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Holiday House Tour

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Christmas Craft Fair

The Deerfield Christmas Sampler Craft Fair is Friday through Sunday, Nov. 15 through 17, at the Eastern States Exposition’s Better Living Center in West Springfield, MA. From the whimsical to the elegant, the Christmas Sampler features handcrafted decorations and handmade gifts from 250 exhibitors. Demonstrations at the holiday show feature food, ornaments, and music; and “make take” classes give visitors a chance to try their hand at craft projects. Hours are Friday, noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $8 adults and $1 children under 12. Information: http://www.deerfield-craft.org and 413-774-7476, Ext. 18.

Antiques Show

The 13th annual Wethersfield Historical Society Antiques Show is Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16, at the Pitkin Community Center, 30 Greenfield St., Wethersfield. The event showcases more than 40 dealers from the Northeast in room setting booths, displaying a wide range of early American and 19th century items. A gala preview party opens the show Nov. 15, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Admission to the preview is $35. The show opens to the general public Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the show is $7. Information: 860-529-7656.

Holiday Decorating Techniques

Learn holiday decorating techniques and explore new holiday themes Nov. 16 when Woodland Gardens of Manchester offers its free Holiday Open House Decorating Demos from 9 a.m. to noon. Design experts will be presenting holiday decorating demos and more. Refreshments and music. Woodland Gardens is at 168 Woodland St., Manchester. Information: http://www.WoodlandGardensCT.com.

CT Horticulture Society Lecture

Adam Wheeler, head of plant propagation and the acquisition and development of new plants at Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, will share some of his favorite berrying plants in a photography-illustrated lecture Thursday Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m., at the Emanuel Synagogue at 70 Mohegan Drive in West Hartford. $10 for nonmembers; free for members. Information: www.cthort.org or 860-529-8713.

Wreath Making Workshop

Learn to decorate a holiday grapevine wreath with Donna Denert Nov. 24, 11 a.m., at Comstock, Ferre Co., 263 Main St., Wethersfield. Materials and instructions provided. If you have any, bring your own clippers. Registration is required: 860-571-6590. Material fee $25.

Holiday Homestead

Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will host a holiday celebration at the Osborne Homestead Museum, 500 Hawthorne Ave., Derby, this holiday season. Beginning on Nov. 29 the museum’s décor will reflect Connecticut’s agricultural and literary achievements and technological and culinary innovations. See and learn about Connecticut “firsts” and view rooms lavishly decorated in brass, silver, and silk highlighting the time when the state was the leader in textiles and metals manufacturing. The Osborne Homestead Museum exhibits the fine art and antiques of Frances Osborne Kellogg who was a prominent figure in the dairy and manufacturing industries. From Nov. 29 through Dec. 21, the museum will be open Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Dec. 6, 13, and 20, 4 to 6:30 pm, the museum will present “Twilight Tours” to highlight the ethereal glow of the decorations in the evening hours. Donations accepted. Information: 203- 734-2513 or email donna.kingston@ct.gov.

Holiday Wreath Workshop

Connecticut Landmarks’ Bellamy-Ferriday House Garden in Bethlehem will host a holiday wreath making event on Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. and Nov. 30 at noon and 2 p.m. Make a holiday wreath using greens, pinecones, dried flowers, and natural materials. Back by popular demand, George Carol McCleary, site horticulturists, will lead the workshops. $25 per wreath for a family or an individual, including materials and admission to the house; $20 CTL members. Space is limited. Pre-register to bellamy.ferriday@ctlandmarks.org or 860-266-7596.

Walking Tour

The Chatham Historical Society presents a walking tour of the Hazen Christmas Tree Farm, 166 Lake Drive, East Hampton, Dec. 1, at 1 p.m. The walking tour, sponsored by the East Hampton Parks and Recreation Dept, will begin at a campfire where the Hazen family will tell the history of their farm. Then tour the farm and walk up Joby Hill and visit the old Moses West barn foundation. Return to the campfire for hot drinks and to select and cut your desired Christmas tree. Adults and children are welcome. Heavy rain or snow will cancel (Dec. 8 is the new date). Information: 860-267-2442, podskoch@comcast.net.

Author Event

Join Holly Holden, author of “The Pretty and Proper Living Room,” at the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library on Monday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. Holden will discuss her design philosophy and books will be available for purchase/signing. Refreshments served. Reservations: 860-828-7126.

Evergreen Wreath Making

Create a beautiful evergreen wreath for your holiday display at Westmoor Park, 119 Flagg Road, West Hartford, Dec. 7 from 9 to 11 a.m. The class is open to ages 18 and older. Registration deadline is Dec. 3. Cost is $35 for West Hartford residents and $40 for non-residents. Materials fee is included in the cost. Information: 860-561-8260 or westmoorpark@westhartford.org.

Holiday House Tour

The Friends of The Mark Twain House Museum’s 33rd Holiday House Tour is Dec. 8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour, which is a non-profit event, will feature Mark Twain’s 19-room home, the family home of actress Katherine Hepburn, the historic Isham-Terry House and three other architecturally impressive houses. Each home will be decorated for the holidays and will feature live music and floral arrangements. The Twain mansion, at 351 Farmington Ave., Hartford, will be decorated for a late 19th century Christmas with the Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) family. Advance tickets are $30 each and can be purchased at holidayhousetour2013.brownpapertickets.com/ or by calling 860-280-3130. Tickets are $35 on the day of the tour and can be purchased at the homes.

Holiday Ornaments From Nature

Kids age 5 through 12 can learn how to create holiday ornaments or gifts from Mother Nature’s garden at Westmoor Park in West Hartford Dec. 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. Bring scissors and glue gun. Registration deadline is Dec. 4. Cost is $20 for West Hartford residents and $25 for non-residents. Fee is for one parent/child pair. The park is at 119 Flagg Road. Information: 860-561-8260 or westmoorpark@westhartford.org.

Garden Club Events

The Connecticut Valley Garden Club presents “Set to Celebrate,” a showcase of inspirational tablescape design, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Town and County Club in Hartford. More than 30 designers, businesses, non-profits and groups will display historic, musical, theatrical, holiday and “over-the-top” tablescape designs. Tickets are $20 in advance at http://www.Set2Celebrate.net; $30 the day of the event. A preview party will be Nov. 14 ($100). E-mail sdocooks@comcast.net for preview party information.

The Vernon Garden Club’s meeting Monday, Nov. 18, features “Tablescapes to Decorate your Winter Table” by floral designer Laurie Lemek of Ellington. Lemek will create seasonal arrangements with a natural, winter theme. Arrangements will be auctioned off at the end of the meeting. The program begins at 7 p.m. at Rockville United Methodist Church, 142 Grove St. Refreshments and a business meeting will follow. Information: 860- 872-4028.

The Garden Club of Avon’s next meeting is Monday, Nov. 18, and includes a Christmas Market Workshop. Guests can arrive at 12.30 p.m. Come and gather to make arrangements to sell at the Christmas Market in Avon. Members are asked to bring greens. The Christmas Marketplace will be held at St. Ann’s Church on Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information: jennieb32@aol.com and 860-677-2357.

The Garden Gate Club of Mansfield will meet Monday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at the Buchanan Center, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield Center, Route 89. Matthew Opel will give an illustrated talk, “Cacti and Succulents.” Beginning gardeners welcome. Refreshments served. Suggested donation for non-members is $5.

The Kensington Garden Club is offering a program on Thursday, Nov. 21, 6:30 to 8 p.m., featuring designer and artist, Alice Porter Flagg. Flagg will do floral arrangements in new holiday themes and they will be raffled off. The free event is at the Community Center, 230 Kensington Rd, Kensington.

The Bristol Garden Club will meet Thursday, Nov. 21 at Bristol Public Library, 5 High St. There will be a business meeting at 10 a.m.; refeshments at 11:30; and the speaker, Kymrie Zaslow, “Decorating with Flowers,” at noon. The event is open to the public for speaker only. Informaiton: 203-879-2921.

The Home Garden Club of Wethersfield will offer a wreath making workshop at the Pitkin Community Center, 30 Greenfield St., Wethersfield, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., presented by Sheila Wells and Cloitine Wojdyl. New members are always welcome.

Elizabeth Park Events

Rose Garden Workshop: Nov. 16, 9 a.m. to noon. Hands on workshop to close the garden.

Iris Garden Workshop: Nov. 23, 10 a.m. Hands on workshop to close the garden. Come dressed for the weather and bring garden tools and gloves.

Information: http://www.elizabethparkct.org, eburton@elizabethparkct.org or 860-231-9443.

 

— Amy Ellis (aellis@courant.com)

Send information on home- and garden-related events at least three weeks in advance to aellis@courant.com.

 

Filed Under: garden design

Lord Wolfson offers £250000 prize to design garden city

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Filed Under: garden design

National China Garden Engages Architecture Engineering Team

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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

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.


Copyright Business Wire 2013

Filed Under: garden design

National China Garden Engages Architecture Engineering Team

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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

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.


Copyright Business Wire 2013

Filed Under: garden design

Radlett woman designs garden for TV show Grand Designs

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Award winning designer Kate Gould, from Radlett, designs garden for Channel 4 TV show Grand Designs

12:40pm Wednesday 13th November 2013 in News


By Charlotte Ikonen, Reporter

Radlett woman designs garden for TV show Grand Designs

A designer from Radlett has designed a garden for the Channel 4 TV programme Grand Designs.

Kate Gould, an award-winning garden designer and a regular exhibitor at the Chelsea Flower Show, was approached by Jonathan Broom and his wife Deborah – who put everything on hold to build a mini Hollywood Hills-style mansion in Camden.

Mrs Gould said: “I was delighted when Jonathon approached me as the project itself was so ambitious and exciting.

“It presented several fairly unique challenges, limited planting spaces, drainage and irrigation questions, and restricted natural light in places and of course although we are very used to builders’ plans, we were just looking at a huge hole initially.

“Jonathan wanted a real garden even though they have almost no natural ground and so for this reason we initially suggested using fake grass but he really wanted his children to play on real grass.

“The planting suggested was wild and textured, full of grasses, perennials and bulbs for movement, sound and colour as much of the year as possible.”

The design was aired on TV in September but Mrs Gould has not yet started work on the garden. Mr and Mrs Broom faced problems when the foundation started sinking – causing Mr Broom to sell his business to raise the funds.

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Filed Under: garden design

Radlett woman designs garden for TV show Grand Designs

by Leave a Comment

Award winning designer Kate Gould, from Radlett, designs garden for Channel 4 TV show Grand Designs

12:40pm Wednesday 13th November 2013 in News


By Charlotte Ikonen, Reporter

Radlett woman designs garden for TV show Grand Designs

A designer from Radlett has designed a garden for the Channel 4 TV programme Grand Designs.

Kate Gould, an award-winning garden designer and a regular exhibitor at the Chelsea Flower Show, was approached by Jonathan Broom and his wife Deborah – who put everything on hold to build a mini Hollywood Hills-style mansion in Camden.

Mrs Gould said: “I was delighted when Jonathon approached me as the project itself was so ambitious and exciting.

“It presented several fairly unique challenges, limited planting spaces, drainage and irrigation questions, and restricted natural light in places and of course although we are very used to builders’ plans, we were just looking at a huge hole initially.

“Jonathan wanted a real garden even though they have almost no natural ground and so for this reason we initially suggested using fake grass but he really wanted his children to play on real grass.

“The planting suggested was wild and textured, full of grasses, perennials and bulbs for movement, sound and colour as much of the year as possible.”

The design was aired on TV in September but Mrs Gould has not yet started work on the garden. Mr and Mrs Broom faced problems when the foundation started sinking – causing Mr Broom to sell his business to raise the funds.

Showbiz news

  • Lee wants tweet lawsuit dismissed

  • Baldwin stalker found in contempt

  • Glitter rebailed in sex abuse probe

  • Justin Bieber upsets Argentine fans

  • John McCririck loses ageism case

  • Thrilling climax to Countdown poser

Filed Under: garden design

Private gardens that tell a personal story

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JaneGarmeyheadshot1.jpg

Jane Garmey is a gardener and garden writer, who lives in Cornwall, Connecticut.

When she was researching the book, Garmey looked for geographical diversity and a range of sizes and styles. Most importantly, though, she looked for gardens that reflected the sensibilities of their owners, rather than gardens that are completely left to the vision of a designer. All of the gardens, with the exception of one, have been entirely made by their owners. Many of these intrepid souls were true neophytes who had never even planted seeds before, a quality that Garmey can easily relate to. She didn’t know the first thing about gardening when she and her husband bought a small weekend place in northwest Connecticut. “People assumed,” she says, that because she is British she “must have been born with a spade in one hand and a trowel in the other. This was far from the case.” Now Garmey is a passionate gardener and recognized expert who has published five books on gardening and is living proof that a green thumb can be cultivated.

Great design is always at your fingertips — read “A Garden Writer’s Garden,” in the November/December 2013 issue online!

Filed Under: garden design

Private gardens that tell a personal story

by Leave a Comment

JaneGarmeyheadshot1.jpg

Jane Garmey is a gardener and garden writer, who lives in Cornwall, Connecticut.

When she was researching the book, Garmey looked for geographical diversity and a range of sizes and styles. Most importantly, though, she looked for gardens that reflected the sensibilities of their owners, rather than gardens that are completely left to the vision of a designer. All of the gardens, with the exception of one, have been entirely made by their owners. Many of these intrepid souls were true neophytes who had never even planted seeds before, a quality that Garmey can easily relate to. She didn’t know the first thing about gardening when she and her husband bought a small weekend place in northwest Connecticut. “People assumed,” she says, that because she is British she “must have been born with a spade in one hand and a trowel in the other. This was far from the case.” Now Garmey is a passionate gardener and recognized expert who has published five books on gardening and is living proof that a green thumb can be cultivated.

Great design is always at your fingertips — read “A Garden Writer’s Garden,” in the November/December 2013 issue online!

Filed Under: garden design

A Modern-Day Hanging Gardens Of Babylon

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Singapore prides itself on its green-minded policies. With a well-connected public transportation network, robust water collection and treatment infrastructure, and a promise to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% in the next two decades, the island city-state is pioneering sustainable development in Southeast Asia and beyond. There’s more than just tourism sloganeering, it seems, to Singapore’s claim to being a “city in the garden.”

These green ambitions find stunning architectural expression in the solar-powered Parkroyal Hotel on Pickering, a tower complex cut through by a wild patch of tropical forest.

Designed by WOHA, the block-long “hotel and office in a garden” sits on a narrow plot that opens onto Singapore’s central business core and is situated across from a verdant parkland and near the riverbank. Slab-like towers, which echo those rising in downtown just in the distance, are suspended above a green zone of tangled flora and palm trees that thrive in the tropical climate. The vegetation is rooted to curved terraces that are themselves fixed to the towers’ glass facades. “The project is a study of how we can not only conserve our greenery in a built-up high-rise city centre but multiply it in a manner that is architecturally striking, integrated and sustainable,” the architects say.

The entire complex is raised on a wide concrete podium shielded from the street by a row of columns. Sculpted in precast concrete layers resembling chiseled bedrock, it is the geological substratum supporting the gardens and buildings above. The columns shoot up through the base of the podium and resurface at its top. They hoist up the tower blocks, creating a large gap of space that separates the 367 hotel residences from the ground structure.

The podium’s expansive roof garden offers spectacular views onto Singapore’s biologically diverse landscape. Here, swimming pools are fitted into concrete grooves and bird cabanas are cantilevered past the ledge. Dangling overhead are hanging gardens that hug the faces of the hotel towers. The plantings help filter light entering the rooms while also cooling them.

The Parkroyal is a beacon of sustainability in one of the world’s most sustainable cities. It’s also a great example of how green design doesn’t have to sacrifice form to achieve its goals.

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Turning Point unveils therapy garden design

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Plans for Turning Point Behavioral Care Center’s therapeutic garden grew from a seed that was never supposed to yield results quite this large.

What began as an idea for a 1,200 square foot garden became 10 times that size. The design, unveiled Friday morning in the rear of the Skokie building, reflects a garden that will measure 12,000 square feet.

“It creates the kind of experience that we want the whole community to have with Turning Point, which is that this is a welcoming place, a place where the goal is for everyone to feel better,” said Turning Point Outpatient Therapist Adam Levin.

Established in 1969, Turning Point is an outpatient mental health care center providing comprehensive mental health services to all regardless of financial resources or intensity of need.

Levin oversees Turning Point’s Garden Club, which ranges from eight to 15 clients. For the last several years, they have tended to a garden of more than 1,000 square feet in the corner of the lot. The original idea was to expand that garden before plans for a separate and much larger multi-purpose garden along the base of the building took hold.

Turning Point’s recent purchase of the southern half of its building allowed for the larger garden option, said Turning Point Financial Officer Marsha Hahn. “It will include space for groups, quiet space for individuals, for walking around, for planting and for picking edibles.”

What also ignited the project was a $51,700 grant from the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation. The project is a collaboration between Turning Point and the Chicago Botanic Garden Horticultural Therapy Program.

Chicago Botanic Garden Horticulture Therapy Department Design Consultant Clare Johnson had already begun working on designing a smaller garden when she had to start from scratch.

She didn’t mind.

“What was kind of fun about designing the natural layout of this large new space was working with a spectrum from public space with a lot of activity happening to private space on the southern end,” she said.

In other words, some of the garden includes space where clients can be alone or have one-on-one sessions with therapists. Other space allows for more community-minded activities.

The garden will be spacious and comfortable and include plants and edibles. It also will feature a fire-pit and community plots where clients can have their own small spaces for plants and food.

Johnson said the project is unique — especially with a garden this large — but green space for health facilities is making a comeback.

A thousand or so years ago, she said, monasteries and other facilities used to include garden space for therapeutic and anti-stress reasons. In the 1990s, such spaces were wiped out in the name of efficiency and sterilization, she said, but she’s seeing a return.

Levin said he witnesses first-hand the therapeutic value for clients who become impassioned gardeners.

“The therapy garden is a place where the clients can feel empowered to nurture something while watching it grow,” he said. “When a client plants a sunflower seed and sees a 10-foot sunflower grow, he or she feels excited.”

Levin said the entire Turning Point community will benefit from the garden because its creation will make the back of the building a new front entrance. Work will begin next spring and will continue on for two seasons — as funding becomes available.

Garden Club clients who thought they were getting an expanded garden were amazed when they learned news of the larger garden.

Or as Larry Rotheiser of Park Ridge said, “the news just blew me away.”

Scott Burns of Skokie said he has grown close to the group and has learned to be a better gardener and how to cook at home in more healthful ways.

That all happened because of a small garden in the corner lot, which will look even smaller once the new one is planted. But the clients have no plans to abandon it.

“We’ll still use this one,” Rotheiser said. “This was our first. It’s where everything started.”

Filed Under: garden design
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