Crosswinds Marsh Interpretive Preserve
The past few projects and firms that have been highlighted here, it is clear the there is a common thread among them: Harvard Design School. It appears to churn out masters, and such is the case with SmithGroup JJR. Trained by the masters of the Harvard Design School William Johnson returned to his home state of Michigan and started his own firm with his brother and Clarence Roy in 1961. The firm has expanded for nearly half a century and withholds its prestige.
A unique aspect of this firm the concern with city and campus planning. The firm's first and oldest client: The University of Michigan is a paramount example of this. Johnson and partners designed a flexible and practical model of framework that revolutionized the field of development planning and has become familiar to many in the field.
The firm centered it's design concepts on fitness, harmony and community involvement; concepts that are apparent in the firm's more recent designs. The firm merged with SmithGroup an engineering and architectural firm in the 1970's, but retained these values. The variety of professionals present in the current firm allows for better collaboration and more affective spaces.
In 1999 Fred Klancnik became president of JJR, and has lead the company to new successes despite the economic downturn. In an interview for the Wisconsin State Journal Klancnik states: "If you're working in this office, you can feel a buzz. There are people here well before starting time and on weekends, because they love to do the work. They know they are actually making a difference in quality of life (1)." The typical employee has changed from the firms inception say Klancnik: "It's not unusual for us to have civil engineers who have degrees in art or landscape architecture or planning," he said, "or to have landscape architects with degrees in environmental science or political science. You mix all that together, and you get various points of view, and you can bring all of that to the table (1)." There are not several offices spread around the Midwest that employ 130 people. The company has worked in several nations including: South Korea, China, Qatar, Panama and Canada (2).
In 2011 the firm was awarded the National ASLA Landscape Architecture Firm Award, one of the highest honors in the industry. This is in addition to 250 other awards (2).
This astounding firm has worked on many diverse and varied projects. Just to highlight a few:
A unique aspect of this firm the concern with city and campus planning. The firm's first and oldest client: The University of Michigan is a paramount example of this. Johnson and partners designed a flexible and practical model of framework that revolutionized the field of development planning and has become familiar to many in the field.
The firm centered it's design concepts on fitness, harmony and community involvement; concepts that are apparent in the firm's more recent designs. The firm merged with SmithGroup an engineering and architectural firm in the 1970's, but retained these values. The variety of professionals present in the current firm allows for better collaboration and more affective spaces.
In 1999 Fred Klancnik became president of JJR, and has lead the company to new successes despite the economic downturn. In an interview for the Wisconsin State Journal Klancnik states: "If you're working in this office, you can feel a buzz. There are people here well before starting time and on weekends, because they love to do the work. They know they are actually making a difference in quality of life (1)." The typical employee has changed from the firms inception say Klancnik: "It's not unusual for us to have civil engineers who have degrees in art or landscape architecture or planning," he said, "or to have landscape architects with degrees in environmental science or political science. You mix all that together, and you get various points of view, and you can bring all of that to the table (1)." There are not several offices spread around the Midwest that employ 130 people. The company has worked in several nations including: South Korea, China, Qatar, Panama and Canada (2).
In 2011 the firm was awarded the National ASLA Landscape Architecture Firm Award, one of the highest honors in the industry. This is in addition to 250 other awards (2).
This astounding firm has worked on many diverse and varied projects. Just to highlight a few:
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
This was the firms first client and represent a significant change in development planning. The original campus plan was conceived by William Johnson in 1963 and has been used for four decades to guide the development of the campus. JJR has done several projects for the campus since then, demonstrating a deep and lasting connection with the client (3).
AT&T PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: DALLAS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATION
This is the first public park in the Dallas arts district, and is a dedication to Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons. The park connects attractions within the district, housing several pieces of art and water feature (3).
WAYNE COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY: CROSSWINDS MARSH INTERPRETATIVE PRESERVE
After the construction of the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and the subsequent disruption of the wetlands present there JJR was commissioned to replace the natural wetlands. The property was 1000 acres and required extensive study and environmental consciousness (3).
Sources
1. Wisconsin State Journal Interview
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