FRI-C02: Beyond Off-the-Shelf: Material Innovations that Create Value and Place

Friday, October 10, 2025

2:00 PM – 3:15 PM CT

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW

Speaker(s)

Bryan C. Chou, ASLA, PLA

Associate Prinicpal
Mikyoung Kim
Boston, Massachusetts
Johanna Barthmaier-Payne, ASLA

Associate Professor, Department Head, Department of Landscape Architecture
Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, Rhode Island
Julia Howe, ASLA (she/her/hers)

Senior Associate
SCAPE
Brooklyn, New York

In an era of sustainably minded decision-making, material choices shape our future of designed landscapes. This session discusses how sustainability, cultural narratives, and design values are expressed through material exploration. Panelists will discuss value systems and methods—both traditional and experimental—to encourage new ways of working with materials.

Learning Outcomes:

Consider how storytelling opportunities around local material use to educate the public about sustainability and regenerative material use.
Discuss material cycles and land use narratives, from places of extraction to installation.
Explore a range of techniques involved in working with locally sourced, biogenic, and reclaimed materials, and explore the material’s main qualities toward innovative approaches to practice in designed landscapes.
Learn strategies for making local, regenerative, and reclaimed material choices accessible to all designers and clients.