Erik Jensen, a 2nd year Landscape Architecture student, was recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects for his design of the 16th Street Station. Erik Jensen, who graduated in May 2014 with a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture and City Planning, has been honored by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for his innovative design of the 16th Street Station in Oakland. The award recognizes distinguished projects ranging from residential to institutional designs around the world; out of 500 applicants in 2014, only 21 received the award. Jensen designed a proposal for the repurposing of the abandoned West Oakland train station into a tranquil park filled with trees to improve air quality in the surrounding area and to honor the historic building that was erected in 1912. “The project was conceived as a political meditation on the widespread change…in the site itself — West Oakland,” Jensen says. Jensen’s project focuses on minimalism and sustainability by retaining many elements of the building while redesigning the irrigation and drainage. The plan features a water system that incorporates recycled water from the East Bay Metropolitan Utility District. “I hope it might elucidate our field’s need to expand beyond self-imposed limits of thought to address a plurality of issues in an honest, minimal, and humble way,” Jensen says. Awards will be presented at the ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO in Denver on November 24. To learn more about Jensen’s project and to apply to the 2015 ASLA Student Awards, visit the ASLA website.
Erik Jensen, a 2nd year Landscape Architecture student, was recognized by the American Society of Landscape Architects for his design of the 16th Street Station. Erik Jensen, who graduated in May 2014 with a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture and City Planning, has been honored by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for his innovative design of the 16th Street Station in Oakland. The award recognizes distinguished projects ranging from residential to institutional designs around the world; out of 500 applicants in 2014, only 21 received the award. Jensen designed a proposal for the repurposing of the abandoned West Oakland train station into a tranquil park filled with trees to improve air quality in the surrounding area and to honor the historic building that was erected in 1912. “The project was conceived as a political meditation on the widespread change…in the site itself — West Oakland,” Jensen says. Jensen’s project focuses on minimalism and sustainability by retaining many elements of the building while redesigning the irrigation and drainage. The plan features a water system that incorporates recycled water from the East Bay Metropolitan Utility District. “I hope it might elucidate our field’s need to expand beyond self-imposed limits of thought to address a plurality of issues in an honest, minimal, and humble way,” Jensen says. Awards will be presented at the ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO in Denver on November 24. To learn more about Jensen’s project and to apply to the 2015 ASLA Student Awards, visit the ASLA website.