FRI-D04: Bucking the Trend: Fighting Sameness in Landscape Architectural Aesthetics and Representation

Friday, October 27, 2023

3:30pm – 4:30pm CT

1.00 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AICP, FL, NY/HSW

Lead Speaker(s)

Steven T. Lee, ASLA (he/him/his)

Associate Principal
SWA/Balsley
Long Island City, New York

Speaker(s)

Matthew Gindlesperger, ASLA

Design Director
Martha Schwartz Partners
New York, New York
Donna Bridgeman, ASLA

Director, Landscape Architect
West 8
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

An unspoken design “sameness” pervades the profession, from representation used to depict ideas, to the aesthetics of spaces, to the narratives we tell. Through reflections on design processes and case studies, participants will learn how designers can buck the trend, reinvigorating the practice with fresh ideas and diverse design approaches.

Learning Outcomes:

Acknowledge the aesthetic homogeneity in our practice and identify the root causes of this phenomenon.
Reflect upon how personal experiences, cultural biases, and our consumption of imagery through social media and other outlets may shape our perceptions of beauty.
Outline possible negative impacts on community stakeholders, the landscape architect, and the profession as a whole if this trajectory continues.
Learn about built and unbuilt projects that demonstrate how contextual inspiration and unorthodox design processes can lead to imaginative and novel ideas.