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Landscape architects society promotes security by design, green space
By Dennis Quick
Senior Staff Writer
Jersey barriers, those 3- to 5-foot-high concrete walls used to separate traffic lanes and protect against car bombs, are eyesores to local landscape architect David Lycke.
Earlier this year, Lycke and other members of the South Carolina American Society of Landscape Architects joined other landscape architects from around the nation in Washington, D.C., to lobby U.S. senators and congressmen for security barriers that are just as functional yet more aesthetically pleasing than Jersey barriers, which Lycke noted arose after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“We spoke about the need for the country to move from the temporary security measures thrown up immediately after Sept. 11 to permanent solutions that protect our important institutions without creating fortresses and impediments to the citizens of this country,” wrote Lycke, vice president of West Ashley-based landscape architecture firm HLA Inc., in a recent chapter newsletter.
“We then spoke about the unique qualifications that landscape architects possess to lead the effort on this emerging and important area of site design.”
In an HLA conference room lined with the firm’s renderings and layouts for a variety of Lowcountry landscaping projects, Lycke pointed out that landscape design devices such as planters could be used to shield buildings and control human and automobile traffic.
Lycke is trustee of the South Carolina American Society of Landscape Architects, a 200-member chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, which has about 16,000 members nationwide, according to Lycke.
As the South Carolina chapter’s trustee, Lycke serves as liaison to Washington, D.C., and leads the chapter’s lobbying efforts there. “Lobby Day” is an annual event for the national organization as chapters from different states meet in the nation’s capital to discuss landscape architecture issues with the government and among themselves.
Thinking green
The preservation of the natural environment, usually referred to as green space, was another issue Lycke and his colleagues voiced during their trip to Washington.
The landscape architects asked the politicians to support the passage of the Water Resources Development Act, which will fund Army Corps of Engineer projects aimed at restoring wetlands, marshes and coastal barrier islands, Lycke said.
Green space has become an increasingly important design element, Lycke said.
Additionally, neighborhoods and communities are being designed more with pedestrians in mind. Sidewalks, parks, walking trails and alleys connecting streets are increasingly popular features, Lycke said.
Even if they do not do the actual designing themselves, landscape architects tend to be involved with design projects in their communities. For instance, local landscape architects are guiding the re-design of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant and the design of Mount Pleasant’s waterfront park, Lycke said.
Public education
The South Carolina American Society of Landscape Architects formed in the late 1970s and comprises more than 60 landscape architecture firms. Most of the chapter’s members are in the Charleston area, Lycke said.
The chapter offers its members employment information, job and resume postings, news concerning the profession and resources for professional and student landscape architects. It also provides networking opportunities through special events such as the National Landscape Architecture Month awards ceremony, held in April at the City Gallery in downtown Charleston.
The chapter and the national society are trying to increase membership and educate the public about landscape architecture, which the American Society of Landscape Architects defines as “the analysis, planning, design, management and stewardship of the natural and built environments.”
The profession involves civil engineering, surveying and grading, plus design skills. Universities like Clemson offer bachelor’s degrees in field.
“We’re the glue between the building architects and the civil engineers,” Lycke said.
Dennis Quick is senior staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at dquick@charlestonbusiness.com.
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