Penn State, Chatham Teams Win UPMC Student Design Competition
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 23, 2012 – Seven teams of landscape architecture students from Penn State University and Chatham University recently participated in the UPMC-sponsored Living Visual Barrier Student Design Competition in which the students had the opportunity to compete for a $5,000 cash prize.
“This competition is a great way to showcase the talent of our local collegiate programs. It provides the opportunity to collaborate with our local resources to ensure that UPMC keeps sustainability at the forefront of what we do every day. The designs that were presented by each group were advanced and innovative, which made choosing a winner quite difficult,” said Tom Gronow, vice president, Operations, UPMC Mercy. “In the end, all of the presentations showcased the wealth of talent to which we have access in the region.”
The goal of competing students was to appropriately conceal adjacent areas without obstructing access, create aesthetically appealing and visually engaging landscaping that is easy to maintain across the seasons, optimize storm water management, comply with the City of Pittsburgh’s property management regulations, and incorporate urban sustainable landscape vegetation and technique.
Students had the opportunity to tour both facilities prior to creating their designs and were permitted to take necessary measurements. The contest mandated that the design of the students be distinctly different from current landscape design.
Criteria of judgment included content, demonstration of expertise, overall effective communication, frame valuation of structure, design plan, project timeline, budget and maintenance plan.
An esteemed panel of judges evaluated the work of the students in this professional development opportunity. External judges included Susan Rademacher, curator, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy; Ben Dunigan, curator, Phipps Conservatory; and Jon Swerigan, landscape architect, Fahringer, McCarty, Grey, Inc. Internal judges included John Krolicki, vice president, Facilities and Support Services, UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside; Brian Mathie, project manager, Construction Management, UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside; Mark Kinney, senior project manager, Construction, UPMC Mercy; James Schmitt, interior design manager for UPMC Hospitals; Patrick Hogan, senior facility director, UPMC Shadyside; and Regis Scott McIntyre, senior lead, Grounds Management, UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside.
“UPMC has a strong commitment to maintaining environmental sustainability in health care,” said Allison Robinson, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.W., director,
UPMC Environmental Initiatives. “UPMC values sustainable landscaping at every hospital campus, as demonstrated through the maintenance of our healing gardens, roof top gardens and colorful landscaping at hospital main entrances.”
UPMC’s Environmental Initiatives program incorporates environmental sustainability through pursues environmental health change through education, internal and external collaboration on policy development, and policy implementation.