BY MARK SMITH, PLA

As Landscape Architects, we are truly privileged to be able to spend the better part of our professional careers shaping the built environments that impact every facet of our lives…from the hospital we are born in, to the communities we live in, to the schools our kids attend…even the cemetery where we may someday be laid to rest. While most of us are quite familiar and comfortable with our hospitals, communities, and schools, few of us ever spend enough time in a cemetery to understand why they are designed as they are and to really get comfortable with visiting them.

When was the last time you just decided to visit a cemetery? For most of us, going to a cemetery is something we would do on an “as needed” basis only. It’s usually not until you spend some time in a cemetery and really look around that you realize just how intentionally they have been “designed” as much for you, the living, as they are for those who have passed on.

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BY PATRICK SMITH, PLA, LEED AP

Located along Lamar Boulevard just north of Austin’s Central Business District, Pease District Park is a beloved piece of Austin’s park system.  Perhaps most famously known as the site for the annual festival Eeyore’s Birthday Party, the 84-acre Pease Park also serves many students and urban dwellers on a daily basis thanks to its proximity to Downtown and to The University of Texas at Austin.

RVi is thrilled to be working with the City of Austin and the Pease Park Conservancy on this important piece of Austin’s urban fabric.  The initial area of study includes re-imagining the entry to the park along Kingsbury and Parkway Streets, development of new donor recognition areas, and renovation of several key programmatic areas of the park including the historic picnic tables and Tudor Cottage.  This area also includes a new playground, splash pad, basketball court, multipurpose court, pavilion, restrooms, and parking area.  The work in this area will occur in several phases as funding becomes available. Our design team also includes Clayton & Little Architects and Urban Design Group.

These improvements to Pease Park come on the heels of the 2014 Master Plan by Wallace Roberts and Todd, as well as the recent Shoal Creek Restoration project.  Schematic Design is expected to be complete in October this year.

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RVi is pleased to announce that our own Clif Hall has been voted incoming President-Elect of the Texas ASLA Chapter. Clif has served as Treasurer for the Texas Chapter over the past two years. 

As President-Elect, he begins a new three-year commitment to ASLA leadership. This year he will shadow incoming President Bobby Eichholz in preparation for his own role as President in 2018 and Past President in 2019.

Clif’s term will officially begin when the National ASLA Conference convenes in New Orleans October 21-24. “It is an honor to continue to serve Texas ASLA in this new leadership role. I am excited about what the future holds for ASLA and for the profession of landscape architecture,” Clif said.

Say Congrats to Clif via the RVi Blog ››