The following projects were recognized in the 2019 National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) and the Landscape Contractors Association (LCA) Excellence in Landscape Awards.
City Springs
Location: Sandy Spring, GA
Installed by: Georgia Landscape Construction Branch
Awards Won: NALP Gold Award/LCA Grand Award
Description: City Springs is a 14-acre, multi-use city center that functions as the city’s civic and community anchor and is the home to new city offices, a performing arts center, restaurants, shopping, residential units, and the new city green. The City Green, which is a four-acre park within the project, includes an open lawn area, shade bosque, an amphitheater, multiple plazas, and a network of fountains.
Scope: Installation of six water features (including an interactive fountain and a rain wall); 5800 LF of granite curbing; 74,000 SF of subslab and pavers; 95,000 SF of concrete flatwork; 9,000 SF of vehicular paving; 22,000 LF of joint caulking; 4,500 LF of planter walls; 4800 LF of pre-cast stone veneer walls/caps and brickwork; an irrigation system with 86 zones; 6,000 LF of drainage; 63,250 SF of turf; 344 trees; 19,000 shrubs, annuals, perennials and grasses; 1300 LF of stainless steel handrails and guardrails; 1850 bales of pine straw mulch; and $630,000 worth of site amenities.
Mary Elizabeth Branch Park
Location: Austin, TX
Installed by: Texas Landscape Construction Branch
Awards Won: NALP Gold Award/LCA Grand Award
Description: This public/private partnership between the City of Austin and Catellus Development is a mixed-use community on what used to be Austin’s former airport. This 3 ½ acre park features volleyball courts, a custom play airplane for kids, a dog run, playscape areas (all constructed from recycled materials), interactive waterscapes as well as native and adaptive landscaping throughout the park.
Scope: Our work scope also included general contracting work such as mass grading; underground civil utilities; site lighting and the construction of a support building. Traditional landscape construction work included installing 10,000 CY of topsoil; over 1000 tons of decomposed granite and sand; 63,000 SF of pavers and concrete flatwork; 28,000 SF of surface covering; a 25-zone irrigation system and drainage; 40,000 SF of Bermuda sod; 18,500 perennials, grasses and shrubs; over 200 trees (3-14” caliper); 200 specialty-cut limestone blocks (some weighing 2,000 lbs.); a rain garden; a green roof; an interactive water feature and playground equipment.
The International Spy Museum
Location: Washington, DC
Installed by: Virginia Landscape Construction Branch
Awards Won: NALP Silver Award/LCA Grand Award
Description: This new 120,000 SF building includes three floors of museum exhibits resting on a base of retail, education and lobby spaces. The design positions the Museum as a catalyst to reinvigorate 10th Street SW and to link the National Mall and the southwest waterfront, two areas bustling with visitors that planners hope the new museum will help connect. The building is situated on the L’Enfant Plaza which is both a retail and transportation hub, and is nestled within a collection of 1960’s I.M. Pei buildings. The concept for the design is a play on the business of espionage, “hidden in plain sight”. The client wanted a design that would complement this area’s revival by introducing plantings that would provide seasonal interest on the street and replace the existing pavements with a durable and flexible surface.
Scope: All concrete flatwork throughout the site (13,000 SF of sub-slab, 135 LF of stairs, 7,700 SF of sidewalk, 536 LF of curbs, 200 SF of handicap ramps, and 2,900 SF of crosswalks); all pavers (14,000 SF); landscape (36 trees, plantings, perennials, shrubs, and sod); an irrigation system and site furnishings (planters, bike repair stations, benches, trash cans, bollards).
251 DEKALB
Location: King of Prussia, PA
Maintained by: King of Prussia Landscape Management Branch
Awards Won: NALP Gold Award/LCA Grand Award
Description: 251 DEKALB is a three-building high-end residential community located just off a well-known historical and social region known as Philadelphia’s Main Line. An art gallery, coffee shop, terrace, community garden, resort-style pool, bocce courts, and fitness center are just some of the luxurious amenities available to residents on the 26-acre property. The campus was designed to have a modern European style look and feel and provide an abundance of green space for luxurious living inside and out.
Scope: Maintenance of the walkways, beds, trees, pots, building entrances, and common grounds, including care of 1,300 annuals, approximately 1,200 perennials/grasses/shrubs, 5 acres of turf, 13,000 SF of bed space, and over 100 trees, as well as several significant enhancements.
A Global Financial Institution’s McLean Campus
Location: McLean, VA
Maintained by: Alexandria Landscape Management Branch
Awards Won: NALP Gold Award/LCA Grand Award
Description: Located in the heart of Tysons Corner, this financial institution’s corporate campus was designed to create a modern environment for both work and relaxation. Employees and visitors have access to a shaded interior courtyard, ground-floor retail and restaurant space, and three multi-level rooftop terraces which provide a variety of outdoor spaces to enjoy. Lowered plant beds along the roads collect and filter rainwater, and mature trees line the rear of the property to block road noise from nearby I-495.
Scope: Maintenance of five acres of turf, 100 yards of mulch, 800 annuals, 3,000 shrubs, 3,750 perennials, 250 trees, as well as irrigation management.
Six Flags America
Location: Bowie, MD
Maintained by: Forestville Landscape Management Branch
Awards Won: NALP Gold Award (Previously won LCA Grand)
Description: This premier amusement park, which has over one million visitors a year, features more than 100 rides, games, shows and attractions including the Hurricane Harbor water park. Keeping this site in exceptional shape for visitors’ enjoyment, while ensuring we are working within the customer’s budget, is of the utmost importance. To that end, we work proactively with the customer to solve challenges and expand scope in value-conscious ways and continuously focus on the details.
Scope: Maintenance of an irrigation system with 46 hydro-zones, 38 acres of turf, the installation and maintenance of over 20,000 annuals, care of 5,000 perennials, several hundred trees, over 60 palm trees, and 200 containerized tropical plants.