Professional Practice

Clients and Landscape Architects Make the Case for SITES

Clients Make the Case

"As a site-focused construction certification system, SITES™ is a very useful framework, allowing us to systematically discuss site-related design and construction aspirations and project level decisions across subject matter experts, project stakeholders, and construction specialists. The SITES system better allows us to bring forward landscape related project benefits in more measurable terms."

Christian Gabriel, RLA, ASLA, National Design Director for Landscape Architecture, U.S. General Services Administration
U.S. Federal Office Building, Miramar, Florida — Two-star Certified Pilot Project
Pete V. Domenici U.S. Courthouse Sustainable Landscape Retrofit, Albuquerque, New Mexico — Two star Certified Pilot Project

“Phipps strives to serve as a model for how we can work with nature to make communities healthier, safer and more supportive of life. With our SITES certification, we are showing the world just how inspiring and practical building a sustainable landscape can be.”

Richard V. Piacentini, Phipps Executive Director
Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Four-star Certified Pilot Project

"As the largest organization focused on protecting and enhancing the Hudson River and lands along its shores, Scenic Hudson was proud to be certified by SITES™. Our Long Dock Park in Beacon, N.Y., transformed a degraded, post-industrial riverfront parcel into a major waterfront park that realizes themes of recovery, remediation, reuse and re-engagement. Participating in SITES gave us tools to reach the environmental, social, and community-building goals we set for our project and maintain the park in ways that ensure we continue reaching our benchmarks. The park is a real destination for locals and visitors. We know SITES helped us achieve powerful results."

Ned Sullivan, President, Scenic Hudson
Long Dock Park, Beacon, New York — Three-star Certified Pilot Project

"The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) received SITES certification in 2013 for our pioneering results that exhibited high function and aesthetic through the integration of natural and human systems. The NREL campus stands as a champion of successful sustainable landscape architecture. The SITES certification process is especially valuable to organizations with little or no experience with constructing or conserving sustainable landscapes. SITES foundational guidance provided a holistic, iterative, and integrated process to follow."

Michelle Slovensky, LEED AP, Energy Program Manager
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Landscape Architects Make the Case

For me and the firm, incorporating the principles of SITES into our work is something that we have done for years. What the initiative provides is a logical and structured methodology to accomplish a rich diversity of improvements that can be shared with clients and the community. The more thorough a team is with embracing the credits the better the project can be for the public or private users. The structure allows us as designers to do a better job explaining the complexity of what it is we do and the certification allows the team and client to celebrate good work.”

Hunter Beckham, FASLA
SWT Design
Novus International Headquarters Campus, St. Louis, Missouri — Three-star Certified Pilot Project

“SITES is the single best crash-course in real landscape sustainability. Certification requires tangible, quantifiable standards and that rigorous challenge both educated and inspired me. Sustainable practices and client education is now an integral part of all my landscape work.”

CeCe Haydock, ASLA, LEED AP
Hempstead Plains Interpretive Center, Garden City, New York — Two-star Certified Pilot Project