Brandon Hartz, ASLA, PLA, SITES AP, LEED AP is the senior landscape architect at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and leads their landscape development strategy and implementation across the country.    

 

As an agency of the U.S. government, GSA was founded to help manage and support federal property and provide contracting options, and now oversees 8,500 owned and leased spaces covering 150,000 acres nationwide. With a built-to-own model, in which GSA plans to operate and maintain facilities for their entire life cycle, prioritizing long-term efficiency led to the early adoption of sustainability strategies. GSA began requiring SITES certification at the Silver level for its capital construction program in 2016 and currently operates several SITES-certified locations.    

 

“When I took on the role of senior landscape architect at the GSA almost two years ago... I earned my SITES AP credential because I wanted to highlight a path that others at the GSA could also choose to walk,” Hartz explains.    

 

Administered by GBCI, the SITES Accredited Professional (SITES AP) credential establishes a common framework to define an individual's knowledge in creating sustainable and resilient landscapes and other outdoor spaces. SITES APs demonstrate the skills necessary to support the SITES certification process, including participating in the design and development process, supporting and encouraging an integrative design process, and managing the application and certification process.   

 

“Being credentialed helps identify me as a subject matter expert from the get-go. It indicates you can be a leadership voice in those early discussions about a project site's future. It shows elevated competency for solving problems through ecosystem services: identifying opportunities, coordinating change and implementing high impact strategies through certification.”