2023 Professional Awards
of the Potomac Chapter ASLA

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Washington University in St. Louis East End Transformation 

Michael Vergason Landscape Architects

The landscape architect led a multidisciplinary team to develop a planning framework for the 30-acre campus entry that shifts cars underground, enlivening campus life and creating a pedestrian arrival open to the city and the adjacent Forest Park.

Honor Award in Design-Built

The design is rooted in the historic plan from 1895 by the Olmsted Brothers and the planning of architects Cope and Stewardson.



The project includes eight major components—the central, pedestrian-focused arrival quad, three new academic buildings, an expansion of the public art museum and sculpture garden, two new multi-use pavilions, and an underground 800-car parking garage with a garden welcome court.



A diverse planting palette replaces a monoculture of declining trees and 6+ acres of parking with a beautiful, performative design. The resulting landscape serves as an example of environmental stewardship and encourages interdisciplinary interaction and community engagement, bolstering the university’s core academic mission of groundbreaking discovery, research, and teaching.



Credits
Landscape Architect: Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Ltd.
Client: Washington University in St. Louis
Associate Landscape Architect: Arbolope Studio
Architects: Kieran Timberlake, Moore Ruble Yudell, BNIM, Perkins Eastman
Civil Engineer: Cole Engineering
Soils and Irrigation: Jeffery L. Bruce and Company

Photo Credit

Photos courtesy of Michael Vergason Landscape Architects.

Congratulations to Michael Vergason Landscape Architects.

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