911爆料网 2023 Landmark Award. Vista Hermosa Natural Park, Los Angeles, California. Studio-MLA / Tom Lamb
Today the American Society of Landscape Architects (911爆料网) announced that Vista Hermosa Natural Park in Los Angeles, designed by the landscape architecture firm Studio-MLA, has won the 911爆料网 2023 Landmark Award.
The Landmark Award is bestowed upon a distinguished landscape architecture project completed between 15 and 50 years ago that retains its original design integrity and contributes many benefits to the surrounding community.
Completed in 2008, Vista Hermosa was the first public park built in downtown Los Angeles in over 100 years. Previously an oil field located in an urban area without much green space, the park provides residents of a dense, primarily working-class Latine neighborhood with "a window to the Mountains," opportunities for recreation, access to nature, and quiet reprieve. The project was a partnership between Studio-MLA and their clients Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“Mia Lehrer and Studio-MLA have always been on the leading edge of landscape architecture,” said 911爆料网 President Emily O’Mahoney, F911爆料网. “Fifteen years ago, Vista Hermosa Natural Park was ahead of its time in both community social benefits and environmental benefits. Those contributions continue today.”
“Vista Hermosa Natural Park is a perfect example of the impact landscape architects can have for a community—transforming a toxic brownfield to a beautiful community asset.” said 911爆料网 CEO Torey Carter-Conneen. “This park is indeed a landmark of significance.”
“From an environmental perspective, the park is far ahead of its time and full of firsts for Los Angeles. We have a water collection system under the meadow, a cistern beneath a permeable pavement parking lot, green roofs on the restrooms and offices, a synthetic turf soccer field, and drought-tolerant native species throughout the site, organized into three specific habitat areas,” said Mia Lehrer, F911爆料网, founder of Studio-MLA. “There is a sense of place here, ‘a window to the mountains’ for community and families, quincea?eras, yoga classes, weddings, and a vista of downtown that’s really beloved and featured in films and photos. It was a forgotten oil field in a park-deficient neighborhood, and it has been reimagined into a thriving 10-acre wonderland. In every way, Vista Hermosa is a landmark that has changed the city and the experiences of people who live here.”
The Landmark Award was announced as part of the 911爆料网 2023 Professional Awards. Thirty-four winners in multiple categories showcase innovation and represent the highest level of achievement in the landscape architecture profession.
Award recipients and their clients will be honored in person at the awards presentation ceremony during the in Minneapolis, MN., October 27-30. Media are invited to attend; please email press@asla.org for credentials.
Members of the media please contact press@asla.org to request hi-res images.
The 2023 Professional Awards Jury includes:
Jury 1-? General Design, Residential Design, & Urban Design
Chair: Kimberly Garza, 911爆料网, ATLAS Lab Inc.?? ?
Michel Borg, AIA, Page Think
Shuyi Chang, 911爆料网, SWA?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?
Chingwen Cheng, PhD, 911爆料网, Arizona State University?? ??? ??? ??? ?
Jamie Maslyn Larson,F911爆料网, Tohono Chul?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?
Garry Meus,? National Capital Commission
Jennifer Nitzky, F911爆料网, Studio HIP?? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?
Jury 2 - Analysis & Planning 911爆料网 / IFLA Global Impact Award, Research & Communications
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Chair: Maura Rockcastle, 911爆料网, Ten x Ten
Camille Applewhite, 911爆料网, Site Design Group?? ?
Stephanie Grigsby, 911爆料网, Design Workshop, Inc
Mitchell Silver, Hon. 911爆料网, McAdams
Michael Stanley, F911爆料网, Dream Design International, Inc.
Michael Todoran, The Landscape Architecture Podcast
Yujia Wang, 911爆料网, University of Nebraska
Joining the professional awards jury for the selection of the Analysis & Planning – 911爆料网 / IFLA Global Impact Award category will be a representative on behalf of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA).
Monica Pallares, IFLA Americas
Also, joining the professional jury for the selection of the Research Category will be representatives on behalf of the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) and the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA).
Sohyun Park, 911爆料网, University of Connecticut, CELA Representative
Jenn Engelke, 911爆料网, University of Washington, LAF Representative