With construction season in full swing, I’m sure many of the Chapter’s members are seeing projects that have been months, or even years, in the making finally come to life. It is such a rewarding time, but it can be full of challenges. Balancing time out of the office with meeting desk-duty deadlines. Keeping lines of communication open and positive with contractors. Hoping the weather cooperates. The list goes on. All of this can be quickly forgotten when a project’s final inspection is complete and the ribbon-cutting is on the calendar.

To kick-off the fall PDH season, after a well-deserved summer break, the Mt. Hood Section will host a construction administration/observation roundtable discussion. We hope to gain a full spectrum of participants – both panel members and attendees. Please contact Kaitlin Beatty if you’d like to join the panel or with ideas for this unique opportunity to learn, discuss and network… not to mention earn a PDH.

Don’t forget to submit nominations for upcoming Chapter Executive Committee (ExCom) elections by June 15 (if you’re mailing nominations, please allow for delivery time). As I mentioned last month, this is a very exciting time for the Oregon Chapter as our strategic planning efforts are put to the test with a new election approach and implementation of big ideas during the next ExCom term. Please feel free to contact me with questions or for more details – jrichmond@grpmack.com or (503) 224-9560.

Trustee Report - What's Up At National ASLA?

Dave Walters

Some of the National ASLA highlights this past month are as follows:

Governance and Administration

EVP Nancy Somerville participated in a stakeholder meeting with Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Hon. ASLA, (OR) to discuss strategies for funding the upcoming reauthorization of the surface transportation bill.

Government Affairs

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has once again proposed elimination of the Landscape Architects Technical Committee (LATC) as a part of a comprehensive plan to streamline government. Although this does not appear to repeal licensure for landscape architects, it is unclear how the regulatory program would be administered by the California Architects Board with no additional staff or other resources. Director Julia Lent is working with the California chapters on their strategy and grassroots advocacy efforts.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO) issued a press release announcing the reintroduction of his GREEN Act (Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods) in the House of Representatives EVP Somerville was quoted in the press release in support of the legislation. The bill includes a provision to require the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to consult with ASLA in providing sustainable practices such as green roofs, tree canopy coverage, and site planning and green space techniques for the housing units to become more energy efficient.
As a member of the Rivers & Trails Coalition, ASLA has joined in signing a letter to Senate Interior Appropriations Chair Dianne Feinstein and Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (TN) urging them to include adequate funding for the National Park Service’ Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program.

Public Relations and Resource Development

The Dirt blog consistently remains among the Top 10 most popular blogs on Planetizen Radar, an urban planning news aggregator. Planetizen Radar aggregates news from more than 50 blogs.
ASLA’s YouTube video site has surpassed 32,000 total video views. All ASLA videos are available for viewing and sharing at www.youtube.com/landscapearchitects.

Member and Chapter Services

The The Emerging Professionals Committee (EPC) hosted its conference call where the working groups provided updates on their projects, including an education session for the Chicago annual meeting, “Today's Job Market: Current Trends and Perceptions in the Hiring Process.”

Growing the Profession

ASLA and the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) recently signed an agreement to improve resources for those preparing to take the Landscape Architect Registration Exam (LARE). Under this agreement, CLARB will produce vignette problems for the two graphic sections of the exam: Section C (Site Design) and Section E (Grading, Drainage, and Stormwater Management). Each year, CLARB will provide two vignette problems for each of these sections. Each problem will be matched with two acceptable solutions. ASLA’s role in this partnership is to make these vignettes widely available. The first set of these vignettes is now posted on the ASLA website. The LARE Prep Subcommittee is developing materials that will provide some context for the vignettes and general guidance for exam candidates.

Mt. Hood Section News

Kaitlin Beatty

Thanks to all the Mt. Hood Section members who have attended the lecture series at Group Mackenzie the second Tuesday of the month for the last few months. Enjoy the summer months and look for lectures to start up once again in the Fall.

To kick-off the fall PDH season, after a well-deserved summer break, the Mt. Hood Section will host a construction administration/observation roundtable discussion. We hope to gain a full spectrum of participants – both panel members and attendees. Please contact Kaitlin Beatty if you’d like to join the panel or with ideas for this unique opportunity to learn, discuss and network… not to mention earn a PDH.

High Desert Section News

Chelsea Schneider

We met on May 20th and discussed:

Sustainable landscapes initiative – brainstorming session on who are the stakeholders in sustainable landscapes and how to get them all together
Community
- National Park-ing Day group selected – will locate site (potentially Old Mill District) and report back at next meeting
- Discussed viability of ASLA booth at Home/Garden show and/or Green Building/Earth Day festivals
Code and Policy
- Discussed Chapter response to OSLAB letter
- Code Review group had no reports
Continuing Ed
- PDH opportunity - Green Roof presentation – June 8th at DEA
Section business
- Discussed need for officers
- We’ll be holding meetings during the lunch hour during the summertime

University of Oregon Student ASLA / Emerging Professionals

Successful UO Recent Grads Brown Bag Lunch
On May 18th, seven UO landscape architecture alumni representing firms in Portland, Eugene, and Bend shared post-university experiences with students and faculty members in Eugene and fielded questions relating to education, entry-level positions, and the current job climate.

Sincere thanks to the ASLA Student Chapter, the UO office of Professional Outreach and Development for Students (PODS), and the LA Department for their collaboration with the new ASLA Emerging Professionals Committee.

UO Student ASLA Election Results In

Lauren Schwartz - President
Michelle Parkins - Vice President
Amy Ueno - Secretary
Justin Demeter - Treasurer

Welcome to the newest round of student leaders at the University of Oregon!

Architecture/Landscape Bike Tour Thursday, June 18th
The AIA and ASLA Emerging Professionals Committees invite you to save the date for an upcoming bike tour slated to visit engaging sites in the N/NE Portland area. Please mark your calendar for Thursday, June 18th, and contact EPC representatives, Bradley Wright, AIA EPC or Bethany Rydmark, ASLA EPC, to receive additional details.

Facebook Group: ASLA Oregon Student and Emerging Professionals

University of Oregon News

Karen Johnson

Architecture and landscape architecture students collaborate in brownfield studio

A fall studio taught by architecture and landscape architecture professor Roxi Thoren studied the future of a 22-acre former landfill, or brownfield, in Portland. Their proposals were of special interest to members of Save NE 82nd, a coalition of residents and businesses that neighbor the site, who have been advocating for pedestrian and environmentally-friendly development.

Following the studio’s final review, which included professionals from the City of Springfield Planning Department, Thoren presented the student designs to the Save NE 82nd board of directors in February. “The board was enthusiastic about the design proposals,” said Thoren, “and will use the student work as part of their education, outreach, and fund-raising activities as they continue to advocate for ecologically, socially, and economically positive development strategies.”

The owner of the site, located at NE 82nd Avenue and Siskiyou Street, was planning to develop the property with big-box retail tenants and address many of the environmental concerns by capping the landfill with pavement. Neighbors, however, had opposed a Wal-Mart proposal in favor of a community hub consisting of open-space, restaurants and commercial and retail activity.

Professor Thoren’s students proposed a middle ground of urban development based on maximizing use of available sites while improving ecological function within the site’s carrying capacity. Students were limited in their use of ecological processes such as groundwater recharge and food production. They included mixed-use development with apartments and condos, office space, a grocery, and services such as a post office. Much of the site design is dedicated to urban agriculture, producing plants for Portland’s Green Streets program and for green roof applications. This green industry would be partnered with the adjacent Madison High School to provide green technical training for the local students.

“As a studio, to take into consideration both a developer and a neighborhood association while designing creates interesting design solutions,” said Thoren.

The studio of both landscape architecture and architecture students developed a collaborative, process-based infrastructure for urban development. In that way, urban form is organized by a series of ecological processes including energy creation, water collection, waste transformation, and habitat creation for not only humans, but also native species. The students then organized themselves according to spatial typologies, such as open spaces, streetscapes, medium-density residential, and mixed-use.

“It was interesting to work with students in another discipline and be able to internalize another way of approaching design,” said graduate architecture student Renee Benoit. “In the future, I will hear the voice of a landscape architect saying to me: ‘Create interesting outdoor spaces.’”

Brownfields, that is, landfills and other former industrial and commercial lands, are becoming increasingly popular to develop although they add cost and regulatory oversight. Additional costs can be offset in the form of LEED points and other public and private organization incentives. In this case, the site had been used as a construction debris landfill.

Additional Opportunities

Please see the online Calendar of Events for the most up-to-date listing of opportunities

AIA Marketing Education Series

The Marketing Education Series is designed to provide architects, design professionals, business managers, marketing professionals and firm principals the knowledge and tools needed to improve professional success in managing the business component of marketing, and enhance marketing effectiveness through application of key principles.

Sessions continue with:

06.11.09 - The RFQ and Proposal Process
06.25.09 - The Business of Marketing
07.09.09 - Marketing in a Down Economy
07.23.09 - Promotional Activity
08.13.09 - Information, Resource and Organizational Management

When: 10am - noon
Where: The Center for Architecture | 403 NW 11th Avenue | 97209

Sustainable Water Treatment & Reuse for Designers

AIA Portland and Whole Water Systems proudly present "Sustainable Water Treatment & Reuse for Designers."

Sustainable development today is grappling with how to treat and reuse water in projects. LEED gives credit for water treatment and reuse and the Living Building Challenge mandates it. Conventional treatment technology is centralized, expensive, energy intensive and difficult to translate onsite to buildings or developments. Whole Water will cover in this presentation proven onsite water treatment solutions that offer benefits of being attractive, inexpensive, little-to-no energy, flexible, robust and low maintenance – including pictures of residential and commercial constructed wetlands that are attractive amenities to the landscaping. (Also included will be a brief digression with pictures on European natural swimming pool and swim pond technology which uses constructed wetlands instead of chlorine and Whole Water is introducing to the U.S.) Come learn how to talk with clients about onsite water treatment & reuse options and to become comfortable putting “sexy” and “wastewater” into the same sentence.

John Grove
John Grove is the Principal Biologist of Whole Water Systems, LLC. John is an environmental biologist and entrepreneur with over 19 years' experience pioneering constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. He is the patent holder of two wetland design adaptations which maximize treatment and resource recovery. Know for his effective and passionate presentations, JOhn has lectured at both engineering and environmental symposia, including: CU Boulder; CSU Fort Collins; the Colorado School of Mines; the Sun Valley Sustainability Conference and the Idaho Green Expo.

Morgan Brown
Morgan is President of Whole Water Systems, LLC. Morgan is an electrical engineer, LEED AP and NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer. He garnered a variety of high tech management experience in Europe, Seattle and Silicon Valley prior to launching two Idaho-based sustainable resource firms. Morgan was a principle founder and organizer of the Sun Valley Sustainability Conference. His particular interest is working with progressive developers delivering superior products with sustainable water and energy solutions.

Earn 2 AIA SD/HSW LUs

Assistive listening devices and large print materials available upon request. Payment is required at time of registration; cancellation/refunds accepted until 5 work days prior to the workshop.

Two class scholarships are available to AIA/Portland members. To apply for consideration, please complete a request form and return to aiapdx@aiaportland.org or fax to (503) 220-0254.

When: Friday, June 19, 2009 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Where: AIA/Portland, The Center for Architecture, 403 NW 11th Ave., Portland, OR 97209
Cost: Member - $50.00, Non member - $80.00 > details and registration

EWRG & APWA Present the Sustainable Stormwater Symposium

September 16-17, 2009
Ecotrust Building, Portland, OR

The Oregon Section of the Association of Civil Engineers Environment and Water Resources Group (ASCE-EWRG) and the Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) is proud to present the 2009 Sustainable Stormwater Symposium in Portland, Oregon, a national green infrastructure leader.

The purpose of the Symposium is to provide stormwater professionals an elevated understanding of current stormwater planning, design, and implementation approaches. An impressive line-up of regionally and nationally known stormwater experts have been invited to present on a variety of innovative topics pertinent to today’s stormwater challenges.

Who Should Attend?
A wide range of individuals interested in the stormwater field are invited to attend including consultants, municipalities, state and federal professionals, researchers, equipment and technology vendors, and students.

What do YOU Want to Learn About?
It is our goal to make the Symposium as practical and useful as possible for our participants. As a potential attendee, your input will help guide the symposium content and ensure that we are meeting the needs of our audience. Please take a few moments to answer the on-line questionnaire.

Job Listings

Please see the Chapter website for current listings.

* * * * * * * * * *

Landscape architecture firms can reach landscape architects across Oregon with an advertisement in NewsWire or on our web site.

Job ads must be 200 words or less, and may include a firm logo and/or link to company web site. Please send ads, along with a contact name, telephone number and mailing address for billing purposes, to Cairene MacDonald at orasla@thirdhandworks.com.

Ads are invoiced after publication and are payable by check. 2008 job advertisement rates are as follows: one month NewsWire ad-$30, one month Web site ad-$100, both NewsWire and Web site (save 10%)-$115.

Complete submittal and rate information is available in the Publications section of the OR-ASLA web site.

NewsWire Submittal Requirements

NewsWire is a publication of the Oregon Chapter ASLA.

NewsWire is published on the Friday of the first full week of each month. All ads and information must be received by noon of the previous Monday. Submissions for the July 2009 NewsWire are due July 6 for publication July 10.

Please send all submissions questions and comments to Robin Wilcox (except for job ads, which should be sent to orasla@thirdhandworks.com).

Keeping Yourself Current

Please help us keep our mailing list current. Send updates or corrections of your contact information to Cairene MacDonald at orasla@thirdhandworks.com.

Contact Us

Executive Committee and other contact information is available at the Chapter website.

Oregon ASLA
PO Box 40709
Portland. OR 97240-0709
T: (503) 227-6156
www.aslaoregon.org

Contents

Event Calendar

Chapter Happenings