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HGOR and GEORGIA WILDLIFE FEDERATION WINS BIG IN U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL COMPETITIONS
Landscape Architecture Firm Employees Win USGBC Local and National Awards
ATLANTA, February 11, 2008 – HGOR, an Atlanta-based, national landscape architecture firm, today announced several members of its team, Sarah Thomas, Haley Heard and Christina Carlisle, won big in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Natural Talent Design Competition. Thomas, Heard and Carlisle received an Honorable Mention for Site Context and Integrated Design for their work on the new Nature Center for the Georgia Wildlife Federation. The competition took place during the USGBC’s annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo.
“We are extremely proud of the success that Sarah, Haley and Christina achieved in winning the Emerging Green Builders award at the USGBC’s national competition. Since their arrival at this firm, Sarah, Christina and Haley have been instrumental in expanding our green initiatives. They approached the competition with incredible enthusiasm and worked diligently to create a facility that respected the site and its interaction with the building,” said Steve Sanchez, ASLA, principal with HGOR.
Prior to winning the USGBC award, the three HGOR designers participated on the winning team for the 2007 Atlanta Emerging Green Builders Natural Design Competition. Their task was to design the new Nature Center for the Georgia Wildlife Federation. The team, including Nandita Vyas of Rutledge Alcock and John Cantrell of HOK, called themselves “6 Degrees.” While the team developed the design, they kept in mind the aesthetic appearance, but also integrated social, economic and environmental design solutions to the project.
After winning the Atlanta Emerging Green Builders Natural Design Competition, the team then qualified for a chance to compete in the USGBC’s Natural Talent Design Competition. Here, the team received honors from judges citing that “the comprehensive site analysis and systems integration seen in this design of a nature center was extremely thoughtful and thorough.” Judges also found noteworthy the design’s consideration of the integration between natural systems and building systems.
“The project site was selected by the Georgia Wildlife Federation, but it had a special meaning to our office as we had created a trail system through the adjoining wetland years before,” said Sanchez. “With this knowledge of the site, we were able to give unique insight to their design. What they produced in the end was a beautiful marriage of the building and the site. HGOR hopes the Georgia Wildlife Federation is also excited by the win and will make every effort to take the design to the ultimate goal of construction,” he added.
The Atlanta Regional Chapter USGBC Emerging Green Builders is a committee of students and young professionals focused on teaching and exposing future leaders to the importance of the green, environmentally sustainable movement. The group provides networking, support and learning opportunities to its members in order to integrate green building into their careers and studies.
ABOUT HGOR
HGOR is a nationally recognized firm that embraces the challenges of creating places of social value, economic sustainability and environmental stewardship. With a staff of 40 planners, urban designers, landscape architects, environmental specialists and support staff, HGOR focuses on quality service and innovative solutions to complex design issues. For more information, visit www.hgor.com.