RDG Planning & Design receives four design awards from the Iowa Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) at the annual spring conference May 5, 2010. RDG is recognized with an Honor Award for design work on the Western Technical College – Cleary Courtyard in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Merit Awards for design work were received on the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines and the Belmont Park Natural Playscape in Lincoln, Nebraska. RDG was also recognized with a Merit Award for planning on The Neighborhood at Indian Creek in Marion, Iowa. The ASLA competition acknowledges excellence in Landscape Architectural planning and design by selecting those projects relevant to design quality, functionality and relationship to context, impact on public health, safety and welfare, and overall relevance to landscape architecture, the public and the environment.

RDG, in coordination with HSR Associates, Inc. of La Crosse, provided design and construction services for Western Technical College – Cleary Courtyard, winning an honor award in the Iowa Chapter’s design-built category and a merit award in the Wisconsin Chapter’s general design category. Cleary Courtyard, located in downtown La Crosse, replaces an underutilized plaza and pedestrian corridor to connect students, faculty, staff and other community members in a space that meets the demands of everyday campus life while blending with the surrounding landscape. The environmentally conscious courtyard utilizes sustainable stormwater management practices, green infrastructure, native plants and locally sourced materials.

The design-built merit award winning John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park transformed this once forgotten area of downtown Des Moines into an international destination and a 24/7 environment capable of connecting the spirit of the artist with the public. This 4.4 acre space is organized into simple, elegantly shaped “outdoor rooms” to act as a backdrop for various collections, with no fences, no gates and no admission fee. A relatively small public investment in open space and infrastructure has spawned an overwhelming private and community commitment to this diverse mixed use cultural district.
Two other projects winning merit awards are Belmont Park Natural Playscape and The Neighborhood at Indian Creek. In the design-unbuilt category, Belmont Park Natural Playscape is designed as an outdoor space that is inviting and reflective of the culturally diverse Belmont Neighborhood of Lincoln, Nebraska and encourages play through non-traditional and natural play components. The park creates learning and recreational opportunities through the use of existing natural features, natural play elements and interactive public art. The Neighborhood at Indian Creek, a planning merit award winner, captures the emerging vision of the community of Marion, Iowa for this mixed use development with its Midwestern Architectural character and a neighborhood feel through neo-traditional planning.