FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2016
Tennessee Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects
Presents State Awards
MEMPHIS, TN --- Tennessee Chapter of American Society for Landscape Architects (TNASLA) met in Memphis Sept 29 and 30th for their annual state conference and awards ceremony.
The conference opened with welcome remarks by Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell, Jr. Keynote speakers included Chad Danos the National ASLA President, Richard Kennedy and Sarah Weidner Astheimer of James Corner Field Operations, and Erin Kelly with City of Detroit. Local speakers included Dale Skaggs, Jim Vazquez, Chris Triplett, Tommy Pacello, Todd Richardson, Lissa Thompson, Ritchie Smith, Harry Pratt, and James Collins.
DESIGN AWARDS
Professional and Student Design Awards were judged by landscape architects in Alabama. The Award of Excellence went to Hawkins Partners for Riverfront Park and Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville.
Local winners were:
DALHOFF THOMAS design studio | Merit Award for natural resource conservation: sustainable design | Memphis-Shelby County Low Impact Development Design Competition
DALHOFF THOMAS design studio | Merit Award for natural resource conservation: sustainable design | Germantown Rain Gardens
Ritche Smith Associates | Merit Award for built environment: cultural | Discovery Park of America
Ritche Smith Associates | Merit Award for built environment: recreation | Shelby Farms Greenline
Ritche Smith Associates | Merit Award for built environment: urban design | Beale Street Landing Phase 4B
OLMSTED AWARD
This year’s Olmsted Award was bestowed upon Memphis-based philanthropist, Barbara Hyde, Chair and CEO of J.R. Hyde III Family Foundation and J.R. Hyde Sr. Family Foundation. Through Barbara’s philanthropic and personal leadership, she has played a significant role in moving parks and greenways to the top of the Memphis quality of life agenda, propelling the vision of open space in the Memphis region. Because of her leadership, the Hyde Family Foundations are influential in setting local priorities and have added livable communities and placemaking to their portfolio of entrepreneurial philanthropy.
Barbara Hyde said, “I am deeply honored to receive this recognition for our Foundations’ efforts to make Memphis a more livable community through greenspace projects. The work has truly been a labor of love and I can’t wait to see the continued transformation of these spaces.”
The purpose of TNASLA’s Olmsted Award, named in honor of the founding father of Landscape Architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted, is to promote the ideals he established to ensure the health and enjoyment of the environment by all mankind. The award is given annually to recognize significant contributions in one of four categories: contributions to the profession in Tennessee, preservation of the landscape of Tennessee, enhancement of Tennessee’s physical environment, or landscape architectural education.
Tennessee Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects is a non-profit dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, education and skill in the art of Landscape Architecture and the promotion of the profession of Landscape Architecture as an instrument of service in the public welfare. For more information visit www.tnasla.org.
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