Encompassing 2.2 miles of roadway and greenway improvements in the River Arts District, this phase is the most technical to date – with complex NEPA, state, and federal agency submittal and review requirements balanced with other design factors such as aesthetics and character, economic development, environmental sustainability, recreational opportunities, and resource preservation. Other team members include Mathews Architecture, Percent for Art Collaborative, MacTec, W-ZHA, and Blue Ridge Archaeological Consultants.
09/28/09
LandDesign selected for Big Cove Road Mixed-Use Path in Cherokee, NC
LandDesign was recently selected by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to provide design and engineering services for the Big Cove Road Mixed-Use Path in Cherokee, NC. LandDesign will provide project management, trail design, landscape architecture, and civil engineering services and will be joined by Ramey Kemp for transportation, LDSI for surveying, ECS Carolinas for environmental engineering, and Simpson Engineers for structural engineering. The project totals approximately 7,500 linear feet and is purposed to provide safe and accessible pedestrian and bike facilities to the new Cherokee Central Schools complex.
09/12/09
LandDesign begins third year of ACE Mentor Program
On September 24, LandDesign will begin its third year of participation in the ACE Mentor Program, a nonprofit effort to mentor high school students interested in A/E/C careers. Twice a month, 30 students from several Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools assemble for an introduction to a new profession, a hands-on activity, and a related field trip. LandDesign Senior Associate Heth Kendrick and Designer Will Belcher serve as coordinators for two area schools while Managers Kathy Kuneyl and Regina Czerr serve as mentor and support staff. Heth Kendrick is also a member of the Greater Charlotte ACE board, helping to raise the $20,000 in scholarships awarded in 2008-2009. Upon entering college, approximately 80% of ACE students enroll in A/E/C programs.
09/07/09
Stephanie Pankiewicz elected as Mountain Section Chair of NCASLA
Stephanie Pankiewicz, a LandDesign Principal, has accepted a two-year position as the Mountain Section Chair for the North Carolina Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Over the past year, Stephanie has assisted the interim chair to bring events back to the Mountain Section, including one at the Asheville Design Center to connect local landscape architects with volunteer design opportunities. Engaging NCASLA members through involvement with state chapter activities, professional development opportunities, and related regional planning initiatives for greenways and sustainable development will continue to be her most important goal as section chair. Additional NCASLA chair responsibilities include scheduling and conducting section meetings; attending chapter executive committee meetings; and coordinating membership recruitment, legislative, and public relations efforts for the section.
08/18/09
Camp Lake James receives NCASLA Award of Merit
Camp Lake James recently received an Award of Merit from the American Society of Landscape Architects’ North Carolina chapter. With a lakeside location surrounded by breathtaking mountain views, the camp provides many recreational opportunities and includes a social hall, expedition center, amphitheater, pool and spa area, natural beach, docks, butterfly garden, and tennis courts. LandDesign prepared the conceptual plan through construction documents for this project. Nestled behind a buffer of existing trees, the structures of Camp Lake James are barely visible from the lake, supporting the client’s guidelines for buildings that nestle into the landscape and are subordinate to nature.
08/16/09
LandDesign selected for UNC Charlotte sports facilities
LandDesign was recently selected to provide civil engineering and landscape architecture services for two new sports facilities at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. ADW Architects will lead the effort for a new tennis complex, and LandDesign is teamed with Jenkins Peer Architects and DLR Group to design and construct a new football stadium. The tennis complex will include 12 courts and a facility to house locker rooms and offices. The complex is expected to open for competitive play in January 2011. Construction is expected to begin next summer. The new UNC Charlotte 49ers football facilities will include a 15,000-seat stadium (expandable to 40,000), two practice fields, and a 37,000 square foot field. The stadium is expected to open for the 49ers' first season in 2013.
07/26/09
LandDesign raises money for Lance Armstrong Foundation
Even in tough economic times, LandDesign understands the importance of giving back to the community. That’s why, for the fourth year, staff participated in 24 Hours of Booty, a 24-hour cycling event to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s cancer research and initiatives. With friends and family cheering them on, the LandDesign team’s 25 riders took turns circling Charlotte’s 2.8-mile ‘Booty Loop’ from Friday at 7:00pm to Saturday at 7:00pm to raise money for the cause. To-date, LandDesign has raised over $70,000 and was recognized as a Top 5 fundraiser in 2007 and 2008.
07/13/09
Romare Bearden Park featured in Charlotte Living Magazine
Romare Bearden Park is a 5.4-acre, $10-million signature urban park designed and named after a world-renowned artist born in Charlotte’s Third Ward neighborhood. The park’s design features many different yet interconnected areas for events, relaxation, and active play – including two gardens; a gathering area with refreshment kiosk and moveable tables and chairs; a large open lawn for informal play and event gatherings of up to 3,000; a children’s plaza that will showcase public art and an interactive water feature; and spaces for formal events, including small band stages and catering areas. The park was featured in the July/August 2009 issue of Charlotte Living Magazine – http://www.charlottelivingmagazine.com/romare.pdf.
06/01/09
Camp Lake James recognized with two recent awards
Camp Lake James has won two awards in 2009 – an ‘Excellence in Irrigation’ Award from the American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC) and a Merit Award from the American Institute of Architects’ Asheville Chapter. Camp Lake James is the social center for several Crescent Resources (Duke Energy's real estate company) developments on Lake James. The camp is intended to provide a central location for all those activities normally associated with a lake community such as swimming, boating, hiking, tennis, and socializing. In addition, an expedition center and amphitheater provide a place to have interactive ‘campfire’ talks, all in an atmosphere more akin to a camp than a country club.
03/26/09
Lowe’s Home Improvement store in SouthEnd receives Special Achievement Award
LandDesign’s role in the development of the new Lowe’s Home Improvement store in SouthEnd will be recognized with a Special Achievement Award from Charlotte Center City Partners. The award recognizes projects or entities that have had a major impact on Center City’s transformation. The new store on South Boulevard is sited to fit into the neighborhood fabric representing exemplary and innovative urban design that will benefit the district for years to come. LandDesign’s work on this project also received a Creative Thinkers Award from the Council of Real Estate in 2008.
02/17/09
Cabarrus County Central Area Plan receives Award of Excellence
Cabarrus County’s newly implemented Central Area Land Use Plan was recognized by the Centralina Council of Governments (COG) with an Award of Excellence in the Planning and Sustainability category for the project’s innovation and creativity, commitment to goals, contributions to regionalism, program successes and sustainable benefits, engagement of community members, and interaction with public/private partners. Cabarrus County’s Central Area Land Use Plan is a precedent-setting, collaborative, multi-jurisdictional project that emphasizes the relationship between infrastructure planning and growth patterns. The project’s success is largely the result of an innovative community engagement plan that’s influence continues to spur increased citizen interest in planning efforts, focus on sustainability, and collaboration between municipalities.
01/22/09
LandDesign to design outdoor kitchen for country music star, Trace Adkins
LandDesign Nashville was the landscape architect selected to design an outdoor kitchen for country music star, Trace Adkins, as part of a three-day film shoot for the DIY Network show, Indoors Out. The project is featured in the January 2009 issue of Landscape Architect and Specifier News Magazine -- http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/article/11530.