OLIN: blog

President visits construction site of OLIN project

OLIN — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:59:55 +0000

President Barack Obama at the Nationwide Children's Hospital Construction site.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio is one of the fastest growing pediatric centers in the country. Recognizing a need to grow within a planned framework, the hospital commissioned OLIN to lead a multidisciplinary team to develop a strategy for expansion. OLIN’s master plan re-envisions a health care campus that pairs growth opportunities with reinvestment in the neighborhood and public open space. The planning framework provides principles which will guide future expansion and reinforce the hospital’s mission of care and healing. In addition, OLIN designed a six-acre “healing park” for the campus, composed of a series of playful children’s gardens and an illuminated gateway at the intersection of Parsons and Livingston Avenues, both additionally enhanced by allees of street trees and planted medians. President Barack Obama recently toured the Parsons and Livingston Avenues construction site as it is the ten-thousandth Recovery Act road project to get underway. The road improvement project is expected to create over 3,000 construction jobs and will contribute to the broader economic development effort underway in the Columbus area.

OLIN’s plan features a sweeping lawn with three gardens connected by meandering woodland paths. The gardens are proposed over a below-grade parking structure, forming two and a half acres of rooftop landscape. A subsurface stormwater recycling system will serve irrigation needs on site.

As a key principle of the design, relationships between exterior and interior spaces are to establish a sense of continuity and a visual connection from the inside to the vibrant natural materials and plants outdoors.

Working to enhance life in Ecuador

OLIN — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 20:31:17 +0000

David Witte in Ecuador with other members of Verde Milenio Foundation.

OLIN landscape architect David Witte is actively involved with Verde Milenio Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Ecuador, dedicated to supporting sustainable development and conservation of the natural environment. David first became involved with the Foundation five years ago as a student at Purdue University, and has since made annual trips to the region to lead projects and work with local communities along with Kim Wilson, Professor and Program Director of Landscape Architecture and Community and Regional Planning at University of Nebraska.

The Verde Milenio Foundation most recently collaborated with the Community of Anangu, located along the Napo River in the Amazon, to offer recommendations and improvements to a masterplan the community developed for their small village. David, along with a group of landscape architecture, building architecture and planning students from the University of Nebraska, provided guidance regarding building arrangements, construction techniques, stormwater management, green infrastructure and flexibility for future growth. Work is still underway in Anangu, and Verde Milenio Foundation will be involved in overseeing and working alongside the community during implementation. Learn more about the Foundation at www.verdemilenio.org.

Plan developed by the community of Añangu which served as a base for students to develop the masterplan for the community.

The community of Añangu, showing several architectural styles.

David Witte (OLIN), Alejandro Bolaños (Verde Milenio) and Kim Wilson (University of Nebraska), during a presentation to the community.

Plan for the community of Anangu developed by the Students of the University of Nebraska and team of Verde Milenio.

OLIN at the Phillies game

OLIN — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:02:27 +0000

Landscape Architect Leigh Ann Campbell, with husband Chris and son Jasper, enjoying the game.

Left to Right: Rebecca Kainer, Tiffany Beamer and Eve Kootchick.

OLIN’s 2010 Interns

OLIN — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:04:41 +0000

Left to Right: Ed Confair, Jenny Jones, Roberto Bio, Laura Renekamp, Brian Velleman, Martha Clifford

OLIN’s 2010 interns are an international group of talented young people at different points in their careers, all with diverse experiences, backgrounds and perspectives.

From the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, Ed Confair brings a technical approach to his work, stemming from his background in civil engineering. Jenny Jones, in her final semester at the University of Virgina, views cities holistically as complex systems, while keeping a rigorous eye toward theory. She is passionate about youth education, having taught middle school science in Oakland, CA as a Teach for America corps member.

Roberto Bio, a native of Turin, Italy, is currently studying landscape architecture at the University of Oregon. He has a background in building architecture and is acutely focused on urban design and its effects on rivers and stormwater. Laura Renekemp, a recent graduate of Philadelphia University with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, is interested in urban planning and horticulture.

Brian Velleman of Purdue University will be spending an entire year with the studio. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture, with minors in Art and Design and Horticulture. Martha Clifford, also from Penn Design, is focused on issues of representation influenced by her studies in fine art, and believes the process of hand drawing is an essential part of landscape architecture.

Sometimes you have to get out of the office

OLIN — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:52:52 +0000

B’OLIN with OLIN

OLIN — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:47:20 +0000

Left to right: Greg Burrell, Richard Roark, Josh Leaskey, Sarah Williams and Nick Steinkraus.

For the second year in a row, OLIN was the proud sponsor of the Community Design Collaborative’s Annual Bowling Ball in Philadelphia. In addition to sponsoring the event, OLIN staff members participated in a fun night of bowling in support of a great organization. The Community Design Collaborative provides pro bono predevelopment design services to nonprofit organizations, offers unique volunteer opportunities for design professionals, and raises awareness about the importance of design in community revitalization. Proceeds from the Annual Bowling Ball help the Collaborative in its mission to strengthen neighborhoods through design.

Last year, OLIN Associate Richard Roark (pictured above) was honored by the Community Design Collaborative for his outstanding pro bono work on the master plan for the revitalization of Palumbo Park in South Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Inquirer Praises PAFA Lenfest Plaza Design

OLIN — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:37:11 +0000

…”the space has been organized as a series of pleasurable urban experiences.”

Bryant Park receives 2010 ASLA Landmark Award

OLIN — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:07:43 +0000

What do you love about Bryant Park? OLIN recently asked New Yorkers this question in celebration of the firm’s 2010 Landmark Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects for the redesign of Bryant Park. The Landmark Award recognizes a project completed between 15 and 50 years ago that retains its original design integrity and contributes significantly to the public realm of the community in which it is located. The awards jury described the project as “refreshing and beautiful….the landscape architect balanced the location, the constituency, and the materials. People love the experience.”

One of the most cherished public spaces in the country, Bryant Park has become a model for environmental, social and economic sustainability. OLIN’s redesign called for the lawn to be rebuilt over two stacks of library archives, turning the park into a large-scale green roof. In addition, the park significantly increased real estate values in the surrounding areas, demonstrating the link between urban green space and land value.

Claes Oldenburg Sculpture coming to OLIN plaza

OLIN — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:19:00 +0000

At a Philadelphia press conference today, Claes Oldenberg presented drawings and a model of his “Paintbrush” sculpture for Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Lenfest Plaza, designed by OLIN’s David Rubin. The plaza will serve as a marker for the Academy, as well as the gateway to Philadelphia’s Museum Mile, linking the Academy with other art institutions situated along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, including the new Barnes Foundation and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

http://www.philly.com/philly/gallery/20100708_5-story_Oldenburg_sculpture_to_rise_at_PAFA.html

Lucinda Sanders named ASLA Fellow

OLIN — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:02:03 +0000

OLIN is pleased to announce that CEO Lucinda Sanders has been named to the American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows. The designation of Fellow is conferred on individuals who demonstrate exceptional accomplishments in design, sustained over a number of years. Lucinda was elected on the merit of her “mastery of art, stewardship and social responsibility of landscape architecture.” For 30 years, Lucinda has created places of social purpose and ecological sensitivity, including the award-winning Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park in New York City; Gap Headquarters in San Francisco; and Comcast Center Plaza in Philadelphia. These dynamic landscapes are reflective of her interest and talents in urbanism integrated with social and natural systems, philosphy, and art. Lucinda will be formally inducted as a Fellow during the ASLA Annual Meeting in September in Washington, DC.