Gresham Smith is proud to announce that the firm received nine total awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects Kentucky chapter (ASLA Kentucky), the Tennessee chapter (ASLA Tennessee), the New York chapter (ASLA-NY) and the Southeast Regional Conference’s (ASLA SERC) 2023 professional design awards programs.
ASLA Kentucky recognized Town Branch Commons with an Honor Award in General Design Constructed Work, the master plan for Broadway All the Way with an Honor Award in Planning and Analysis and the design of the Rain Gardens at 900 Block with a Merit Award in Constructed Work – Residential. The Gresham Smith project team and clients accepted the awards at a ceremony held during ASLA Kentucky’s annual conference in Louisville.
ASLA Tennessee awarded the design of the Fifth Third Center Plaza Revitalization with a Merit Award in General Design. The Gresham Smith project team will accept the award at Confluence, the chapter’s 2023 conference in Memphis.
ASLA-NY recognized Town Branch Commons with a Merit Award in General Design. Submitted in collaboration with SCAPE, the winning project will be exhibited at the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter’s Center for Architecture in New York City from April 1-30.
The ASLA SERC awards program recognized the design of the Rain Gardens at 900 Block with a Merit Award in Constructed Work – Residential, the design of Parkland Plaza with a Merit Award in Social Impact and Town Branch Commons with a Merit Award in Design Constructed. The Broadway All the Way master plan also received a recognition of submission quality. The project teams will accept the awards at SERC 2023, held in Atlanta.
“These award-winning projects are a testimony of our firm’s commitment to using landscape architecture to thoughtfully reimagine and strengthen communities,” said Louis Johnson, PLA, ASLA, Land Planning Executive Vice President, Gresham Smith. “This awards program is an important industry recognition. I am thankful for our clients, our teaming partners and am proud of our talented teams for this achievement.”
About the projects:
Town Branch Commons reimagines Lexington’s downtown pedestrian infrastructure to serve as the centerpiece of a city-wide park system. The multi-modal trail, greenway and park system traces the route of the city’s original water source, linking Lexington’s urban core with the Bluegrass countryside while honoring the city’s history. By incorporating lush stormwater landscaping, urban tree canopies and bioswales, the design enhances the city’s transportation safety and green infrastructure
Since the fall of 2019, the Gresham Smith project team has supported and developed the City of Louisville’s Broadway All the Way master plan to upgrade the city’s infrastructure to help people move safely and efficiently through the city while simultaneously creating a forward-looking vision for a multi-modal corridor. This project positions landscape architects to lead major infrastructure projects while fostering equity and prioritizing the community’s social, economic and ecological well-being. Additionally, the project team helped the client secure $5 million in federal grant funds to bring the project to life.
900 Block is made up of four distinct bungalow structures in Lexington that were re-imagined as one multifamily complex. Previously lacking useable open space, the site contributed to flooding issues and had ineffective landscapes. The project leveraged public grant funding, led by the project team, to retrofit the property while advocating a more extensive agenda for improving the city’s urban ecologies and stormwater systems. In the end, the design uses natural elements to filter stormwater and reduce flooding, enrich the space with native plants and integrate educational elements explaining the benefits of the program.
With a desire to tap into downtown Nashville’s energy and create a public space where downtown employees and visitors can work, dine and simply hang out, the Fifth Third Center plaza was reimagined into a welcoming, human-scale space. By incorporating a variety of seating options, a new deck, a covered patio, upgraded lighting and integrated raised planters, the design creates a sense of place in the heart of the city.
What was previously an unused open space, Parkland Plaza was transformed into an engaging park that now provides flexible spaces for play, entertainment and gathering for the community. Parkland Plaza reintroduced lawn and native vegetation, reducing the site’s impervious surfaces, which reduces stormwater runoff, improves air quality and lowers surface temperatures.
About the awards programs:
ASLA is the nation’s largest professional association of landscape architects. The professional awards programs provide a forum for reviewing and evaluating work that is currently shaping the industry’s environment. The professional award-winning projects exemplify the highest level of achievement in the profession. Each year, winners are chosen by a jury panel representing a broad cross-section of the profession, from the public and private sectors, and academia.
