Now completed, The Adams Elementary School Rain Garden in Ballard has become a treasure for the school and neighborhood. Principal, Guy Michaelsen talks more about the project with designer, David Minnery and grounds renovation organizer, Alison Krupnick on King 5’s New Day NW. The school is hosting a Rain Garden Opening & Dedication today at 2pm, visit their website for more information.

Seattle’s Green Factor was submitted to the 2010 ASLA Professional Awards by the City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development earlier this year. From the submittal, “Seattle Green Factor (SGF) is an innovative development standard designed to increase the quantity and quality of urban landscaping. Informed by European precedents, planners developed a scoring system to promote attractive and ecologically functional landscapes, including elements such as green roofs and walls, permeable paving, tree preservation, and food cultivation. Adopted by City of Seattle in 2006 and expanded in 2009, SGF is inspiring municipalities across the country to develop similar standards.”

Our firm has been involved in documenting the process and evaluating the program through development; our Functional Landscapes: Assessing Seattle’s Green Factor recently won a 2010 WASLA Merit Award. We are proud to see Seattle’s Green Factor win an Honor Award at the national level.

One official jury statement says, “It requires all projects to include a certain level of landscape design and has forced building owners to incorporate green walls, roofs, and permeable surfaces. It has had a positive impact on the profession in Seattle.”

The City of Seattle’s Magnuson Park received a 2010 WRPA Spotlight Facility and Parks Award for Best Park Design. Winners were announced last Thursday, April 15 during their annual trade show and conference.

The Berger Partnership’s design team was led by Guy Michaelsen, “We wanted to mesh the natural and the cultural aspects of the site, weaving organic fingers of natural wetlands into the fields and taking the geometry of the fields into the wetlands. We hope people will come for sports and enjoy the surprise of the wetlands and to make naturalists out of people who had no clue they were interested in nature.”

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