News
ASLA Awards honor in general design to american veterans disabled for life memorial
SEP. 4 2020 | MVLA is proud to receive an ASLA Honor Award for General Design for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, DC, which recognizes the lives and phoenix-like transformations of our service men and women from all branches of the military. We thank them for their sacrifice and courage, and ASLA for recognizing the place that honors them.
Architecture|DC features The wharf’s 7th Street Park and Recreation Pier
JAN. 18 2021 | Architecture|DC has released their Winter 2020 Issue, Making Nice With Nature, with a feature on The Wharf’s 7th Street Park and Recreation Pier. Michael Vergason was interviewed for the article, which details the design decisions and technological tools behind this beloved community landscape on page 44.
BLACK LIVES MATTER
JUN. 5 2020 | Our public spaces hold and shape the values of our culture. As designers, we play a role in creating just and healthy places for all people. We can do more and understand better.
Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity with the Black community against racial injustice and police brutality. We are committed to educating ourselves to challenge norms and design for inclusive, positive change within our communities. We can do more to put people first, to strive for a more civil and just society.
MVLA WINS ASLA POTOMAC Merit Award for Fort WOrth Arena
MAY 14 2020 | MVLA’s 5-acre green roof surrounding the Fort Worth Arena has received a Merit Award from the Potomac Chapter of ASLA. The design strategically weaves robust flexibility into a layout that emphasizes green spaces, circulation routes, and arrival and entries.
washington university in st. louis WINS SOCIETY FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY PLANNING AWARD
APR. 14 2020 | The East End Transformation has been awarded the 2020 Honor Award for Excellence in Planning from SCUP. This is the highest annual award for campus planning.
MVLA sends best wishes to All during covid-19
MAR. 16 2020 | MVLA hopes you and your community are healthy and safe during this unprecedented time. Our team members are working remotely and continue to be committed to meeting schedules and project needs. We are checking emails and voicemails regularly. Please do not hesitate to contact team members directly, either by email or phone. Be well!
MVLA’s work for washington university in st. louis featured in architect magazine
FEB. 25 2020 | Katie Gerfen writes about the pivotal role landscape takes in Washington University in St. Louis’ East End Transformation in the cover story of the most recent issue of Architect Magazine.
Michael Vergason Interviewed for RECREATION mANAGEMENT
JAN. 31 2019 | Dave Ramont’s new article, The Spaces We Share, has just been published on Recreation Management. In it, he interviews Michael Vergason about the thought process behind designing Sundance Square Plaza as a socially and climate conscious destination in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas.
FIND US ON LANDEZINE
DEC. 11 2019 | Landscape architecture platform Landezine is featuring a profile on MVLA. Check it out to see some of the firm’s favorite projects and enjoy one of the most popular and inspiring websites about landscape architecture and the people who practice it.
dickies arena celebrates grand opening
OCT. 26 2019 | A new project has been unveiled in Fort Worth, Texas: Dickies Arena celebrated its Grand Opening with tours and entertainment in late October. MVLA collaborated with David M. Schwarz Architects to create a landscaped plaza that sits above the event level and livestock facilities, with fantastic views of downtown Fort Worth.
‘SQUARE DANCE’ TRENDS AT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE
OCT. 22 2019 | Check out the 2016 article about Fort Worth’s Sundance Square Plaza that’s trending right now after the ASLA awards announcement. Written by Jonathan Lerner, the article discuss how the project “flips the script on developer-driven civic spaces.” Interviews with Michael Vergason detail the complexities of the project.
MVLA has moved!
OCT. 14 2019 | Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Ltd. has moved to a new location. Happily, we’re still in Old Town, Alexandria, the community that we love. Drop us a line and come say hi!
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS EAST END TRANSFORMATION DEDICATED
OCT. 3 2019 | After years of intensive development, the East End Transformation is now open to students and faculty. MVLA congratulates Washington University in St. Louis on this achievement, which is the largest capital project in the school’s history. The firm looks forward to future projects at this prestigious institution.
MVLA WINS 2019 NATIONAL ASLA HONOR AWARD
OCT. 1 2019 | MVLA is pleased to announce that Sundance Square Plaza has won a 2019 National ASLA Honor Award. The Awards Jury says, "The plaza is a spirited social hub that has emerged as a symbol of urban pride and an emblem of the richness of the city’s diverse cultures."
The Wharf wins ULI Global Award for Excellence
SEP. 5 2019 | Eleven real estate projects from around the globe, including DC’s Wharf, have been selected as winners of the 2019 ULI Global Awards for Excellence. This award is widely recognized as one of the development industry’s most prestigious. MVLA is one of several firms honored by the recognition.
MATT SICKLE WINS ANOVA ASLA GRANT
SEP. 3 2019 | With an entry that posited landscape architects should act as advocates for “the reshaping of spaces that do not reflect community values,” MVLA’s Matt Sickle has won a grant to attend the National ASLA Conference in San Diego this fall. Look for him at the conference and follow his Instagram account, Monument Blog, for thoughts on monuments, memorials, and public art.
The Wharf’s Recreation Pier Featured in ASLA blog The Dirt
AUG. 8 2019 | Ian Dillon describes MVLA’s design process in his post, The Latest and Greatest from D.C.’s Landscape Architects. Michael Vergason recently spoke about the Recreation Pier on a panel hosted by Potomac Chapter ASLA alongside four other distinguished practitioners.
Thomas Baker Leads Sketch Crawl Through Glenstone Campus and Museum for Potomac ASLA
JUL. 13 2019 | MVLA’s Thomas Baker led a sketch tour through the grounds of Glenstone. The property encompasses two buildings, several outdoor sculptures and more than 230 acres of rolling meadows, woodlands, and streams, designed by Adam Greenspan and Peter Walker of PWP Landscape Architecture.
Normandy American Cemetery Welcomes Visitors for 75th Anniversary of D-Day
JUN. 1 2019 | Just in time for the 75th anniversary of the Allied landing on the beaches of Normandy that turned the tide of World War II in Europe, the Visitor Center at Normandy American Cemetery has re-opened. Normandy is ABMC's most visited cemetery, receiving approximately one million visitors each year.
2019 Potomac ASLA Awards Announced
MAY 16 2019 | MVLA has won Potomac ASLA Awards for The Wharf’s 7th Street Park and Recreation Pier in Washington, DC and Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. These fall into the categories of Honors Award for Built Design and Merit Award for Historic Preservation, respectively. MVLA thanks the chapter for their consideration and is honored to be recognized.
SUNDANCE SQUARE PLAZA NAMED ONE OF CNU’S TEN GREAT PUBLIC SQUARES
MAY 13 2019 | MVLA is pleased to announce that Sundance Square Plaza has been named one of Ten Great Public Squares by Congress for New Urbanism. The project is honored alongside greats like Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, Washington Square in New York, and Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.
International Spy Museum Grand Opening
MAY 12 2019 | The new International Spy Museum at L'Enfant Plaza is officially opening its doors! MVLA designed a landscape that connects the new site for this popular museum to its surroundings and establishes a central, public plaza with moveable furniture, lush plantings, and abundant light. The work underlines a graceful and contemporary urban aesthetic, open to all.
Lan Hogue and Ana Quintana Present Gender Equity in the Built Environment Lecture for Women in Architecture
APR. 25 2019 | Kicking off a series hosted by the Women in Architecture Committee of Northern Virginia, MVLA’s Lan Hogue and Ana Quintana lecture and sit as panelists for a lively discussion on the way landscapes can and should be adapted for gender equity.
Heritage Tree Relocation at City Ridge in Washington, DC
JAN. 23 2019 | At 65 feet tall and 600,000 pounds, three heritage oak trees required an intensive preservation effort. MVLA sited and oversaw their relocation along Wisconsin Avenue in our nation’s capital.