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Newsletter of the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University
Aggie Workshop 2011 featured luminary speakers, design charrettes, panel discussions and fun-filled social events during its Feb. 11-12 run at Texas A&M’s Langford Architecture Center.
It was the 36th annual conference, organized and hosted by the Texas A&M student chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and open to landscape architecture students from all universities.
Focusing on “professionalism,” event chair Grant Jones said Workshop 2011 offered an inside look at how the industry works while focusing on "real-world" issues confronting professional landscape architects.
Keynote speaker
Landscape architect Jim Burnett, founding principal of the award-winning Houston-based design and planning firm, The Office of James Burnett, headed up an impressive list of distinguished design professionals lecturing at the event.
Burnett’s dedication to creating meaningful spaces that challenge the conventional boundaries of landscape architecture has garnered him more than 50 state and national design awards for innovative projects. Employing a unique, multidisciplinary approach to his work, he often collaborates with architects, planners, artists, and other professionals, including doctors and scientists, to design landscapes with a particularly strong focus on promoting healthy living. A fellow in the ASLA, Burnett’s work and writings in health care design have been widely published.
Charrettes
Workshop participants had an opportunity to gain some hands-on experience while working shoulder-to-shoulder with practitioners and graphic designers at Workshop 2011's two charrettes.
Jones said students "created designs that address real-world issues.” And, unlike previous workshop charrettes, hosted by a single firm, this year Workshop organizers are “implementing a few changes aimed at promoting collaboration between teams.”
The graphic design segment of Workshop 2011 was expanded to include two seminars led by architectural illustrator John Moon of Moon Design in Temple, Texas. Moon, who characterizes himself as an “illustration arms dealer,” has a background in landscape architecture and has been producing award-winning illustrations and designs for 17 years.
The graphic charrette was divided into a seminar on traditional hand drawing and another focusing on computer generated graphics; both seminars were repeated, offering participants an opportunity to explore both media while working directly with graphic design professionals.
Social events
The 2011 Aggie Workshopwas held in conjunction with a Class of 1981 reunion of Texas A&M landscape architecture graduates. The visiting former students will be guests of honor at a formal dinner Feb. 11.
“The class of ’81 has remained loyal and strong to our program throughout the years and we were pleased that they asked us to combine our events,” said Jones. “In honor of their class, we decided to give this year’s social an 80’s theme."
Contact: Phillip Rollfing, prollfing@archone.tamu.edu or 979.458.0442.
