Designers Association Presents Awards Program Winners

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) held their sixth annual Landscape Design Awards Program winners. Awards were presented at APLD’s annual conference held March 5-11 at the Hilton Pasadena in California.

Landscape designs in three residential categories were submitted for this year’s program. Winners were judged on the following criteria: effectiveness of presentation; functionality of design elements; suitability of plant material; relationship to site; environmental responsibility; effective integration of plans and hardscapes; originality and creativity; design’s affect on maintenance, current and future; and, overall impression. All projects must have been installed for 2 years and may be no more than 10 years old.

The Residential Best of Show award was bestowed upon Charles Hess, Jr. of Charles E. Hess Jr. Landscape Architects, Inc. in Harleysville, Pennsylvania for a project entitled, “Villanova Residence.”  

Other winners were as follows in the Residential Category of Less than $50,000 to Design/Install:

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• Gold Award- Thomas Fitzsimmons, APLD; Chux Landscaping, Inc., Pine Brook, N.J.- “Dik Residence”
• Silver Award- Kathy Snyder Hubner, APLD; Gill Landscape Nursery, Corpus Christi, TX- “Artistic Impressions”
• Bronze Award- Katey Mulligan, APLD; LIQUIDAMBAR Garden Design, San Francisco, CA- “Serenity in the City”
• Bronze Award- Andrew Fisher Tomlin; Fisher Tomlin, London, United Kingdom- “Harrods Court”

Winners were as follows in the Residential Category of Between $50,000-$175,000 to Design/Install:

• Gold Award – Paul Connolly; APLD; Sonoran Gardens, Tucson, AZ- “Hacienda del Sol”
• Silver Award – Julie Carlson-Liles, APLD; Carlson Design, Inc., Holly Springs, NC- “Witek Residence”
• Bronze Award – Barry Block; Barry Block Landscape Design & Contracting, Inc., East Moriches, NY- “East Hampton Gardens”

Winners were as follows in the Residential Category of More than $175,000 to Design/Install:

• Gold Award - Charles Hess, Jr.; Charles E. Hess Jr. Landscape Architects, Inc., Harleysville, Pa.- “Villanova Residence”
• Silver Award – P. Allen Smith; Barry Block Landscape Design & Contracting, Inc., East Moriches, N.Y.- “Bridgehampton Cottage”
• Bronze Award- William Healy, APLD; William Healy Design Inc., Akron, Ohio- “The Frazzitta Residence”

This year’s awards were judged by a panel of three qualified judges. These judges were chosen because of their experience in landscape design industry and dedication to the field.

• Matthew Brooks-  Matthew Brooks received his Bachelors of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Illinois and his Master’s of Landscape Architecture from the University of Minnesota. Brooks spent several years working in the Chicago area with various landscape architectural and design/build firms. Soon after moving to Minnesota in 1997, he accepted a teaching position with Dakota County Technical College where he teaches courses in landscape design, computer aided design (CAD) and woody plant identification. In addition to teaching Brooks is president of Brooks Design Group, Inc. a landscape design and construction services consulting company.  His work has appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, the Northern Gardener and most recently at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Brooks is a member of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association where he sits on the Environmental Concerns Committee and is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

W. James Coile, ASLA, APLD- W. James Coile of Coile and Associates, Inc. located in Pegram, TN is an award-winning designer, lecturer and writer with more than 40 years of professional experience. He holds a BLA degree from the University of Georgia, where he was the recipient of the Neel Reid Scholarship. His portfolio includes work in Governor’s Club and Princeton Hills, having designed the entrances for both those developments, Belle Meade, Northumberland, Brentwood and other parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Coile is a member of the American Association of Landscape Architects (ASLA); Association of Professional Landscape Designers; Pi Lambda Alpha Professional Landscape Architecture Fraternity; and the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He has served on the board of directors for APLD.

Myrna Dowsett, APLD-  Myrna Dowsett is sole owner and designer of the independent landscape design firm Designing Landscapes & Accents, which specializes in upscale residential planning.  She was as an instructor at Portland Community College, in the community education department, where she wrote curriculum to teach landscape design classes to the homeowner. She served as President, Certification and Nominating Chair, and newsletter editor of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers. The garden tours she escorts have taken her to England, France, and China.  Her next excursion is to New Zealand in 2007.

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers is an international organization representing over 1,000 members in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and other countries.  Its goal is to advance landscape design as an independent profession and to promote the recognition of landscape designers as highly qualified, dedicated professionals. APLD was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Harrisburg, PA.  For more information about APLD or about their certification program, visit www.apld.org.