Digger acknowledges a few Portland firms in recognition of National Landscape Architecture Month
By Nancy Buley, ASLA (Honorary)

April is National Landscape Architecture Month. Across the country, landscape architects are telling the public that good landscape design and planning can lead to more healthful, livable communities. That’s good news for Oregon’s nursery economy and the thousands of nurseries, landscape design and construction firms nationwide that depend on our state as a source of premium landscape plants.

As specifiers of billions of dollars worth of trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, hardscape and other components of the urban environment, landscape architects are important partners in our business of growing beauty for a nation. It’s a good month for growers to pause and “smell the roses,” and prime time to recognize the importance of the partnership we have with landscape architects in our mutual efforts to create more livable communities.

“Design for Active Living,” the theme of this year’s month-long celebration of landscape architecture, highlights ways in which community design affects the daily activity levels of residents and, in turn, their overall health. According to Dan Sullivan, spokesperson for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), “studies show that parks, recreational facilities, bicycle paths, walking trails and sidewalks can increase physical activity among residents, lowering obesity and improving health.”

As we go about our daily activities, Oregonians enjoy the outstanding work of some of our nation’s leading landscape architects. Indeed, we may have more than our fair share of talent. Oregon landscape architects have garnered national and international recognition for projects that are enjoyed each day by Oregonians who are unlikely to give much thought to the art and science behind the public spaces we know and love.

Fortunately, award winning professionals including Robert Murase, Carol Mayer-Reed and Douglas Macy call Oregon home, and they do some of their finest work in their own back yard. includes the privilege of adding the letters “FASLA” to their names. All have made significant contributions to the livability of our state through design excellence, while showcasing the broad plant palette that Oregon’s vibrant nursery industry grows and sells to far-flung markets.

Eastbank Esplanade showcases
award-winning design
Nowhere is the distinguished work of these landscape architects showcased better than on Portland’s downtown waterfront. Here, a stretch of the Willamette River has been reclaimed over the past three decades and transformed into an urban oasis and a favorite public gathering place. Where once the river flowed between twin streams of asphalt, residents and visitors alike are inspired to take an active role in enjoying one of the most delightful stretches of public open space in the country. Walkers, joggers, bicyclers, sunbathers, skaters and others enjoy the lawns and pathways of Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park, now linked to the eastern shore by the Eastbank Esplanade designed by the Portland firm, Mayer/Reed, led by Carol Mayer-Reed, FASLA.

The Eastbank Esplanade, a linear park and urban trail, completes a three-mile loop that ties the gritty, industrial east side to the more genteel downtown core.   Brilliantly executed signage and wayfinding techniques are used to weave local history, art and culture into each visitor’s experience. A floating walkway that rises and falls with the seasonal fluctuations of the river is among the delights of this exceptional project that invites all to experience an intimate encounter with the Willamette River. The unique project earned the firm a 2004 ASLA Design Award of Merit, as well as a cover story in Landscape Architecture Magazine.

A more recent Landscape Architecture cover featured Mayer/Reed’s award-winning Rain Garden at the Oregon Convention Center, an aesthetic, urban demonstration project for the handling of stormwater at the sprawling complex.  The magazine also featured the firm’s work at Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, an ASLA Merit Award winner in 2001.  Other notable projects are the Amazing Water Garden and the whimsical Children’s Garden, both located at The Oregon Garden in Silverton. Travelers who frequent Portland International Airport are welcomed by a vertical landscape, also designed by Mayer/Reed, that softens the façade of the seven-story parking garage.

Waterfront Park invites
cherry blossom viewing
Spring is prime time to enjoy the billowy pink blooms of the Akebono Cherry trees (Prunus x yedoensis ‘Akebono’) that entice visitors to enjoy hanami, the ancient Japanese tradition of cherry blossom viewing. The placement of the trees along the river walk and their integration with the poetry and basalt-studded Japanese American Historical Plaza are the work of Robert Murase, FASLA, a leading Oregon landscape architect for more than three decades. The project, a tribute to Japanese Americans interned during World War II, earned an ASLA Merit Award in 1991 as well as top honors for ‘Excellence on the Waterfront” from The Waterfront Center, Washington D.C.

Murase Associates’ many works in Portland include the 20 stations of the West Side Light Rail Transit System, integrated into a seamless whole with plants, public art and overall excellence in landscape architecture that was recognized with an ASLA Honor Award for Design in 2001. Plants were an important component in creating an integrated transit corridor, as stated in a description of the project submitted to the ASLA jury:

“A consistent plant palette was used along the line to bring a sense of continuity to the landscape and remind us that what seems separate is connected, as surely as light rail connects rural to suburban to urban.”

Less visible to the public is the Murase-designed Portland Water Pollution Control Laboratory located at the foot of the St. Johns Bridge in North Portland. It earned an ASLA Honor Award in 1999 and a coveted Landscape Architecture Magazine cover. Murase’s landscape at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) includes the pioneering use of bioswales, thickly planted sunken areas that disperse stormwater on-site. Citizens of Seattle, where Murase Associates maintains an office, are also blessed with the firm’s works, as are residents of various cities around the world, particularly in Japan, where his work is revered.

One of the joys of Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park is the variety of experiences encountered along the way. The Japanese American Historical Plaza lends itself to quiet contemplation; whereas, Salmon Street Springs is an exuberant public space where visitors can’t resist the urge to cavort in the ever-changing patterns of the fountain’s 185 computer controlled water jets. This popular gathering place was designed by Robert Perron, FASLA, of The Perron Collaborative in Portland. This pioneering firm has helped define the “look” of Oregon’s communities for many years and has played an important role in the creation of Portland’s downtown waterfront.

Waterfront rejuvenation project
extends innovation upriver
Continuing south, waterfront explorers discover Riverplace, a busy mixed use mélange of shops, restaurants, condominiums, hotels, marina and people-watching opportunities – all woven into an urban delight by the tree-lined walkways and public spaces of South Waterfront Park, designed by Walker Macy, a Portland landscape architectural firm.

Douglas Macy, FASLA, leads a firm that is well known for its contributions to the design of Pioneer Courthouse Square, a downtown crossroads that has become known as “Portland’s Living Room.”

The firm has scored again with South Waterfront Park, a vibrant gathering place that was recognized in 2001 with an ASLA Merit Award for Design. The park attracts active and passive users while creating a transition between Tom McCall Waterfront Park to the north, and the more natural, riparian setting that is found as the trail meanders upriver toward the still-evolving South Waterfront area.

Broad strokes with an innovative plant palette help to create a variety of unique spaces and experiences. These include formal reflecting pools afloat with water lilies and groves of native alders planted at river’s edge, a place where urban dwellers can dig their bare toes into the sand and listen to waves lapping the shore.

Firm principal Mike Zilis, ASLA, relates their intent to create a “wild garden in the city.” There is no doubt that this goal was accomplished. Waves of ornamental grasses echo the flow of the Willamette River and demonstrate the changes of the season.  A stated goal of the project was to emphasize plant materials “selected to run through their entire seasonal cycles and emphasize the passage of time.”

The Story Garden, a maze of lawn and cobblestone that encourages imagination and exploration, is another treasure of Waterfront Park created by the Walker Macy team. Other beloved public places include the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Hoyt Arboretum, the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center at The Dalles, and Riverfront Commemorative Park in Corvallis, recipient of a 2004 Oregon ASLA Award of Merit.

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Visitors to the Japanese American Heritage Plaza at Gov. Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Ore., enjoy Akebono Cherry trees in bloom. Photo by Nancy Buley.

The Eastbank Esplanade completes a 3-mile continuous bicycle/pedestrian loop through downtown Portland along the Willamette River. Riverbank restoration work uses bioengineering methods that stabilize the riverbank and create fish-friendly habitat. Architect: Mayer/Reed

Armstrong Maple trees lining the walking path around Nike World Headquarters provide stunning fall color. Architect: Mayer/Reed.

The Rain Garden at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland provides an aesthetic, urban demonstration project for the handling of storm water, collecting and cleansing it before release into the Willamette River. Architect: Mayer/Reed.

The Sunset Transit Center uses a mix of native and ornamental grasses, wildflowers and trees that change seasonally. The paths connect trains, buses and the garage. Architect: Murase Associates.

A Garden of Remembrance connects the Seattle Art Museum, the University Street hill climb and Benaroya Concert Hall. The plaza integrates graceful stone and water features, a stairway and granite walls etched with the names of 7,500 Washington veterans. Architect: Murase Associates.

Urban and natural forms blend at South Waterfront Park in Portland, Ore., where walkways extend the city’s grid through a formal garden. Lush plantings provide visual splendor throughout the seasons. Architect: Walker Macy.

A riverside path, an interpretive play fountain and three distinct plazas grace the linear Riverfront Commemorative Park in Corvallis, Ore. Architect: Walker Macy.

Creating understanding through
better communication practices
Oregon is surely blessed by its cadre of talented landscape architects. Highlighting the works of these three firms is to draw attention to the excellent work of Oregon designers whose services are in demand across the country and in some cases, around the world.  Paying attention to their work, and how they use plants as a tool of placemaking, will benefit Oregon nursery growers in many ways. We must ask ourselves, what we can do to be more effective partners with landscape architects in creating more livable communities and urban spaces.

“More two-way communication between nurseries and landscape architects would be appreciated,” suggests Mayer-Reed, “so that we understand the trends of both industries.”

When asked about the role of plants in the design process at their firm, Mayer-Reed stated that they like to use a mix of native and ornamental plants in their design work:  “We carefully craft our plant palette in accordance with the aesthetic, functional and horticultural requirements of each project.”

Becoming more familiar with the work of landscape architects, starting in our own back yard, is a way to spot trends and have in stock the plants that landscape architects want to specify. Educating them about new plants that we have available to add to their design toolboxes is a sure way to become better partners in placemaking.

Tara Byler, ASLA, a member of the Walker Macy team, says that developing a better understanding of each other’s work will benefit landscape architects and growers alike. A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-accredited design professional, she urges nurseries to become familiar with the groundswell of interest in green building techniques and the increasing emphasis on sustainable design and construction.

“With green building and sustainability being a growing trend, nurseries should really try to grasp that market, as I am sure LEED will evolve to giving points for native plants.”

Thinking beyond the obvious demand for native plants, she suggested that growers explore plants that serve multiple design purposes. For example, plants that stay low and compact are needed to solve design issues of safety as well as limited space.

“Likewise, growers of plants specific to eco-roofs should seek out plants that tolerate shallow soils, drought, and inundations of water and be ornamental. In short, there is a growing trend for plants that are sustainable and drought tolerant as well as aesthetically pleasing.”

Plants are also gaining ground in less-traditional settings. “The trend in therapeutic gardens is another area where the nursery industry and landscape architects need to partner,” Byler advises. “Plants are vitally important to the therapy value of these health care spaces.”

Landscape architects and other green industry professionals may request a free copy of the April 2005 issue of Digger Magazine. Go to our Order Form for reference guides, catalogs and posters, and write your request in the Comments field.

Mayer/Reed

Murase Associates

Walker Macy

American Society of Landscape Architects

Oregon Chapter ASLA

U.S. Green Building Council
(LEED Green Building Rating System)