Boston Flora

Tag: Boston Society of Landscape Architects

  • Thursday, February 28, 6:00 pm – Bioengineering, Earth Focused Design

    Duke Bitsko of the Bioengineering Group will speak about bioengineering, an interdisciplinary approach to site and resource protection in the built environment, at the Arnold Arboretum on Thursday, February 28, with refreshments at 6 and lecture at 6:30 in the Hunnewell Building. With a strong land stewardship ethic, Duke applies degrees in landscape architecture, engineering, and earth science to development planning and design. With each project, the indigenous water cycle and watershed protection are the first considerations.

    Learn about his approach as applied to local projects including Walden Pond, Pope John Paul II Park (image from www.bostonharborwalk.com below,) Magazine Beach, and the Watertown Arsenal.  Co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.  Free for sponsor members, $25 general public.  Register by telephoning 617-384-5277, or email pam_thompson@harvard.edu.

    http://www.bostonharborwalk.com/dbuploads/Pope_John_Paul_II_Park_3.jpg

  • Wednesday, February 29, 6:00 pm reception, 6:30 lecture – Phytotechnologies: A Productive Planting Approach

    Phytotechnology, the ability of plants to uptake and remove contaminates from soil, is gaining attention in the fields of sustainability and landscape architecture. From gas stations burdened with fuel spills, to brownfields contaminated with heavy industrial pollutants, cost-effective, natural cleanup methods can be an effective strategy in mitigating pollutants. This Wednesday, February 29 presentation at the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum will cover the basic fundamentals of phytotechnology, advantages and limits of plant-based cleanup, and implications for future integration in design and planning. Current case studies will also be presented by Niall Kirkwood, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Technology, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Kate Kennen, Principal, Kennen Landscape Architecture.
    Fee: Free to Arnold Arboretum and BSLA members; $25 nonmember. Register online at www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Offered with the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.

  • Thursday, November 3, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Sustainable Practices for Managed Landscapes

    Managing our environment responsibly is a challenge that requires us to make philosophical and behavioral changes. In his work over the past 25 years, Eric T. Fleisher has developed protocols to help our landscapes recover from the harmful impacts of industry and chemicals. He will describe the design and implementation of a sustainable landscape management program, using the highly trafficked public spaces at Battery Park City and the campus at Harvard University as models. Fleisher’s programs avoid the use of toxic chemicals and significantly reduce the use of nitrogen in the landscape. His techniques focus on encouraging natural nutrient cycling systems through proper soil management and plant care. This Arnold Arboretum lecture will be held in the Hunnewell Building on Thursday, November 3, with refreshments served at 6, and lecture at 6:30. Offered with the Boston Society of Landscape Architects
    Free to Arnold Arboretum and BSLA members; $25 General Admission. Students: call 617-384-5277 to register for free.  You may register online as well, https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/info.aspx?EventID=1#November.

  • Thursday, October 13, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Fresh Pond Restoration: Combining Beauty and Function

    Located five miles from downtown Boston, Fresh Pond Reservation is a green oasis, an urban wild and protective watershed land covering 363 acres.  Designed by the Olmsted Brothers and Charles Eliot, over the past decade this premier open space has undergone major renovation focused upon water quality protection, habitat enhancement, and aesthetic improvement.  The Northeast Sector Project focused on improving a 30 acre section of the Reservation by closely integrating woodland and edge zone management with innovatively designed features such as a two acre constructed stormwater treatment wetland, butterfly meadow, community garden, soccer field, and new and improved walking paths.  The project received an Honor Award for Reclamation and Restoration from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.  On Thursday, October 13, from 3 – 5, join project designer and tour guide Thomas Benjamin for an insider tour of the project’s planning and installation.  The tour is sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association, and you may register ($20 ELA members, $25 non members) on line at www.ecolandscaping.com, or by calling 617-436-5838.

  • Wednesday, March 23, 6:00 pm – The Brave New World of Manufactured Soils

    Manufactured soils—formulated to provide highly predictable and consistent performance—are a means to stretch topsoil resources while also improving the horticultural performance and sustainability of soil environments. Today, many landscape architectural designs must use manufactured soils to meet sustainability and high performance project requirements. Bob Pine and John Swallow have designed manufactured soils for projects throughout the United States and worldwide. They will describe the opportunities and challenges of modern soil design with the objective of helping landscape professionals better understand their options and the process of specifying and using these soils, on Wednesday, March 23, beginning at 6 pm in the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Boston. Offered with the Boston Society of Landscape Architects. Fee: $25; Free to BLSA and Arnold Arboretum members. To register, call Marc Devokaitis at 617-384-5209, or email marc_devokaitis@harvard.edu.