On Thursday, November 24, the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundationpresented the Andre Schwabenbauer Scholarship Award to Master of Landscape Architecture student Rachel Salmela. The presentation took place at the Eric Arthur Gallery during the pop-up exhibition and book launchfor Experimenting Landscapes: Testing the Limits of the Garden, by Emily Waugh.

Rachel Salmela received her Bachelor of Science in Architecture with distinction in 2014. Prior to pursuing her Master of Landscape Architecture degree at the University of Toronto, she co-taught an undergraduate interdisciplinary studio in Istanbul, Turkey, titled Liquid Infrastructure, which focused on issues of the public realm. Salmela has since gained professional experience working on large-scale public projects at Public Work in Toronto. During her thesis year, she looks forward to exploring the contested nature of transition landscapes through culture and ecological process.
 
When Salmela joined our MLA Program in the fall of 2015 as an Advanced Placement student, her passion for landscape architecture was immediately apparent. She stands out among her peers as an excellent designer, always bringing a strong research agenda to her work. Her designs aim to improve environmental conditions, while educating by engaging visitors. Her design forms are generated through thoughtful considerations of how the environment and human actions will continue to shape one another toward increased resiliency.

The Andre Schwabenbauer Endowment Fund was established through the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF) to honour the memory of Andre Schwabenbauer, former President of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects. The scholarship was first awarded in 2006. This $1000 annual scholarship honors and recognizes Andre’s belief that landscape architecture is first and foremost a design profession. The scholarship recognizes and fosters excellence in design.

Each year the endowment fund awards the scholarship to an outstanding student in the final year of an accredited first professional degree program in landscape architecture at a Canadian university. Currently, the annual scholarship rotates among Canada’s six accredited landscape architecture programs.

The Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF) was established in 1988 by senior members of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects as a charitable organization. Since its creation, LACF has raised funds to support research, communication and scholarship activities and has awarded over 100 grants and scholarships to projects and people that reflect the core values of the profession of landscape architecture.