Need Help Selecting Plants for Your Landscape? Ask a Landscape Architect. By Erik Jones, Landscape Architect Here in Alaska planting design can be a challenge given our northern climate and wide range of environments. Plant selection can make or break a planting design, so it is essential to consider several factors before putting anything in […]
4 Myths About Landscape Architecture in Alaska By Laura Minski, Landscape Architect Hello…and happy World Landscape Architecture Month! This article kicks off a series of blog posts by our in-house landscape architecture team to help others recognize and learn more about what we believe is one of the best professions around. Let’s start with a […]
Celebrating World Environment Day Year-Round Energy Efficiency. Energy efficiency is top-of-mind for virtually every building owner or project manager we work with. Alaska’s harsh weather conditions, coupled with supply issues and remote locations, make optimizing a facility’s energy use both challenging and mandatory. Reduced energy use not only lowers operational costs, it also directly […]
Celebrating Landscape Architecture Month! What is Landscape Architecture. Landscape architecture is a combination of design, strategy, and guidance. Practitioners must be skilled in the art of sculpting the land itself and have a deep understanding of the past, present, and desired future conditions of our environment. Due to their multidisciplinary training, landscape architects may […]
Spenard Road This much-needed reconstruction of Spenard Road from Hillcrest Drive to 30th Avenue, in Anchorage, Alaska significantly improved vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle connectivity and safety. The project created a road that is safe, welcoming, accessible, and convenient for all users and multiple forms of transportation. The team’s landscape architects provided site planning, landscape, […]
Next Generation Designers & Builders At the beginning of July, I had the pleasure to participate in AIA Alaska Northern Section’s first-ever architecture workshop for kids. The design problem: the perfect tree fort or clubhouse. The solutions: ten incredibly different and creative structures with ladders, hammocks, zip lines, water collection systems, off-grid alternative energy […]
A Whale Raising Exhibit This spring there occurred at the University of Alaska Museum of the North (UAMN) a whale raising. Like a historic barn raising, there was immense preparation, wide participation across many different specializations, and a well-deserved celebration at completion. Unlike a barn raising, the result was a 43-foot bowhead whale skeleton […]
Celebrating Solstice: Daylight & Design Design in Alaska seeks to find a balance amongst many unique Northern conditions and project demands. Daylight is one of those challenging Alaskan conditions that requires a thoughtful, deliberate approach to optimize daylight at the extremes of and in between summer and winter solstices. The continuum that our extreme […]
North Pole Veterinary Hospital, A Renovation and Expansion. Growing out of the space provided by their existing 1980’s facility and site layout, North Pole Veterinary Hospital approached Bettisworth North with a unique design opportunity: to identify a solution to their needs as a vet hospital to include the “Fear Free” pet model. The owners […]