January is the start of the year and draws up new motivation towards projects. For this year, Collectiv has decided to participate in Arizona’s American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Design competition. We will be highlighting a project that still being developed along Farmer Avenue in Tempe, AZ. The competition is held every year, and it brings together some of the top leaders in our design business.
The competition announces its winners every year at the Arizona Design Awards Gala. This year it be taking place at Arizona Heritage Center at Papago Park. It’s a celebration of professional and student excellence by recognizing projects that promote and enhance quality of life in Arizona. With every competition there are a set of rules for eligibility.
ELIGIBILITY
Entrant(s) must reside in Arizona or the project must be located in Arizona. Individuals, firms, owners, public agencies, organizations or other entities may enter as long as the project’s creative team includes an Arizona registered landscape architect, a graduate of a landscape architecture program or a faculty member of a landscape architecture program. Student’s that are actively enrolled in a landscape architecture program or have completed their degree in the past 12 months are encouraged to enter.
Along with the competition, there are separate awards given. In addition, there will be separate categories in which to apply.
AWARDS
President’s Award: The jury may select one overall entry that represents an outstanding advancement in leadership, contribution, understanding and/or achievement in the field of landscape architecture in Arizona.
Award of Excellence: The jury may select one overall entry that represents an award of excellence (the highest level of achievement) in each category at the discretion of the jury.
Honor Award: Any number of honor awards in each category may be given at the discretion of the jury.
People’s Choice: An opportunity to praise your peers! The evenings attendees will judge the entries using the presentation boards to select one winning project.
CATEGORIES
- General Design
- Residential Design
- Analysis & Planning
- Research & Communication
- Student Projects (Individual & Collaborative)
- Un-built Work
Our project will be under the General Design category. In this group there is many things to consider to before starting your submission. Each jury member is looking for particular things that are address within each application.
Primary Criteria for All Categories
- Quality of design and execution
- Elegance in fulfilling the stated purpose of the project
- Relationship to context
- Relevance of demonstrable IMPACT to the profession, the public, or the environment
- Sustainability
- Compliance with current code practices
- Effective written, visual communication and presentation of the project
COLLECTIV SUBMISSION
This project has transformed the previous industrial uses, active rail and utility corridor into multiple vibrant mixed-use parcels with two densely shaded urban pathways. The design approach focused on tree canopy importance on both sides of the project. The Farmer Avenue side has trees that were installed in structural soil allowing them to flourish in western exposure with limited planting space. It also has permeable paving in parallel parking within the R.O.W. The permeable paving has been successful, and the City of Tempe is planning to implement similar materials on a nearby street.
The streetscape has an identifiable foundation paving color to unify the pedestrian experience. Each segment of the development will utilize a unique coordinating accent paving pattern combined with sandblasted details. The east side of the project is an 18’ wide tract of land adjacent to the Union Pacific rail line and utility corridor. Design inspiration was drawn from Tempe Town Lake to create custom concrete paving reminiscent of seaside boardwalks. The 8’ wide multi-modal path meanders within the tract flanked by deer grass varieties, triangulated Desert Museum trees, thematic lighting and a rail fence. There was a focus on creating clear connectivity between parcels and the linear park which was achieved by creating inviting nodes intersecting the path. Because the trail was well received, the City of Tempe was inspired to consider extending the linear park up to 7 miles; making it the longest continuous pathway in the community.
PROJECT RECOGNITION(S)
- COLLECTIV LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
- URBAN DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
- OTAK INC.
- ANKORM MOISAN ARCHITECTS INC.
- KLAND CIVIL ENGINEERS
