SUN-B02: Avoid Lost in Translation: Communicating Complex Ecological Concepts in Landscape Architecture

Sunday, October 29, 2023

2:00pm – 3:15pm CT

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

Lead Speaker(s)

Tao Zhang, ASLA, LEED AP, SITES AP (he/him/his)

Principal & Member of Board of Directors
Sasaki
Boston, Massachusetts

Speaker(s)

Steven N. Handel, PhD, Hon. ASLA (he/him/his)

Distinguished Professor of Ecology
Rutgers University
Bridgewater, New Jersey
Pippa W. Brashear, ASLA (she/her/hers)

Resilience Principal
SCAPE Landscape Architecture
New York, New York

Ecological design prevails in the teaching and practice of landscape architecture. However, if not fully understood, complex ecological concepts can be lost in design exploration, resulting in underperforming projects. This panel demonstrates how effectively communicating concepts is critical to the necessary consensus and collaboration among ecologists, landscape architects, and stakeholders.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand how climate change, biodiversity crises, and complex urban challenges necessitate ecologically oriented design and transdisciplinary practice with allied professions and stakeholders.
Learn about the need to better integrate ecological thinking throughout the design process, from analysis to implementation, rather than a discreet consultation or validation.
Explore ways to convey complex but critical ecological concepts through informative, engaging, and artful storytelling to the right audiences, including design and regulatory communities and the general public.
Discuss project examples and lessons learned from the collaboration between ecologists and design practitioners.