The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today that the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) is one 38 national, regional, state, and local nonprofit organizations to receive an NEA Art Works grant in the Design category.

LAF is recommended for a $25,000 grant to support the Summer 2012 Case Study Investigation (CSI) program. CSI is a unique research collaboration that matches LAF-funded student-faculty research teams with leading practitioners to document the benefits of exemplary high-performing landscape projects. Ten research teams will participate in the Summer 2012, and the NEA grant will fund half of the $5,000 stipend paid to the student Research Assistant on each team.

“We are thrilled that NEA is investing in this research to show the environmental, economic, and social value of exemplary design,” said LAF Executive Director Barbara Deutsch, ASLA.

The NEA received 1,624 eligible applications for this round of Art Works funding. The 788 Art Works grants total $24.81 million and support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Visit the NEA website for a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support.

Over 20 design firms and 30 projects have been selected for LAF’s 2012 Case Study Investigation (CSI) program. This unique research collaboration matches LAF-funded faculty-student research teams with leading practitioners to document the benefits of exemplary high-performing landscape projects as Landscape Performance Series Case Study Briefs.

Participating firms were selected based on the the quality of projects submitted, potential to produce comprehensive quantified benefits, availability of baseline information, and commitment to the research collaboration. Practitioners provide the background information and narrative for projects, help identify potential performance benefits and information to quantify them, and provide the faculty-student research teams with access to key project personnel, photos, documents, clients, and other stakeholders.

The collaborations are now underway — look for updates throughout the summer and new Case Study Briefs in the fall from these participating firms and projects:

• AECOM's Stuyvesant Cove Waterfront Open SpaceAECOM
  Stuyvesant Cove Waterfront Open Space
• Beijing Tsinghua Urban Planning & Design Institute
  Beijing Olympic Forest Park
  Tangshan Nanhu Eco-city Central Park
• The Berger Partnership
  Magnuson Park Wetlands
• CDF, Inc.
  Queens Botanical Garden Visitor Center
  Charles City Permeable Streetscape
• Design Workshop
  EDSA's Castigilon del BoscoCherry Creek North & Fillmore Plaza
  South Grand Boulevard Great Streets Initiative
  Park Avenue/ Highway 50
• Ecological Landscape Design & Restoration
  Stone Mill at the New York Botanical Garden
• EDSA
  Castiglion del Bosco
• EPT Design
  Frontier Project
  Sonia Sotomayor Learning Academies
• Jones and Jones
  Cedar Lake Park and Trail
• KMS Design Group
  Black Rock Sanctuary
• Mia Lehrer + Associates
  Vista Hermosa Natural Park
• MIG, Inc.
  Reed Hilderbrand's Central Wharf PlazaWest San Gabriel River Parkway Nature Trail
• Mithun
  Eden Hall Campus at Chatham University
  High Point
  Hubbard Homestead Park
• Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority
  Tunjunga Wash Greenway
• OLIN
  Celebrezze Federal Building Plaza
• Frederick Law Olmsted
  Back Bay Fens
• Reed Hilderbrand
  SWA Group's Cross Creek RanchCentral Wharf Plaza
• Sasaki
  The Avenue
• SWA Group
  Cross Creek Ranch
• TBG
  Park Seventeen
• UW Campus Sustainability Fund
  Biodiversity Green Wall & Water Harvesting System
• Wells Appel
  Pennswood Village Regional Storm Water Quality and Management System

Friday, April 27, 2012
1:00-7:00pm

The Center for Architecture
536 La Guardia Place, New York, NY 10012

As part of the New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects’ High-Performance Lecture Series, LAF Executive Director Barbara Deutsch will present the Landscape Performance Series and how to quantify performance benefits. Each of these 1-hour sessions qualifies for one LACES HSW CEU. Presentations will be followed by a networking cocktail reception.

High Performance Landscapes #4: Think Globally, Design Locally, Quantify the Benefits

     Greg Searle, Executive Director, BioRegional North America
     1:15-2:10pm   Ecological Footprinting and One Planet Communities Case Studies  
     2:15-3:10pm   Engaging Residents: Designing and Operating for Sustainable Lifestyles

     Barbara Deutsch, ASLA, Executive Director, Landscape ArchitectureFoundation
     3:30-4:25pm   A Primer on LAF’s Landscape Performance Series
     4:30-5:25pm   How to Quantify Benefits of Your High Performance Landscapes

Register Online
Members (ASLA, AIA, Hort): $79.00
Non-Members: $99.00 
Students: $39.00

Twelve faculty Research Fellows have been selected for LAF’s Summer 2012 Case Study Investigation (CSI) program. This unique research collaboration matches LAF-funded faculty and student research teams with design firms to document the benefits of exemplary high-performing landscape projects as Landscape Performance Series Case Study Briefs.

Research Fellows lead the case study preparation, work with firms to identify performance benefits of select projects, and develop methods for data collection. They also receive an honorarium and funding to support a student research assistant. These select faculty members provide expertise in quantifying landscape benefits, and the academic rigor that is needed to support designers, policy-makers, and advocates who are making the case for sustainable landscape solutions.

The following LAF Research Fellows will lead the ten Summer 2012 Case Study Investigation teams:

• Barry Lehrman, Cal Poly Pomona
• Molly Mehling, PhD, Chatham University
• Jessica Canfield, Kansas State University
• Claudia Goetz Phillips, PhD, Philadelphia University
• Mary Myers, PhD, Temple University
• Ming Han Li, PhD, Texas A&M University
  Bruce Dvorak, Texas A&M University
• Bo Yang, PhD, Utah State University
• Victoria Chanse, PhD, University of Maryland

• Chris Ellis, PhD, University of Maryland
  Byoung-Suk Kweon, PhD, University of Maryland

• Nancy Rottle, University of Washington

The selection process was highly competitive, with the number of proposals indicating the strong level of enthusiasm for the CSI program. CSI provides a unique opportunity for faculty to sharpen research skills, build relationships with top landscape architecture firms, collaborate with peers, and gain national exposure as thought leaders.

Projects and firms selected for participation in the Summer 2012 CSI program will be announced in April.

LAF announces opportunities for sponsorship of its 27th Annual Benefit, Sonoran Celebration, on Sept 28 at the Phoenix Art Museum. This high-visibility event, held during the ASLA Annual Meeting, draws over 300 guests from the design, building, and sustainability industries. LAF also will celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Olmsted Scholars Program, the premier national award program for landscape architecture students.

Sponsors that commit by April 20 will receive an invitation to an exclusive dinner reception in Washington, DC on May 4, as well as a private reception hosted at Kornegay Design on Sept 27 in Phoenix. These private events provide coveted opportunities to interact in a small-group setting with members of the LAF Board of Directors, leaders in practice, academia, and industry.

2011 Annual Benefit Sponsors enjoy a private reception with the LAF Board and staff.

What did last year’s sponsors say about supporting LAF’s Annual Benefit?

     “Great opportunity to network with leading
     landscape architects from around the country.”

     “We enjoyed getting to meet the board members
     and see how our firm can assist their firms. We
     also enjoyed learning more about LAF and how it
     can apply to our industry.”

     “Your organization is good for our industry.
     Thanks for all you do!”

     “We enjoyed the private reception. It was a great
     night and we felt honored to be there. We would
     love to continue as a sponsor and see how we can
     assist more as we move forward with our
     relationship. We believe that by having limited
     sponsors per certain industries helps as it makes
     us feel very special.”

To take advantage of this exclusive opportunity, download  a Sponsor Registration Form or contact Matt Alcide at malcide@lafoundation.org or 202-331-7070 x13.

LAF’s 2011 Annual Benefit raised over $140,000 to support LAF’s research and scholarship programs. With your support, we expect 2012 to be an even greater success!