Upcoming ASLA-NCC Living Wall Seminar

Join ASLA – NCC on February 16th for the next lecture in its 2012 lecture series: Living Walls  – the Intersection of Art, Ecology and Technology!

Living walls ignite the imagination of designers everywhere. And what is not to like, for as encapsulated visions of nature with their seemingly perfect beauty contained on a wall or screen, they tend to idealize nature in the urban realm. The panelists will expand the dialogue on living walls to explore the many facets and perspectives of how living walls create a perfect intersect of design, environmental science and sustainable technology.  Dialogue will include both public and private sector projects and a discussion on available technologies and resources. Many of these walls and living design manifestations have been emerging as a response to today’s urban issues such as tight urban spaces, the general trend towards greener cities, fostering habitat in blighted neighborhoods, and emissions reductions. Some of the living wall projects that will be shared include recent Bay Area installations including the Drew School Wall, 12 Gallagher Lane, and the Metreon’s Moving Art Panels. Plus, there will be artful and inspiring examples from cities around the globe that may prove to expand your own definition of living walls. The question: “How sustainable are living walls – are they an urban panacea or just an iconic fad?” will be explored by each presenter.

Panelists leading the evening’s conversation are:

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New Continuing Education Course: Green Walls – Integrating Nature into Buildings

Tournesol Siteworks is sponsoring a new CEU course, presented by McGraw-Hill at their Construction.com website.  We’ve spent the last three years talking about living walls to architects, landscape architects and designers. There has always been a huge interest in the topic, and we thought it would be worthwhile to expand our own efforts to teach the design community.

The course, written by Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED-AP, incorporates both living wall and green facade topics. It draws inspiration as well from the Living Walls 101 Course developed by the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities organization.  McGraw-Hill has indicated that there has been strong interest in the course so far, even without much promotion!

We’d love any feedback you might have about the value the course, and the corresponding CEU credit has for you. From our understanding, all AIA approved CEU courses are also eligible for ASLA CEU credits, and even USGBC LEED credits.  Let us know what you think.