PPN Live in Los Angeles: The 2017 ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO in Review

images: Event Photography of North America Corporation (EPNAC)

With the 2017 ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO now behind us, it’s time to review the array of events and gatherings that took place throughout the meeting weekend through PPN Live. Attendees had numerous opportunities to network with colleagues from all 20 of ASLA’s Professional Practice Networks (PPNs) by:

participating in the PPN meetings that took place in PPN Live,
attending a PPN-themed, exhibitor-led tour of the EXPO floor,
and networking with PPN peers at the EXPO Reception featuring the PPNs.

Meetings in PPN Live

PPN meetings took place throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, October 21-22, and were open to all attendees, giving them the chance to meet fellow PPN members and explore different practice areas.

The EXPO’s PPN Live space offered meeting rooms, the PPN Lounge for networking, and a larger presentation space called Griffith Park Stage, which hosted our largest PPN meeting to date: the joint meeting of the Children’s Outdoor Environments and Healthcare & Therapeutic Design PPNs, which featured presentations by Joanne Hiromura, ASLA, and Naomi Sachs, ASLA.

During the PPN meetings that took place, new PPN leadership volunteers were identified for many PPNs, along with members interested in submitting posts for The Field or presenting an ASLA Online Learning webinar. Want to learn more about getting involved? Check out the PPN leadership positions to consider and send an email to propractice@asla.org if anything strikes you, or if you have any questions about the PPNs. We look forward to building on the momentum of the PPN meetings in Los Angeles!

The joint meeting of the Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN and Healthcare & Therapeutic Design PPNs featured a presentation by Joanne Hiromura, ASLA, RLA, on her natural playspace project at the Boston Nature Center, which was designed to re-connect and encourage inner-city children with limited exposure to ‘real’ nature through an innovative, hands-on Nature Based Preschool curriculum. / image: Alexandra Hay

Residential Landscape Architecture PPN Co-Chair Steve Bauer, ASLA, highlighted recent PPN survey results, including important issues and exciting trends that were shared by PPN members, during a joint gathering with the Design-Build PPN. / image: EPNAC

Historic Preservation PPN Chair Tina Bishop, ASLA, shared highlights and accomplishments of PPN members over the past year, plus plans for an ongoing ASLA Online Learning webinar series on historic preservation. / image: EPNAC

The Campus Planning & Design PPN Meeting, led by PPN Co-Chair David Cutter, ASLA, featured a series of short presentations on sustainability, resiliency, and transportation demand on three campuses by Katharyn Hurd and Andrew Sullivan, Page; Adele N. Ashkar, FASLA, George Washington University; and Gary Brown, FASLA, University of Wisconsin-Madison. / image: EPNAC

PPN Co-Chair Chih-Wei G.V. Chang, ASLA, organized a Shanghai Landscape Forum for the International Practice PPN Meeting. / image: EPNAC

The Education & Practice PPN Meeting, led by PPN Chair Brian LaHaie, ASLA. / image: EPNAC

Urban Design PPN Chair Keith Billick, ASLA, addressing attendees. The Urban Design PPN Meeting also included short presentations by PPN members Peter Salamon, Associate ASLA, and Ken McCown, ASLA. / image: EPNAC

PPN EXPO Tours: Network and Learn at ASLA EXPO

In addition to the PPN meetings, ASLA also offered attendees the opportunity to network with PPN peers and exhibitors in a show floor tour. For the 2017 PPN EXPO Tours, 34 exhibitors gave short educational presentations on nine 60-minute tours of the EXPO floor focusing on PPN topic areas. The tours offered the opportunity to learn about new and improved techniques, and how these improvements and services can assist in creating a successful design project. Attendees earned 1.0 PDH (LA CES / HSW) for participating.

The Children’s Outdoor Environments PPN EXPO Tour featured educational presentations by Kompan, Landscape Structures, PlayCore, and Vortex. / image: EPNAC

Weathermatic addressed the roadblocks to efficient irrigation as well as the essential ingredients necessary to ensure a truly sustainable design on the Water Conservation PPN EXPO Tour. / image: EPNAC

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shared information on different hydrangea species and the best choices for common landscape situations during the Planting Design PPN EXPO Tour. / image: EPNAC

Eric Gilbey, ASLA, of Vectorworks, presented the basic principles of BIM and how current technology enables landscape architects to use open BIM workflows that allow collaboration with clients during the Digital Technology PPN EXPO Tour. / image: EPNAC

On the Parks & Recreation PPN EXPO Tour, HessAmerica looked at the current state of LED technology and compared the benefits of LED lighting over traditional light sources. / image: EPNAC

EXPO Reception featuring the Professional Practice Networks

PPN Live also brought the PPN Reception to the show floor on Sunday, October 23. Fellow PPN members had a chance to meet, mingle, and make connections with friends and colleagues and discuss how they are contributing to the landscape architecture profession.

Each PPN had a spot on the EXPO floor to meet during the PPN Reception. / image: EPNAC

Women in Landscape Architecture (WILA) Walk

The Women in Landscape Architecture Walk, organized by Stephanie Psomas, ASLA, and the Southern California Host Chapter, had record attendance, with 70-80 participants based on headcounts. The morning walk around downtown Los Angeles included stops in Biddy Mason Memorial Park, Grand Park, the Disney Hall Gardens, the Bunker Hill Steps, and Maguire Gardens.

The WILA Walk’s first stop was Biddy Mason Memorial Park. / image: EPNAC

Biddy Mason Memorial Park / image: EPNAC

The WILA Walk in Grand Park, with landscape architecture by Rios Clementi Hale Studios and Los Angeles City Hall in the background / image: EPNAC

Paper Airplanes by Elenita Torres and Dean Sherriff in Grand Park / image: EPNAC

WILA Walk attendees enjoying Grand Park’s restored Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain / image: EPNAC

The WILA Walk continues on to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and its Blue Ribbon Garden / image: EPNAC

A Rose for Lilly, the Frank Gehry-designed fountain in the Walt Disney Concert Hall’s Blue Ribbon Garden / image: Alexandra Hay

On Grand Avenue in front of the Broad Museum / image: Alexandra Hay

The WILA Walk continues down Lawrence Halprin’s Bunker Hill Steps / image: Alexandra Hay

Committee Meetings

Other annual meeting events included the PPN Council Meeting for PPN leadership volunteers. The conversation, focusing on the PPNs’ essential goals of facilitating networking, information sharing, and connection building among members, was led by the PPN Council Leadership: Council Chair for 2016-2017 Kristina Snyder, ASLA, Chair-Designate Lisa Horne, ASLA, and incoming Chair-Designate Chad Kennedy, ASLA.

The Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) Subcommittee of the Historic Preservation PPN, led by Chris Stevens, ASLA, met on October 21 in Los Angeles. In addition to reviewing the annual reports of the ASLA HALS Chapter Liaisons, plans for the Heritage Documentation Programs Digital Photography Guidelines Workshop to be held at the ASLA Center for Landscape Architecture in November, and other updates, the winners of the 2017 HALS Challenge were announced, along with the theme for the 2018 Challenge. Liz Sargent, FASLA, and Jennifer Trompetter won first place for their history of Emancipation Park (formerly Lee Park) in Charlottesville, VA. The theme for the 2018 HALS Challenge will be Memorialization, Commemorating the Great War. More detailed information on the 2017 winners and 2018 theme will be shared on The Field in the next few weeks.

Next year, PPN Live heads to the Philadelphia: stay tuned for plans for next year’s ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO, October 19-22, 2018!