June 25, 2020

Ground Reconsidered Receives 2020 PA-DE ASLA Honor Awards for The Discovery Center and Penn Alexander School

We are pleased to announce that two of our projects received 2020 Professional Design Awards from the PA-DE Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. We received an Honor Award for General Design for THE DISCOVERY CENTER, and an Honor Award for Analysis and Planning for the PENN ALEXANDER SCHOOL: RE-IMAGINING THE SCHOOLYARD.

The Discovery Center’s design presented complicated challenges which involved balancing programming needs for the two primary organizations who use the site: Audubon Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Outward Bound.  The design preserves and strategically enhances the existing habitat which attracts 200+ types of bird, including rare migratory species.  The design reveals the sense of discovery when one first encounters the hidden lake behind the center, opening it to the surrounding neighborhood and Philadelphia beyond.

The plan for Penn Alexander School positions the school as a leader in innovative schoolyard design. It presents children with a stimulating and challenging play setting, fosters learning through play, and connects children to the natural world. It provides teaching opportunities and curriculum development for the school’s faculty. Design consensus was achieved through robust stakeholder outreach that included innovative techniques to gather input from diverse groups, while introducing elementary age students to the profession of Landscape Architecture.