awards, lectures + publications

Awards

ASLA Northern California Chapter Merit Award for Alameda Point Site A Master Plan: Bridging the Past and the Future, 2018
ASLA Northern California Chapter Merit Award for Mission YMCA Edible Garden, 2016
Award of SFSU Invited Design Competition, 2016
ASLA Northern California Chapter Honor Award for “Designing Urban Agriculture”, 2015
ASLA Northern California Chapter Merit Award for VF Outdoor Campus, 2015
Golden Nugget Award: “Residential Project of the Year” and “Best Multi-Family Housing Project” for 38 Dolores, 2014
Golden Nugget Award: Grand Prize “Best Mixed-Use Project” and Merit Award “Residential Project of the Year” for 9th Avenue, 2014
Santana Row- “Project of the Year”, Builder Magazine
Gold Nugget Award: Grand Prize “Best Mixed Use Project” for Santana Row, Pacific Coast Builders Conference
AIA Potomac Chapter Award, for Aspect Communications, 2004
Winner of the Fushan River Park Design Competition, a 1000 acre Central Park in Fushan, China with Huan Rong and BLY, 2004
Winner of the 10 N. Virginia Public Plaza Project Competition in Reno, Nevada with SVWB Architecture and VWRL, 2003
ASLA Northern California Chapter Merit Award for Aspect Communications, 2003
ASLA National Merit Award for Union Square, San Francisco, 2001
Finalist for the Walnut Creek Veteran’s Memorial Competition with artists Steve Gillman and Katherine Keefer, July 2001
Honorable mention for the Harvey Milk Design Idea Competition awarded by the San Francisco Prize and the San Francisco Arts Commission, 2000
Contract Award Winner of the Union Square Project for San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Prize: Union Square design competition winner with MD Fotheringham, 1997
Johnston Residence, San Francisco, CA. Published in Fine Gardening Magazine, 1996
Honorable Mention, “Visionary Landscapes” Competition sponsored by Landscape Architecture Magazine, December 1992
Drawings selected for Outstanding “Women in Design Professions” Exhibit, Santa Monica, CA, sponsored by California Women in Environmental Design (CWED), January 1992
Design award, by Garden Design Magazine at Landscape and Garden Show for “Composer’s Court” temporary installation, 1991
“Award of Excellence” by NCASLA at Landscape and Garden Show for “Garden on the Edge”, temporary installation, 1989
“Best of Show”, Unconventional category, by professional jury for Landscape and Garden Show held at Fort Mason, 1989
Honorable Mention, U.C. Davis Arboretum Design Competition for “Sculptural Entry” Design, 1988
Honorable Mention for the New Orleans City Park Arboretum Design Competition, 1986
“Todos Santos Plaza Redesign” – one of five firms/teams selected for Stage One of the national competition, 1987
Progressive Architecture Citation for “The Terraces”, a continuing care facility, Los Gatos, CA, 1988

Lectures

Tom Tom Founders Summits, Innovations in Urban Agriculture, 2018
GreenBuild, Boston, “SITES V2 Materials Credits from Specification to Reuse” – two case studies, 2017
America Adapts Podcast, Episode 52 interview: “Landscape Architects Adapt to Climate Change”, 2017
ASLA National Conference, Los Angeles, “Climate Adaptation through Landscape Architecture”, 2107
ASLA National Conference, Los Angeles, “SITES Water Cycle Management and Resiliency In The Face of Climate Change”, 2017
Louisiana State University Design Lecture Series, “Stories from the Design Studio” 2016
ASLA National Conference, New Orleans, “Stories from the Field: Designing Urban Agriculture to Reshape the City” 2016
SF Public Works Presentation with Micah Silvey, GBCI, 38 Dolores SITES Pilot Project, 2016
University of Washington at Pullman, “Food Stories – Designer as Change Agent”, 2016
Presentation to National Parks Service, GGNRA & Parks Conservancy regarding potential adoption of SITES into NPS design process for resource management, “Introduction to SITES rating system and 38 Dolores SITES Pilot Project”, 2016
University of Texas at Arlington, “Designers are Explorers of the Intersection of Culture, Nature & Technology”, 2015
SITES Fundamentals Webinar #8, “Marking a Real Impact with your SITES Project”, 2014
Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Boston, “Urban Agriculture and the Form of the City”, 2014
City of Dublin, CA “Water Conservation by Design: Systemic Solutions to Big Water Savings – from Conservation to Regeneration”, 2014
Tri-City Urban Agriculture Virtual Charette and Webinar for Living Futures with Joel Carben and Daron “Farmer D” Joffe, Cascadia Branch Collaborative via Anchorage, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, 2014
Cities Alive Conference, Panel Moderator for On the Roof Session with Keith Agoada, Ben Flanner, Mark Winterer, and Francesca Vietor, “Emerging Trends in Urban Agriculture”, 2013
Designing Urban Agriculture: various lectures at SPUR, Seattle ASLA, Oregon ASLA, LAND8 webinar (international audience), and Book Signings, 2013-2014
ASLA Northern California Chapter Lecture Series, San Francisco, “Urban Agriculture”, 2012
ASLA Washington DC Chapter, “Edible Landscapes – Growing Roots in the Urban Realm”, 2010
FLASLA Conference, Keynote Speaker, “The Sustainable SITES Initiative”, 2009
Green Living Fair, Serramonte Center with Sustainable San Mateo, “Green Tips for Green Landscapes”, 2009
Design San Francisco Annual Conference, “Green + Bold: Creating a Vision of the Future for the Bay Area”, Keynote Panel moderated by Eric Corey Freed, 2009
University of California at Berkeley, “Sustainable SITES, Climate Change & LEED™”, 2008
ASLA Utah Chapter, “Sustainable SITES Initiative Update”, 2008
ASLA National Conference, San Francisco, “Bay Area LEED™ & Sustainable Projects” – a mobile Workshop, 2007
Chatam College, Pittsburg, “Sustainable Sites – The Green Revolution”, 2007
ASLA Texas Chapter conference, Houston, “Sustainable Sites – The Green Revolution”, 2007
Landscape Architecture Days, University of Colorado, Fort Collins, “Sustainable Sites – The Green Revolution”, 2007
ULI Developing Green Conference, Seattle, “ Sustainability Entering the Main Stream”, 2006
SPUR, “The Sustainable Sites Initiative”, 2006
ASLA Louisiana Chapter Conference, New Orleans, “K + R: Regenerating So. Louisiana- Designing for Integrated Systems”, 2006
ASLA National Conference, Minneapolis, “ The Sustainable Sites Initiative”, 2006
Interrorbang Design Lecture zSeries, San Diego, “Why Sustainability matters”, 2006
University of California at Berkeley, Sustainable Careers panel, 2005
ASLA National Conference, “The Sites Initiative” & LEED™ Forum, 2005
USGBC Conference & Expo, “Site Paradigms”, 2003
CC/ASLA Conference, “The Greening of Aspect Communications”, 2003
ASLA-Northern California Chapter: Professional Lecture Series, “Theories and Insights on Sustainable Works”, 2002
ASLA National Conference, “Sustainability Meets Technology–New Lessons From the Green Front, 2002
ASLA National Conference, led the ASLA’s LEED™ Advisory Committee’s panel discussions on LEED™ and Site Issues, 2002
USGBC International Conference & Expo, “Sustainable Sites and LEED™”, 2002

Publications

Greenroofs.com, featured as Project of the Week,”38 Dolores, San Francisco, CA, USA”, October 2017
Your Land Publication by Landscape Architecture Magazine, “Vegetable Gardens”, April 2017
Sunset Magazine, “18 Epic Outdoor Camping Adventures – Sonoma’s Autocamp”, July 2016
Landscape Architect & Specifier News, “Women in Landscape Architecture – April Philips”, October 2015
ASLA Professional Practice Blog, “The Latest on Urban Agriculture” Interview, 2014
Huffington Post’s Green Blog, “Designing Urban Agriculture” Interview by Annie Spieglman, 2013
Pacific Sun Newspaper, “Designing Urban Agriculture” Interview by Annie Spieglman, 2013
“Designing Urban Agriculture: The Complete Guide to the Planning, Design, Construction, Maintenance and Management of Edible Landscapes” by April Philips, published by Wiley Books, 2013
Landscape Architect and Specifier News, “Dixie Rain Garden”, June 2009
Landscape Architect and Specifier News, “Stonebrae Elementary – A Thoroughly Natural Facility”, June 2008
San Francisco Chronicle, “Remembering the Loma Prieta Earthquake, a Park for Remembrance”, October 2005
East Bay Business Times, “Building on History at Nut Tree”, January 2005
ASLA Landonline – Sustainable Design & Development: new ASLA PI Group to bring abstract Environmental concepts down to earth” – an interview with April Philips, May 2004
The Construction Specifier, “The Value of Green Landscape Architecture”, May 2004
Landscape Architecture, “A Still Imperfect Union: Appraising the Redesign of San Francisco’s famous square”, December 2003
Marin Independent Journal, “In Tune with Nature”, March 2003
Hotels Magazine- Westin Palo Alto Hotel, September 2002