USGBC-LA Honors FormLA Landscaping Clients, Projects and Friends
December 12, 2019. LOS ANGELES – At its 15th Green Gala, the Los Angeles Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC-LA) recognized two FormLA Landscaping clients and a dear community partner for their innovations and impact.
U.S. Green Building Council Sustainable Innovation Awards recognize exceptional achievement and innovation and affirm a project team’s commitment to a sustainable built environment. Award categories mirror the organization’s LEED certification criteria, they also reflect the LA chapter’s emphasis on good design, community engagement and equity.
Thomas Safran Associates | Gateway at Willowbrook
Water Savings – Merit
Health & Wellbeing – Merit
Site Selection – Merit
The Gateway at Willowbrook delivers an abundance of nature where LA most needs it. The site, adjacent to the 110 Freeway Willowbrook exit and the Rosa Parks Metro Station, offers a beautiful, walkable entrance to the community. By leaving abundant space for nature, Thomas Safran Associates set the stage for gardens that absorb runoff from the community’s ample hardscapes. Formerly unhoused seniors, and Willowbrook residents more broadly, can expect improved health outcomes as a result of their innovation. Learn More (Video)
The Matloff Family | Matloff Family Residence
Water Savings – Honor
Photo: Stephen Matloff, 2018
Nestled within the high-end and high water use neighborhood of Windsor Square, the Matloff Family Residence showcases an authentic lush, leafy, low-water look for LA gardens. Rather than hiding water-workhorses, including an expansive bioswale, edible garden and orchard, IdealMow meadow, and permeable hardscapes, they courageously placed these features in the front garden. In doing so, they inspired conversation and proved that a water-saving landscape can enhance curb appeal – and community.
Both of the projects awarded were designed by FormLA Lead Designer Isara Ongwiseth who notes: “It was a joy to work with clients so determined to the sustainability and overall impact of their projects and to see their courage and innovation rewarded.”
J Lopez | LA County Fire Department
Resiliency Award
For more than 30 years, J Lopez has improved the resilience of Los Angeles County through research of wildfire and community education. He has been critical to our understanding of the relationship between our building and landscaping decisions and wildfire risk mitigation. Both USGBC-LA and FormLA Landscaping look forward to working together to make Los Angeles safer and more resilient.
“USGBC-LA is about people, and using community as the theme of our Green Gala this year was not only a great way to honor that, but also to put our communities at the heart of the conversation around sustainability. Our members, who design, build and operate the environments where we spend nearly 90% of our time, do an amazing job of pushing each other to go further each year. These projects and the people who made them happen deserve to be honored to bring more attention to the work they are doing and to drive others to go even further,” shares USGBC-LA Executive Director Ben Stapleton.
More Information
Builder.Media: 9th Annual USGBC-LA Sustainable Innovation Awards