Building a New Life
Landscape Architecture Student Earns Top Marks
Written by Amanda Cairo
Married and with a young family, Johnny Sweet envisioned his life beyond building “McMansions” in the Boise valley. After 10 years in the building industry, that vision is paying off for the student at the University of Idaho. Sweet, a senior landscape architecture student, recently earned second place in the Wayne Grace Memorial Student Design Competition, a national competition.
“I was doing construction and all of the old guys told me I needed to go to school. I guess I finally listened,” says Sweet.
The Nampa native and father of three was recognized for his student work by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards for his final junior studio class project last spring. His assignment was to create an ecologically rejuvenating and educationally functional landscape design at the University of Idaho Caldwell Research and Extension Center.
“I really wanted to pull in the region and bring nature to the people,” says Sweet. “There was so much there that wasn’t being used in the right way, really it was an ecological mess.”
At first the project didn’t excite him; he was done with the Boise valley after working in the conventional construction industry there. But, as he began working on designs for the Caldwell site, he found natural features to utilize and began to enjoy the challenge, and the possibility of bringing new life to a site lost from nature.
“It is so easy to see the worst of a site, and to be critical of those who had manipulated it before you. So, I tried to find the positives in the region; the natural area is so beautiful,” says Sweet. “I tried to envision what it could be and looked for a balance of what it was and what it could be.”
In his design, he highlighted the canyons of the Snake River and manipulated Indian Creek, which runs directly through the south end of the site and was the site’s strongest natural feature. He also provided a comprehensive native plants palette and used recycled and reusable materials to make the site sustainable for future generations to enjoy.
Sweet was using nature as a form of art for the site, so he also wanted to incorporate the artistic nature of the Boise area by placing sculptures on the grounds. The design has been given to the extension staff, who will review the project for elements of possible implementation.
When Sweet finished the design – about a 200-hour project–his professor, Toru Otawa, encouraged him to submit the project to the competition. Sweet wasn’t sure he was going to enter, but a last minute decision has its rewards.
Sweet was thrilled to earn second prize nationally, which includes a $2,000 cash prize, but he is the first to say everyone in the College of Art and Architecture works hard and deserves recognition for their work. His advice: they just have to put it out there. Nonetheless, being singled out with this award hasn’t changed Sweet’s sense of himself; he’s just glad to have something to help build his resume, and when the time comes, to help find him a job.
Written by Amanda Cairo
Married and with a young family, Johnny Sweet envisioned his life beyond building “McMansions” in the Boise valley. After 10 years in the building industry, that vision is paying off for the student at the University of Idaho. Sweet, a senior landscape architecture student, recently earned second place in the Wayne Grace Memorial Student Design Competition, a national competition.
“I was doing construction and all of the old guys told me I needed to go to school. I guess I finally listened,” says Sweet.
The Nampa native and father of three was recognized for his student work by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards for his final junior studio class project last spring. His assignment was to create an ecologically rejuvenating and educationally functional landscape design at the University of Idaho Caldwell Research and Extension Center.
“I really wanted to pull in the region and bring nature to the people,” says Sweet. “There was so much there that wasn’t being used in the right way, really it was an ecological mess.”
At first the project didn’t excite him; he was done with the Boise valley after working in the conventional construction industry there. But, as he began working on designs for the Caldwell site, he found natural features to utilize and began to enjoy the challenge, and the possibility of bringing new life to a site lost from nature.
“It is so easy to see the worst of a site, and to be critical of those who had manipulated it before you. So, I tried to find the positives in the region; the natural area is so beautiful,” says Sweet. “I tried to envision what it could be and looked for a balance of what it was and what it could be.”
In his design, he highlighted the canyons of the Snake River and manipulated Indian Creek, which runs directly through the south end of the site and was the site’s strongest natural feature. He also provided a comprehensive native plants palette and used recycled and reusable materials to make the site sustainable for future generations to enjoy.
Sweet was using nature as a form of art for the site, so he also wanted to incorporate the artistic nature of the Boise area by placing sculptures on the grounds. The design has been given to the extension staff, who will review the project for elements of possible implementation.
When Sweet finished the design – about a 200-hour project–his professor, Toru Otawa, encouraged him to submit the project to the competition. Sweet wasn’t sure he was going to enter, but a last minute decision has its rewards.
Sweet was thrilled to earn second prize nationally, which includes a $2,000 cash prize, but he is the first to say everyone in the College of Art and Architecture works hard and deserves recognition for their work. His advice: they just have to put it out there. Nonetheless, being singled out with this award hasn’t changed Sweet’s sense of himself; he’s just glad to have something to help build his resume, and when the time comes, to help find him a job.