ASLA 2009 Professional Honor Award

May 28, 2009 – IRVINE, California – The Orange County Great Park Design Team, led by Master Designer and Landscape Architect Ken Smith, won a 2009 Professional Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for their work on the Observation Balloon Preview Park . The Design Team was selected from over 600 entries from around the world – the largest in ASLA history – and was selected one of 18 Honor Awards in the General Design category for recognition. Last year, the Great Park Design Team won an Honor Award for the Orange County Great Park Comprehensive Master Plan.

”Once again, the top landscape architects from throughout the United States selected the Great Park as a stellar example of 21st Century park design,” said Larry Agran, Chair, Orange County Great Park Board Corporation.

Mike Ellzey, Orange County Great Park Corporation Chief Executive Officer added, “This award is a testament to the outstanding Great Park Master Plan design, but it also provides the vision of what will be built into wonderful features that delight the public.”

The 2009 American Society of Landscape Architects Professional Awards Jury proclaims the Great Park design is, “Truly exceptional. Adopting the graphic language of an airfield in a fresh, contemporary way is absolutely the most dramatic thing that could be done and a brilliant political move.”

Ken Smith, Landscape Architect, also won an ASLA Honor Award for the Museum of Modern Art Roof Garden in New York City. Mia Lehrer, Mia Lehrer Associates, and Great Park Design Team member also received an Honor Award for the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan. Other Honor Awards included the Beijing Olympic Forest Park in Beijing, China and the Spadina Wavedeck in Toronto, Canada.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the ASLA for our work on the Preview Park Observation Balloon,” said Ken Smith. “The permanent iconic orange observation balloon represents Orange County’s rich agricultural and military history. It also gives the public a place to come, go up in the balloon, and actually watch the park being built.”

The Great Park is a 1,347 acre project that will become the heart of future districts for living commerce, and life-long learning on the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Orange County, California. The 27-acre Preview Park serves as a visitor center, observation area and prototyping area for elements and features being designed for the Great Park. The first phase of the Preview Park opened with a large orange helium filled observation balloon that rises up to a 500-foot height for a commanding view. The Preview Park introduces several prototypes for the orange groves, stonework, and plantings that will eventually fill the entire park.

Founded in 1899, the ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing 17,000 members in 48 professional chapters and 68 student chapters. The Society’s mission is to lead, to educate, and to participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environments. Members of the Society use their “ASLA” suffix after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession.

Learn more about landscape architecture online at www.asla.org.

Press Contacts:
Steve Larsen
Clerk of the Board / Interim PIO
Orange County Great Park Corporation
(949) 724-7414