News

July 8, 2016 - Today Long Beach City officials broke ground for the new 22-acre Civic Center. The new mixed-use district includes a new City Hall, Port Headquarters and Main Library, along with a re-activated Lincoln Park and new residential, retail and hotel commercial development.

“We are so pleased to be a part of the revitalization of Long Beach’s downtown civic core and look forward to seeing the collective vision of the public and project team realized,” said Jennifer Guthrie, GGN founding principal.

GGN’s landscape design is strategically planned to be an inviting and welcoming civic place for a broad demographic of users, morning through night. Thoughtful attention is placed on the integration of active program elements that will draw these users, such as a children’s play area, dog park, musician’s corner, flexible lawn spaces, and public seating. A robust palette of water-wise plants and adapted species will provide educational value to visitors.

Civic design moves include restoring Long Beach’s historic streetgrid, linking pedestrian spaces through plazas and promenades, opening up site lines to maximize signature views, and expanding the city’s existing bike system.

This project is targeting New Development LEED Gold Certification.

The Civic Center is being developed under an innovative public-private partnership with Plenary-Edgemoor Civic Partners and the City of Long Beach.

June 11, 2016 – On June 10 and 11, over 700 people attended the Landscape Architecture Foundation "Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future" at the University of Pennsylvania. The Summit was called to "critically reflect on what landscape architecture has achieved over the last 50 years and present bold ideas for what it should achieve in the future.” Jennifer Guthrie, President-Elect of the Landscape Architecture Foundation, worked with the LAF Board and LAF Staff to plan this successful event.

Over the course of the two days, 70 established and emerging leaders presented their “Declarations” and engaged in lively debate about realizing landscape architecture’s potential and effecting real world change. Kathryn Gustafson was one of these distinguished speakers, and she spoke about the importance of resiliency and its relationship to beauty and the human spirit.

In addition to Kathryn Gustafson, several members of GGN's team were in attendance at the Summit, including Rodrigo Abela, Grant Stewart, Keith McPeters, Bernie Alonzo, Tess Schiavone, Jill Fortuna, Emily Scott, Michael Benson, Meg Herndon, and Cheryl dos Remedios.

From this Summit, the Landscape Architecture Foundation will redraft a new declaration that will set the course for landscape architecture to make its vital contribution in the 21st century. LAF also plans to produce a landmark publication of the ideas presented at the Summit.

May 27, 2016 - Several talented individuals have joined the staff of landscape architecture firm GGN.

Ashley Ludwig joins GGN as an Associate, following several years practicing landscape architecture in New York. She is a project leader for the India Basin Shoreline Park and the Long Beach Civic Center projects, both located in California.

Katherine Liss joins GGN as an Associate, following seven years practicing landscape architecture in New York. She is leading GGN projects throughout the United States.

Alex McCay joins as a Designer, having received his Masters in Landscape Architecture from Pennsylvania State University last year.

Wolfgang Umana joins as the Administrator of GGN’s Washington, DC workspace, having recently received a degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University.

May 27, 2016 - GGN is pleased to announce the promotion of key team members. Laurel Li was promoted to Designer, and Cheryl dos Remedios was promoted to Marketing & Communications Senior Associate.

May 13, 2016 – Today Rodrigo Abela and Emily Scott provided short mentoring sessions at the High School Design Summit hosted by the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building in Washington, DC. Over 200 students participated in this opportunity to meet with designers from a variety of fields, including fashion, architecture, and product design.

GGN was the recipient of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Architecture in 2011.

March 31, 2016 - Writing for Architizer, Paul Keskeys announced the keynote speakers for Banff Session 2016 today. "Every two years, many of the world’s top architects and design professionals gather to discuss topical issues pertaining to the built environment in the heart of the country’s stunning mountainous landscape. . . .Now in its 60th year, this year’s conference has been given the theme of “Convergence,” intended to reflect the 21st-century merging of disciplines including psychology, environmental science and economics.

"While the destination is characteristically Canadian, architects from all over the world will be in attendance. Keynote speakers include Shannon Nichol of Seattle-based firm Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Angela Ferguson of Australian studio futurespace [pictured above, far left] and Charles Walker, Director at Zaha Hadid Architects in London [pictured above, middle]. Brigitte Shim and Howard Sutcliffe of Toronto-based firm Shim-Sutcliffe Architects will also give their views, along with J. Robert Hillier of New Jersey practice Studio Hillier."

March 15, 2016 - Shannon Nichol met with students and faculty at the College of Environment + Design at the University of Georgia today. Her visit included a mid-day lecture.