2017 Annual WASLA Conference

Spokane Convention Center, April 21, 2017
One Day, Dynamic Sessions, Ultimate Location

10:15-11:15 AM
Embracing the Indigenous Vernacular: Evolving Cultural Perceptions Through Design

Description:

Landscape Architects seek to create a sense of place that respects and celebrates the history of site. We often overlook our own cultural and societal tendencies, subconsciously bringing a Colonial, Western bias and approach to research and design. Partnered with a truly multicultural, multidisciplinary team of designers and cultural experts, we were able to see through fresh lenses to appropriately engage the rich traditions that are often overlooked or forgotten. We will present the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center, which looks deep in to the cultural and natural history of place, interpreting meanings and peeling back the layers of history to honor the indigenous way of being. The Center serves as just one example of a uniquely designed place; rooted in the land and poised for the future. This exciting design-build project will set the stage for an even more diverse history that is yet to be written.

Lead Speaker:

Mark Sindell

Speaker Bios:

Mark Sindell, Principal, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP BD +C, GGLO
Mark is a Landscape Architect with 20 years of experience blurring the lines between the built and natural environment, bringing place and community to the forefront of projects from their early inception. His approach, applied to a diversity of project typologies has resulted in award winning, beloved and high-performing places that contribute to the communities they are immersed in.

Nakia Williamson-Cloud, Director of Natural Resources, Nez Perce Tribe
The focus of Nakia’s work is to perpetuate ideas and thoughts of the Nez Perce people and to perpetuate the way of life by relating to the land they live on. He is a member of the Nez Perce Nation, an artist in multiple traditional mediums, and a storyteller of historical events. He participated in the Pacific Rim Indigenous Art Gathering and was one of four artists chosen to travel throughout the United States.

Tim Slazinik, PLA, ASLA, LEED GA, GGLO
A Midwest Transplant and Landscape Architect with GGLO, with a decade of experience on projects worldwide, Tim is serving as current WASLA Membership Chair and Executive Committee Member, and project manager on projects across the Pacific Northwest. Tim’s passion for integrated design and horticulture inspire his focus on people-driven places that span market sectors and scales.

Learning Objectives:

Learn how the design-build process can galvanize owner, designer and contractor around a shared project purpose to maximize community impact.
Understand the process of researching the entire history of a site with unique research methods and collaboration process, and how to apply it in practice.
Learn how to thoughtfully express historical and cultural identity to the built environment

21.APRIL.2017

Where History Meets Nature

Spokane Convention Center
Spokane, WA