12 Landscape Architect and Specifier News
c o m m e n t a r y
Colossians 3:2 … Set your minds on things
above, not on earthly things.
George Schmok
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
gschmok@landscapeonline.com
Stephen Kelly
Editor
skelly@landscapeonline.com
Michelle Medaris
Education
mmedaris@landscapeonline.com
Kyle Cavaness
Economic News
kcavaness@landscapeonline.com
Larry Shield
Product Editor
lshield@landscapeonline.com
Michelle Mabanta
Editorial Administrative Assistant
mmabanta@landscapeonline.com
Associate Editors
Ashley Calabria
Associate Editor/Digital Information
University of Georgia
calabria@uga.edu
Buck Abbey, ASLA
Associate Editor: Ordinances
Green Laws Org.
lsugreenlaws@aol.com
Russ Adsit, FASLA
Associate Editor/Erosion
Executive Director, IECA
russ@ieca.org
Janet Lennox Moyer, IALD
Associate Editor/Lighting
moyerj@rpi.edu
(In Memoriam)
Don Roberts, FASLA
Kay Tiller
Frank Manwarren
David Brian Linstrum
Lois E. Schmok
Otto Edward Schmok
Art Director
Nicole Miller
nmiller@landscapeonline.com
Graphic Designer
Matthew Medeiros
mmedeiros@landscapeonline.com
Ad Coordinator
Oliver Calonzo
ocalonzo@landscapeonline.com
Circulation / Fulfillment
Edward Cook
ecook@landscapeonline.com
Likkien Ralpho
lralpho@landscapeonline.com
Ana Linares
alinares@landscapeonline.com
IT Department
Web / Tech Manager
Jerry Short
jshort@landscapeonline.com
Web / Graphics Assistant
Sam Roe
sroe@landscapeonline.com
Chief Operations Officer C.O.O.
Mark O'Halloran
mohalloran@landscapeonline.com
Sales Administration
Cynthia McCarthy
cmccarthy@landscapeonline.com
Advertising/Marketing
714-979-LASN (5276) x113 • 714-979-3543 (Fax)
Print Advertising Sales
Vince Chavira
vchavira@landscapeonline.com
Matt Henderson
mhenderson@landscapeonline.com
Kip Ongstad
kongstad@landscapeonline.com
Banner Ad Sales
Ryan Skidmore
rskidmore@landscapeonline.com
Trade Show Sales
Jared Lutz
jlutz@landscapeonline.com
Amy Deane
Event Production
adeane@landscapeonline.com
Wow . . . It's summer! Well, not really. Actually
it's before Memorial Day, but by the time you read
this the days will be at their longest, the parks will be
packed and most schools will be out for summer . . .
Which leads us into this month's cover topic: School
and Campus Design.
With the break in academic activities, staff
members often work over the summer to resolve
administrative issues like repair and growth, so we
put together a few exceptional examples of recent
design works that have helped transform campuses
across the nation.
In looking for the articles in this year's edition
we first tried to pick a broad range of age-related
design. Not sure if I said that correctly, but a campus
for Pre-K is completely different from a campus for
postgrads.
At the younger levels, campus design is all about
sensory and social development. What I remember
from my elementary days were white lines on black
tops and steel poles holding up swings, rings and
bars. Anywhere you might be able to fall more than
three feet they covered in grass; anywhere the grass
couldn't hold up to the wear, they threw down
some sand . . .
Not today. Today would be a great time to be a kid
on the playground at school! Today, kids get color
and texture, horticulture and agriculture, history
and geography . . . Heck, if they actually knew how
much they were learning while playing they may
not ever want to step onto a playground again! But
they do . . . The designs in this issue are designs that
include fantastic elements, while at the same time
keeping the kids and their needs in the forefront of
the project. Imagination, growth, safety, security and
comfort are what matter at the elementary levels.
For the higher education facilities, we mostly see
projects that center on transportation, navigation
and/or socialization. In many cases these are all
interrelated. I'm not sure if the word pedestrian
is confined to walking and running, but I tend to
include bicycle more in the pedestrian category
than the vehicle category. After all, a bike is human
powered and, especially around most campuses, they
are not confined to strict roadways.
In any event, like at Kent State and Marist College,
making room for pedestrian travel and slowing or
eliminating interactions between pedestrians and
vehicles is becoming a real science. At the same
time these elements dictate the use of the most basic
statement in design . . . form following function.
What we see time and again is that pedestrians,
especially college students, will take the shortest and
most direct route, often while never lifting their heads
to see where they're going. Making accommodations
for that travel and adding in elements of comfort,
familiarity and environment are what these projects
are all about.
On the other side of campus design, at least of
what we saw from the 60+ projects we reviewed for
this issue, was that if the project wasn't about space
and mobility, it centered on environmental issues.
Just to be clear, yes . . . virtually every project was
environmentally sensitive, but the project in San
Diego was all about dealing with space and resources.
Water is precious in southern California, as it is in
many southwestern states, so providing green, while
staying green becomes a give-and-take that requires
the skill of a landscape architect, and in this we hope
you'll agree that these projects deserve a read . . .
So enjoy this issue and especially enjoy this
summer . . .
God Bless . . .
School's Out for Summer!
So let's go to school . . .
George Schmok, Publisher
Find Us Online:
@LandscapeComm
@landscapeonline
@LandscapeOnline.com
12-13.indd 12 5/23/14 4:40 PM