SAT-C05: Digging Dirt: Soils Design and Diagnosis from the Mississippi to the Bay

Saturday, November 12, 2022

3:45pm – 5:00pm PT

Location: Moscone Center, Room 201-202

1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW, AICP, ISA, 1 GBCI CE, FL, NY/HSW

Lead Speaker(s)

John Donnelly, ASLA

Technical Principal
Scape Landscape Architecture DPC
New Orleans, Louisiana

Speaker(s)

John C. Swallow, Affil. ASLA

President, Director of Environmental Sciences
Pine & Swallow Environmental
Groton, Massachusetts
Ted Hartsig

Senior Soil Scientist
Olsson, Inc.
overland park, Kansas

Soils are foundational to landscape architecture, and meaningful collaborations with soils scientists are instrumental in delivering high-quality parks and public spaces— yet there’s rarely a one-size-fits-all approach. In this panel, hear from a landscape architect and two leading soils scientists on innovative approaches to soils design in the Bay Area and Memphis.

Learning Outcomes:

Develop an understanding of how site conditions suggest specific responses in soil design, through the lens of two case study projects.
Articulate how soils profile details and specifications are tailored to meet horticultural, drainage, and loading criteria for a given project.
Compare and contrast site soils strategies relative to bulk import of materials vs. amending existing soils in place, examining cost and quality control considerations.
Identify pitfalls in soils design and installation, providing an overview of field tests we can perform, in situ site investigations, and what they tell us about the health of soils.