— Project Team Launches Design Feasibility Phase —
Marking a first step in the transition from concept to creation, the
National China Garden Foundation announced today the selection of an
architectural design and engineering team. Led by the architectural
firm, Page Southerland Page (PSP), the team, assumes responsibility for
site plan development, civil engineering, infrastructure design and
more. The selection comes following a competitive bidding process
directed by the National China Garden Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Page Southerland Page and its colleagues will support a Joint Design
Team comprised of Chinese and American representatives already working
collaboratively to bring to fruition the vision of a classical Chinese
garden and center for cultural study. The garden is slated for
construction at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. It is
intended as a permanent testament in the nation’s capital to the
strength and importance of U.S./China relations. Project funding is to
be raised through a $60 million capital campaign focused on private
resources needed not only for design and construction, but also
long-term maintenance and operation.
Page Southerland Page leads a comprehensive team comprised of engineers,
landscape architects, and mechanical contractors working together to
realize a plan originally created by a Chinese design team at the
conceptual stage of the project. PSP team members include:
- Rhodeside Harwell with Peter Liu – Landscape Architecture
- Dewberry – Civil/Structural/Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Engineering
- Schnabel Engineering – Geotechnical Engineering
- Rolf Jensen Associates – Code and Security Consulting
- Wells Associates – Traffic and Transportation Engineering
- Harmony Ponds – Koi Pond and Water Feature Design
- Belstar, Inc. – Construction Cost/Project Management
- C.M. Kling + Associates – Lighting Design
- Lynch Associates – Irrigation Planning and Consulting
-
URS Burlington – Archaeological and Historic Documentation and
Preservation
“Our selection committee was especially impressed that Page Southerland
Page assembled such a diverse pool of expertise for this important
project,” said Bob Stallman, chairman of the National China Garden
Foundation board of Directors. “We have utmost confidence in their
ability to complement the Joint Design Team and cooperatively construct
a classical Chinese Garden,” Stallman concluded.
Collaboration, continuity and compatibility are hallmarks of the design
concept for the National China Garden. From the outset, a collaborative
effort between the Chinese and American governments helped bring the
original vision to life. That vision arose from a 2004 agreement between
the China’s Ministry of Forestry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture
to build a Chinese Garden in Washington, D.C. A formal agreement to
construct the garden at the Arboretum was signed by both governments and
extended with a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2011 by Secretary
of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and China’s Ambassador to the United States
Zhang Yesui. The MOU calls for a 12-acre facility on an undeveloped
parcel at the Arboretum donated by the US Congress for the project and
managed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
While there are other examples of classical Chinese gardens in the
United States (California; Missouri; New York) the National China
Garden at the Arboretum is expected to be the finest demonstration of a
harmonious balance of man-made structures, plants, water and rockeries.
More than just a beautiful garden for the public to visit and enjoy, the
project is envisioned to be a venue for visitors from around the world
to learn, enjoy and gain an appreciation for the profound influence of
China’s history of horticulture and garden design.
“Page Southerland Page is delighted to have the opportunity to
contribute to the cultural landscape of our nation’s capital,” said
Thomas McCarthy, AIA, LEED AP and Principal with Page Southerland Page.
“The National China Garden will offer an exceptional location for
experiencing the sensual delights of a classical Chinese Scholar’s
Garden as the backdrop to exhibits, events and classes. Designed to be a
beautiful destination during every season, the Garden will be
particularly poignant when hosting programs and events to celebrate our
evolving relationship with China,” Thomas concluded.
Once completed, the U.S. National Arboretum will own the China Garden.
In addition to the garden itself, the venue will feature some 22
structures, art and furnishings provided by the People’s Republic of
China. It will serve as the location for meetings, conferences, special
events in addition to public tours and year-round cultural and
educational activities.
The national China Garden at the U.S. Arboretum is expected to become an
important tourist destination and cultural center in the nation’s
capital.
About the National China Garden Foundation:
The National China Garden Foundation (NCGF) was formed in 2011 with a
mission to create the premier classical Chinese garden and center for
cultural study and practices in the nation’s capital with the high-level
cooperation of the US and Chinese governments, and in particular the US
Department of Agriculture under that Department’s authorities, and with
the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and in particular, the
State Forestry Administration, under that Administration’s applicable
authorities. For more information go to www.nationalchinagarden.org
About Page Southerland Page:
With roots extending back to a two-person partnership formed in 1898 in
Austin, Texas, Page Southerland Page is one of the most prolific and
enduring architectural and engineering design practices. This
partnership–one of the very first to offer integrated architectural and
building engineering services– has evolved into a widely diversified
planner and designer of the built environment. A staff of over 425
architects, engineers, interior designers, strategic analysts, planners
and technical specialists provides Page Southerland Page with the
resources and the network of professional affiliations to responsibly
handle projects of all scales and schedules anywhere in the world. The
firm’s international portfolio includes projects in the
government, healthcare, academic, science and technology, corporate and
urban housing sectors, located throughout the United States and in over
50 countries worldwide. Learn more about the firm at www.pspaec.com.
About Rhodeside Harwell:
Rhodeside Harwell has provided landscape architectural services for
projects from New York to California, as well as many sites overseas.
The firm’s design philosophy and processes encourage creativity,
contextual sensitivity, and a disciplined sense of respect for
environmental considerations, cost parameters, and most of all, client
objectives. Our portfolio reflects decades of experience working within
both the public and private sectors. Rhodeside Harwell offers a
diverse set of skills–from feasibility studies and site analysis through
community outreach and final design and construction administration. The
firm’s projects have frequently earned awards for design excellence and
have been published in many prominent magazines and other publications.
About Peter Liu:
Peter H. Liu, ASLA, is the founding principal of Peter Liu Associates,
Inc. Mr. Liu is a landscape architect with over 30 years of experience
in landscape architecture and planning. Prior to the founding of his own
firm in 2002 he worked at the renowned firms of Skidmore, Owings
Merrill (SOM) and EDAW (now AECOM) through the late 1970s and early
1980s. He was a founding principal of Lee Liu Associates, Inc. in
Washington, D.C. from 1987 to 2002. As a member of the D.C. Mayor’s
advisory Chinatown Steering Committee, Mr. Liu routinely reviews the
design of all new development projects and new signage in the Chinatown
District and constantly coordinates the approval process with the D.C.
Government’s Office of Planning, Historic Preservation Review Board,
Department of Transportation, and Department of Consumer and Regulatory
Affairs.
Among Mr. Liu’s many notable projects are his work on the new Chinese
Embassy at Van Ness Center and installation supervision of the Penjing
pavilion at the US National Arboretum.
About Dewberry:
Dewberry is a leading professional services firm with a proven history
of providing architecture, engineering, and management and consulting
services to a wide variety of public- and private-sector clients.
Recognized for combining unsurpassed commitment to client service with
deep subject matter expertise, Dewberry is dedicated to solving clients’
most complex challenges and transforming their communities. Established
in 1956, Dewberry is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, with more than
40 locations and 1,800+ professionals nationwide.
About Schnabel Engineering:
Schnabel Engineering’s experience dates back more than half a century to
1956, when founder Jim Schnabel established one of the first firms in
the Mid-Atlantic to offer services in soil mechanics engineering. Today
Schnabel Engineering is an energetic and dynamic company offering
professional services within the United States and abroad from 18
offices throughout the continental United States. Schnabel Engineering
offers highly specialized services in geotechnical engineering;
geostructural design; dam engineering; tunnel and underground
engineering; environmental, geophysical and geosciences; construction
monitoring; and resident engineering from locations throughout the
United States.
About Rolf Jensen Associates:
Rolf Jensen Associates, Inc. (“RJA”) is a leading consulting firm
providing a range of professional services involving life safety, fire
protection, security and mass notification on commercial, institutional
and industrial projects for clients worldwide. Founded in 1969, RJA is
headquartered in Chicago with 21 offices located in major U.S. cities,
China, the Middle East and the Western Pacific. To date, RJA has
participated in more than 50,000 projects worldwide. These projects
include government facilities ranging from military installations and
embassies to courthouses and the headquarters for the FBI; landmark
high-rise buildings in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East;
major gaming complexes from Las Vegas to Macau; biomedical, applied
science and laboratory facilities on the campuses of leading colleges
and universities; world-renowned hospitals; hotels owned and operated by
the leading names in the hospitality industry; manufacturing plants; and
large venue assembly and convention centers around the world.
About Wells Associates:
Wells + Associates is a nationally recognized transportation and traffic
engineering firm delivering traffic engineering services to private real
estate developers, public agencies, corporations, and institutions. In
the past 20 years, Wells has worked in 34 states, the District of
Columbia, and four foreign countries. The principals of the firm each
have 15 to 35 years of individual experience in the fields of
transportation planning, traffic engineering, parking management,
traffic signal design, traffic control plans, travel demand management,
transit planning, and transportation master plans.
About Harmony Ponds:
Harmony Ponds is an award-winning design/build firm with over 18 years
of experience in the design, construction, and maintenance of ponds,
fountains, splash parks, waterfalls, streams, storm water management
ponds, and related systems for commercial and residential clients.
Harmony Ponds specializes in the technical design and installation of
water features; water handling systems for fountains and water features
including ornamental and koi ponds, utilizing the latest technology in
biological filtration, ultra-violet sterilization, and energy-efficient
pump systems; water quality management for large ornamental and storm
water management ponds using floating fountains and laminar flow
aeration systems; and consulting on habitat design, aeration, and
filtration.
Belstar, Inc.:
Established in 1985, Belstar, Inc., is a construction cost/project
management company providing comprehensive services related to the
design, pre-construction, procurement, construction, and
post-construction phases of building and infrastructure development.
With four home offices in Virginia and Maryland, Belstar offers a highly
experienced team of experts, fully automated technical resources, and
the flexibility to perform the entire scope of cost/project management
services from the concept phase to the post-construction phase, either
in-house or on-site, as may be required. Belstar clients include a
multitude of public and private sector organizations, including
architectural/engineering companies, general contractors, commercial
developers, municipalities, state and federal agencies, military
agencies, and educational and religious organizations.
C.M. Kling + Associates:
Since its establishment in 1980, C.M. Kling Lighting Design, later C.M.
Kling Associates, Inc. has collaborated on and designed the lighting
for over 2,500 projects worldwide, with such diverse scope and scale as
convention centers, hotels, religious institutions, corporate campuses
and headquarters, office complexes, and theaters. Kling’s staff is
trained in various fields, including architecture, engineering, and
design, providing a wide perspective and skills that aid in all aspects
of project development. Kling lighting designers understand that
lighting is only a component part in the establishment of the
experienced environment, whether in architecture, landscape, or
cityscape; through the collaboration and integration with each other
design component, successful projects are created.
Lynch Associates:
Lynch Associates was originally founded in 1988 by Brendan Lynch as
Eastern Irrigation Consultants, Inc., with offices in Boston and
Washington. Since 1992 the firm has been known as Lynch Associates,
Ltd., Irrigation Consultants, consisting of the Washington (now
Annapolis) office. Lynch Associates, Ltd. is a Native American-owned
Maryland Sub-Chapter “S” Corporation dedicated to providing the client
with the most efficient, cost-effective means of replacing water lost
from soil through evapotranspiration. In pursuit of this objective, a
heavy emphasis is placed on overall master planning, central control,
weather monitoring, precipitation and soil-moisture sensing, and, where
applicable, development of alternate water sources including groundwater
withdrawal, river/stream, lake/pond, as well as the use of treated
effluent, gray water, and other harvested recycled/reclaimed water.
URS:
URS Burlington conducts studies for projects involving construction of
industrial and institutional facilities, transportation improvements,
installation of aboveground and underground utilities, and commercial
and residential development, along with developing and implementing
extensive public outreach programs in support of these projects. These
services are provided to increase sensitivity and stewardship in
historic preservation. URS is committed to community involvement,
providing broad public outreach products, and is particularly sensitive
to the needs of culturally diverse, transitional, and traditional
communities. Staff members also have extensive experience dealing
directly with state and federal agencies, and several staff members have
worked for state historic preservation offices, state departments of
transportation, and federal agencies throughout the Eastern United
States.
National China Garden Foundation
Sandra L. Gibson
Executive
Director
202.327.5425 (office)
202.277.8856 (direct/cell)
sandra@sandralgibson.com
sandra@nationalchinagarden.org
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