SWT DESIGN, INC. HONORED AT ASLA CENTRAL STATES CONFERENCE: Local Landscape Architecture Firm Receives Multiple Design Awards for Outstanding St. Louis Projects
April 23rd, 2008, St. Louis - This week the St. Louis Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) hosted the third annual Central States Conference. The annual conference of landscape architects, students and associated professionals brings together the ASLA chapters of Iowa, Prairie Gateway, St. Louis, Great Plains and Oklahoma. This year's theme "Moving Targets: Understanding our Changing Landscapes" helped to prepare professionals and students to navigate the forever changing, evolving, and growing profession by addressing emerging trends, technologies, and theories of the practice.
The Central States Conference also gathers project submittals from all participating chapters to distribute honorable landscape architecture design awards to firms throughout the Central Region. This year over 49 submittals were entered into the competition and judged anonymously by members of the Connecticut ASLA Chapter. Spanning categories from built and un-built work to planning, research and student work, 16 awards were received. SWT Design, a St. Louis based, environmentally conscious, high design, planning and landscape architecture firm was awarded three of the seven design awards for professional built projects within the St. Louis region. The Saint Louis Art Museum - Art Hill Redevelopment Plan, the Forsyth School Campus Redevelopment Plan, and the Saint Louis Zoo's Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center received Merit Awards illustrating excellence in design, functionalism, context and execution.
Previously awarded Honor and Merit awards respectively, the Saint Louis Art Museum - Art Hill Redevelopment Plan in Forest Park and the Forsyth School Campus Redevelopment plan were recognized in December 2007 by the local chapter of ASLA. Both of these local achievements illustrate SWT Design's ability to successfully execute both public and private projects meeting the goals and needs of the client and users.
According to zoo officials, "The completion of the Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center is one of the most important in the Zoo's history." It contributes to the zoo on many different levels by offering a more efficient facility, healthier and longer-living animals, better research resources, and an unsurpassed educational experience for visitors. The building and site design of the OANC incorporates many green design features making it one of the first buildings in St. Louis to receive the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. This unique project provides opportunities to teach both young and old about the importance of conservation, sustainability, and the impact of plants on animals' nutrition. The most notable landscape feature is the extensive green roof system. The building's sloping roof provides visitors with optimal viewing of the alpine habitat's variety of sedums, grasses, and perennials. A native, ledge-rock wall along the roof garden viewing area serves as an aesthetic barrier and adds additional alpine elements with drought-resistant native plants which require little maintenance and no irrigation. SWT Design strategically located the building to take advantage of the northeastern sun for viewing windows and the southwestern sun for the extensive roof garden. Visitors can explore the variety of gardens for medicinal use, animal food sources, and native conservation. SWT Design worked closely with the zoo's scientists and interpretive staff to develop educational exhibits to tell the story regarding the roll of plants for animals and humans and how we can better conserve energy on a day-to-day basis. The Orthwein Animal Nutrition Center is truly a landmark project leading the way for more low- impact development. The project will serve as an ongoing showcase of the importance of functional and creative land planning and sustainable landscape design and a laboratory for future energy-efficient developments.
About SWT Design:
SWT Design is known for high quality landscape architecture, urban design, and planning expertise making them one of the most sought after design firms in the Midwest. SWT Design provides environmentally sensitive planning and design services and is known for their work overseeing the landscape architecture and design for a diversity of projects nationwide. The SWT design team is comprised of landscape architects, urban designers, architects, and horticulturalists, specializing in master planning and the design of parks and recreation, greenways, corporate, retail and academic campuses, streetscapes, civic amenities, design standards, branding and identity, residential communities, private residences and sustainable "green" design. The firm's emphasis on teamwork permeates all aspects of their work, from building strong, long-lasting client relationships to their uniquely creative design solutions. For more information about SWT Design, please visit www.swtdesign.com.
