U of M landscape architecture student to help green the grounds of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva

Project is part of a larger commitment by the U.S. State Department to sustainable design at its embassies and diplomatic facilities around the world

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (07/22/2010) —Natalie Ross, a third-year master of landscape architecture student at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design, is one of nine U.S. landscape architecture students who will spend the first two weeks of August studying the grounds surrounding the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and drafting a sustainable landscape design that can be phased in over five years.

The students will work alongside three Swiss landscape architecture students, and under the guidance of three American landscape architecture educators, to deliver a comprehensive, sustainable landscape design that improves the landscape’s performance while also demonstrating American expertise.

“I think it’s great that the U.S. government is putting forth effort to be more thoughtful of green design and energy efficiency, and the green focus really motivated me to apply for this project,” Ross says. Associate professor of landscape architecture Rebecca Krinke encouraged Ross to apply for the project. “It will be a unique opportunity to collaborate with students representing programs from all across the country who will bring different approaches to green design,” Ross says.

This unique collaborative design project is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Mission and the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). More than 130 applications were received by ASLA and screened to select a team with the widest breadth of skills, talents and experience.

The U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva represents the United States at the United Nations and other international organizations and is a major center for multilateral diplomacy in Europe. The building regularly hosts diplomats from around the world for important bilateral and multilateral discussions on a variety of security, economic and political issues, including the recent negotiations on the New START nuclear treaty.

A committee that included representatives from ASLA and the Department of State selected the students. Applicants were required to be U.S. citizens and to submit a résumé; 400-word- statement of interest; faculty recommendations; and three samples of project work.