Inside the Design Process for the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial

Nestled between the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, the National Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial design is underway! 

The OLIN team is drawing inspiration from the dunes and oases of the Kuwaiti desert landscape, as well as other symbolic elements, to commemorate the sacrifices and collaboration of the coalition nations that served during the conflict. 

As part of the design process, the team is creating life-size mockups of the memorial walls and art, such as the Bald eagle and Saker falcon, the national birds of the United States and Kuwait, respectively. This helps the team understand what materials, angles, and dimensions work best to create a meaningful and compelling memorial experience for visitors.

Learn more about the Memorial here.

Images courtesy of Robert J. Eccleston

Construction Complete for Soilless Soil Pilot Site!

With funding from the EPA, the research team is collaborating with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation (PPR) to retrofit a Fairmont Park stormwater bioretention basin that was previously damaged in Hurricane Ida. Building on our past research in the greenhouse and lab, the team is designing the pilot bioretention basin, testing the performance of GBS under real-world conditions. By monitoring the basin from Fall 2022 through Fall 2023, we’ll expand our understanding of GBS’ effects on water flow and quality, and its suitability as a planting medium. 

Learn more about Soilless Soil here.

Images courtesy of EL&P

OLIN Celebrated Black History Month with BlackLAN

To honor and celebrate Black History Month, OLIN sponsored the 3rd annual Black History Month Symposium hosted by the Black Landscape Architects Network (BlackLAN), an organization that supports Black landscape architecture students and professionals.

The event featured keynote speakers Divine Ndemeye, the founder of Remesha Design, and Maci Nelson, the creator, and host of The Landscape Nerd podcast, as they shared their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives on race, landscape, and media. The symposium acted as an interactive panel discussion and Q&A session, giving attendees the opportunity to engage with the speakers and learn more about the topics they presented.

The proceeds from the event are going to support BlackLAN's scholarship efforts.

To learn more about BlackLAN, visit here.