Construction Complete for Soilless Soil Pilot Site!

With funding from the EPA, the research team is collaborating with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation (PPR) to retrofit a Fairmont Park stormwater bioretention basin that was previously damaged in Hurricane Ida. Building on our past research in the greenhouse and lab, the team is designing the pilot bioretention basin, testing the performance of GBS under real-world conditions. By monitoring the basin from Fall 2022 through Fall 2023, we’ll expand our understanding of GBS’ effects on water flow and quality, and its suitability as a planting medium.

Learn more about Soilless Soil here.

OLIN Celebrated Black History Month with BlackLAN

To honor and celebrate Black History Month, OLIN sponsored the 3rd annual Black History Month Symposium hosted by the Black Landscape Architects Network (BlackLAN), an organization that supports Black landscape architecture students and professionals.

The event featured keynote speakers Divine Ndemeye, the founder of Remesha Design, and Maci Nelson, the creator, and host of The Landscape Nerd podcast, as they shared their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives on race, landscape, and media. The symposium acted as an interactive panel discussion and Q&A session, giving attendees the opportunity to engage with the speakers and learn more about the topics they presented.

The proceeds from the event are going to support BlackLAN's scholarship efforts.

To learn more about BlackLAN, visit here.

OLIN + NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project: LGBTQ+ PUBLIC SPACES Presentation

OLIN Landscape Designer Max Dickson joined forces with the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, hosting LGBTQ+ PUBLIC SPACES: Preservation of Historic Queer Landscapes, a free virtual presentation that dived into the history and untold stories of queer public spaces.

Max and NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project co-director Ken Lustbader explored local and national sites, such as the Stonewall National Monument at Christopher Park and Central Park, and shed light on the roles of preservationists and designers to increase the overall visibility and preservation of culturally significant LGBTQ+ landscapes.

Max originally began research on this topic through OLIN Labs and collaboratively created the Pridescapes research initiative that explores LGBTQ+ landscapes and seeks to clarify the crucial importance of preserving LGBTQ+ spaces, telling untold LGBTQ+ histories, and imagining new futures for culturally significant LGBTQ+ landscapes.

Listen to the webinar here.