October 28, 2013 UT Landscape Architecture Students, Faculty Win Tennessee Design Awards
Projects created by students and faculty of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, recently won awards from two state design and planning organizations.
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Tennessee Chapter and the American Planning Association (APA) Tennessee Chapter honored the UT students and faculty last month during a conference in Memphis and at an awards dinner in Kingsport, Tenn., respectively.
“We are thrilled to see our students receiving recognition from not one but two state professional organizations,” said Gale Fulton, chair of the Landscape Architecture Program. “As our young program continues to mature, we hope to maintain a strong connection to the profession that is rooted in the exploration of landscape architectural projects that are both timely and relevant to the people of Tennessee.”
Each of the projects was completed as part of the UT Landscape Architecture Program’s participation in the Plan East Tennessee (PlanET) regional planning initiative. The program’s commitment to the organization is valued at $1 million, an estimate based on students’ time, facilities and faculty resources dedicated to the project through graduate-level studio courses.
The Knoxville Metropolitan Planning Committee nominated the student projects for the Tennessee APA Outstanding Planning Award for their two-year efforts on behalf of PlanET.
The nomination included the UT Landscape Architecture Program’s work on regional stormwater management, the Maryville-Alcoa vision plan, Oak Ridge Jackson Square Village plan, Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge visitors center and observatories, proposed greenways for five counties and planning of the Halls Crossroads Town Center.
The Tennessee ASLA honored the program’s work for PlaneET with the Award of Honor in the Professional Design Awards Communication Category for the project, “Low Impact Development: Opportunities for the PlanET Region.” It is an outreach publication authored by faculty members Brad Collett and Valerie Friedman and recent graduates Wyn Miller, Phil Zawarus and Justin Allen.
Student Angelike Angelopoulos’ project “Happy Holler Street Park” received the Award of Excellence in the General Design Category. It explored opportunities for streetscape enhancements in the Happy Holler community on Knoxville’s Central Avenue.
Luke Murphree and Justin Bruno, both recent graduates, received an Award of Honor in the General Design Category for their vision for Oak Ridge’s Jackson Square, a plan that promotes a walkable, transit-oriented development and encourages connectivity between the city’s heritage and regional landscape.
Murphree also received an Award of Merit in the Student Planning and Analysis Category for his thesis research on Halls Crossroads, a proposal that contemplates the redevelopment of suburban retail strips as a walkable mixed-use town center. It emphasizes the creation of social gathering places and a connection to regional identity.
UT is the only university in the state that offers an accredited professional education in landscape architecture. The program is a collaboration between the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resource
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