2026 VTASLA Award Recipients
VTASLA Award of Excellence
Landscape Architectural Planning, Research, and Analysis
Barre City River Access Master Plan – Submitted by Dubois & King, inc.
The goal of the Barre City River Access Master Plan is to remove barriers to the enjoyment of the rivers for all Barre residents and visitors. It is an inclusive master planning and design effort to improve and connect existing and potential river access sites, and to develop wayfinding and interpretive signs that highlight these features of the City landscape. In 2024, Friends of the Winooski River (FWR) received a Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) grant to partner with Barre City on a River Access Master Plan aimed at safely and equitably connecting people of all backgrounds and abilities to local waterways while promoting health, outdoor recreation, and environmental stewardship. The plan provides practical templates for site design, wayfinding, and interpretive signage; developed through a robust community engagement process; and funding recommendations to advance priority projects.
Landscape Architectural Planning, Research, and Analysis
Merit Award, Mather Homestead Cultural Landscape Report – Submitted by Heritage Landscapes
The Mather Homestead Cultural Landscape Report (MHCLR) is a historically informed master plan intended to preserve and enhance the historic integrity of the landscape while addressing contemporary needs and enhancing visitor experiences. Effectively employing a limited professional services budget, the CLR aims to retain, reinforce, and renew the historic character of the site, ensuring its sustainability and maintainability for the future while welcoming increased community uses.
Merit Award, New Hampshire Campground Expansion Feasibility Study – Submitted by SE Group.
The Campground Expansion Feasibility Study was initiated to guide strategic reinvestment across New Hampshire’s State Park campgrounds in response to record visitation. The project evaluated how camping opportunities could expand while protecting natural and historic resources and establishing a clear roadmap for future design and construction. The landscape architects served as the lead consultant for the statewide feasibility study, coordinating a multidisciplinary team that included architects, civil engineers, natural resource specialists, and cultural resource professionals.
Honor Award, Bok Tower Gardens Cultural Landscape Report – Submitted by Heritage Landscapes
The Bok Tower Gardens Cultural Landscape Report and Management Plan focuses on 106 acres of the National Historic Landmark, influenced and shaped by Edward C. Bok, owner, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., and William Lyman Phillips, Landscape Architects. The report comprehensively documents the history, evolution, design and character of the landscape through today to establish compatible and responsive future directions.
Landscape Architectural Communication
Honor Award, Planting Fields – Submitted by Heritage Landscapes
For this new beautifully illustrated book, Patricia O’Donnell authored a chapter from the perspective of the Landscape Architect on the future of this historic property. Integrated thinking presents nature as equally important as the designed landscape. The narrative and images provide readers with insights into the practice of Landscape Architecture by presenting research findings, issues, and well-developed recommendations that lead to effective implementation.
Landscape Architectural Design
Merit Award, Lakepoint Residence – Submitted by Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture
Located on the shores of Lake Champlain, the landscape architect developed a master plan for this expansive property on Shelburne Point. The master plan includes the main house, a guest cottage adjacent the water, barn, and future sports amenities around the property.
Merit Award, Mill Hill Accessibility Improvements – Submitted by Heritage Landscapes
This project aimed to recapture a public asset and historic landscape by designing and executing a sensitive project for the currently overgrown hillside-the Mill Hill Historic Landscape. The Mill Hill Jail and Barn landscape project has successfully brought broad scenery and learning space to the community and visitors. It connects Historic Mill Hill Historical Park to elevate public awareness of these heritage assets.
Merit Award, Lake Willoughby South End and Mount Pisgah Trailhead Improvements – Submitted by SE Group
The Lake Willoughby South End + Mt. Pisgah Trailhead Improvements project is designed to provide more accessible active and passive recreation opportunities to one of Vermont’s most iconic landscapes while managing users and natural resources for sustainable use in the long term. The project also addresses trail improvements at Mt Pisgah Trailhead, located ½ mile up the road and serving as the primary portal to the hiking trail accessing the summit of the cliff-banded summit visible to the East of the lake.
Merit Award, Memorial Cemetery of St. John’s Church Terrabarium – Submitted by Heritage Landscapes
The Memorial Cemetery of St. John’s Church was reaching columbarium capacity as an increasing number of parishioners preferred cremations. The cemetery bears historical importance for the Rural Cemetery design style that was transformed in the 20th century by the Olmsted Brothers to reflect a more park-like landscape as a dignified setting for the deceased, their families, and friends. Though commissioned to expand above-ground capacity to address the interment of cremains, the Landscape Architect developed a terrabarium solution that responds to the setting and uplifts the characteristic Olmsted Brothers landscape elements foundational to the design.
Honor Award, Northfield Wayfinding – Submitted by Dubois & King, inc.
Building upon the Northfield Town Forest Access Feasibility Study (2022), ‘A Wayfinding Plan for Northfield, VT’ translated identified access needs into a buildable wayfinding system for the Town of Northfield’s trail network and community destinations. This project required identifying navigation gaps within the existing trail system on Paine Mountain, and using those gaps to inform the types of wayfinding signs needed, as well as priority installation sites. The intent was to design a wayfinding system that expanded recreation access while accounting for municipal capacity.
Honor Award, Creekside Park – Submitted by SE Group
Creekside Park is a park renovation to modernize the guest experience at Beaver Creek Resort; creating a contemporary community gather space and a destination playscape. Delivering a re-imagined community park, featuring a nature inspired yet modern multi-use space and playground, Creekside Park is inspired by the themes of stewardship, play, education, and accessibility. Together the themes unite into an inspiring park space for generations to gather, recreate, and relax while celebrating the natural alpine environment of the mountain valley landscape. The park is the major green tissue within the resort fabric; acting as the central park of Beaver Creek. The park is comprised of two primary areas: the lower park which features the “Birds of Play” playscape and the upper park featuring a multi-use lawn space featuring a contemporary pavilion.
