Highlighter Summer 2015

8 | Pond & Company Matt Wilder, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP BD+C, Director of our Landscape Architecture group, champions the Parks and Recreation projects here at Pond. He takes his commitment to recreation and conservation seriously. It shows in his office where he works via a desk lamp instead of the overhead fluorescents and in his dedication to alternative transportation. Matt’s design philosophy is rooted in the human experience – to create places with an environmental ethic, designing for longevity, and creating regenerative landscapes. By developing landscapes and places that consider the health of the environment and the health of the community, now and into the future, he and his team offer sustained experiences and the opportunity for regenerative landscapes to flourish. Originally a Physics major, Matt switched to Environmental Sciences and something clicked. For over 15 years now, he has dedicated himself to his parks and rec clients and is currently the president of the Georgia chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Previously, he served on the Freedom Park Conservancy Board of Directors for six years. Every client is different but Matt is consciously aligned with their mission and can appreciate and understand their goals. He recognizes that the profession is a “slow job” where the landscape is constantly changing and evolving. Designers like Matt must be engineering oriented to anticipate these challenges and design spaces for people to enjoy for the next 50 to 100 years. In honor of the month, we wanted to highlight Matt’s favorite Pond projects- there isn’t enough space for all of them so we narrowed it down [with much difficulty] to three. DH Stanton Park Matt is particularly proud of the sustainable development practices that distinguishes this project. The design included a native or naturalized landscape palette, organic maintenance techniques and the handling of all stormwater on-site. Large stones that were excavated were re-used as natural climbing and sitting elements. The team designed a shade structure that uses photovoltaic panels as a ‘roof’ and sells power to the grid during the day and allows the park to buy back less expensive power at night. Energy saving LED light fixtures were incorporated into the design as were the use of many recycled product construction materials. DH Stanton Park was completed in the spring of 2011 and is the City of Atlanta’s first truly sustainable park. Park goers can enjoy a league-ready baseball field with a concession stand/ Pond Recognizes Did you know that July was Parks & Recreation month? Parks Mark Levine, AIA, LEED AP Past President of AIA; Director of South Atlantic Region Mark has been a member of AIA since he was an intern. He finds the involvement extremely rewarding, and says it helps bond the fellowship that comes with the involvement. When the AIA national convention was held in Atlanta last year, he served as chair of the national steering committee, which was in charge of organizing tours and events for over 18,000 attendees. “I am proud of our efforts for the convention, and that it was very well received.” “... in preparation for the ‘79 winter season he invested in a good snow blower. Unfortunately his business acumen did not pay off—in 1979 they only got 3 inches of snow all season. ” -First/Worst Job in the winter at Boston, MA LEADER POND P