MERIT AWARD
Communications Category
Mt. Air Botanical Center: Stewardship at Human Scale
Logan, Utah
“The design is visually compelling and thoughtfully executed, offering an appealing concept rooted in the location’s history while successfully addressing environmental and climate considerations to advance the profession.”
PROJECT STATEMENT
Modern society increasingly prioritizes control, consumption, and expansion into our natural landscapes, often at the expense of the ecological systems that we rely on. This mindset is deeply embedded in our built environments, where landscapes frequently reflect human dominance rather than ecological balance. At the project site, this tension was visible in the form of a large, unused patch of turf which is overwatered, void of any biodiversity, and symbolic of the unacknowledged effects humans have on delicate ecosystems. The design responds by transforming the space into a water wise botanical garden that reintroduces habitat, honors Indigenous ecological knowledge, and tells a story of both environmental degradation and hope. Through plant selection, form changes, and an underlying narrative, the garden reveals a progression from overconsumption to regeneration, while educating visitors on the potential for restorative action. Native plantings, pollinator support, and responsible irrigation are not just sustainable strategies, but teaching tools accessible to the everyday homeowner. Once consuming approximately 3 million gallons of water annually, the site is projected to use only 1 million after implementation, demonstrating how thoughtful design can shift behaviors and build more resilient ecosystems.