memberSPOTLIGHT < Robin Fordyce
Robin Fordyce, PLA, ASLA
President
VIREO
Omaha, Nebraska
When did you realize you wanted to become a Landscape Architect?
While I was filling out applications for college, Landscape Architecture was one of the few majors that I recognized and seemed interesting. But I would say I truly realized it was my calling one night after having spent days at a time in Studio with little sleep on a plaza project that was due. I was explaining the project to a friend (not in the design college) who asked me how I could stand working so hard? I recall thinking how much fun it was crafting a space from seemingly nothing, and the atmosphere of collective creativity that studio offers. Fortunately, this feeling has carried on throughout my career. The FUN and CREATIVITY of the profession far outweigh any stressful deadline or late night. Fortunately, the latter happens less often these days!
What is your favorite landscape and why?
I suppose a landscape that I often think of or look back on is a small cemetery in Aspen, CO. Throughout the seasons, but particularly in Spring/Early Summer the Cemetery came alive. The light filtering through the trees with old, ornate granite headstones alongside simple, understated ones created an other-worldly atmosphere in the bustling mountain town. The quiet, serene nature of the cemetery brought to mind those who came before, and the legacy they may have left.
I am a member of because ASLA provides its members with the opportunity to collaborate as a collective group of professionals from a variety of backgrounds, providing diverse perspectives to move the profession forward.
What is the most important thing you have learned since joining the profession?
Confident humility – trust what you know, and be willing to admit (and seek advice on) what you do not.
What is one item you cannot live without?
A shoebox full of cards my kids have received over the years. My daughter gets so much joy re-reading them and hearing stories about the people who gave them to her. I will often find her tucked away in the corner looking at them or, lately, reading them to her three-year-old brother. Someday when I am old and can’t remember my own name, I imagine her reading them to me.
Where would you like to be in 20 years?
Right where I am. But maybe traveling for enrichment on a more regular basis.
What is something you find joy in other than landscape architecture?
Singing and music in general.
Share a project that holds great meaning to you.
The Cloisters on the Platte - being part of a project team that truly worked as a TEAM and gaining the experience to run a project from planning through construction administration was incredible. The mission to impact the lives of visitors on a spiritual level permeated through every aspect of the design. From thinking about how visitors progressively experience the grounds, sculptures, and architecture as they arrive and move through the site. Meandering trails were carefully placed to provide opportunities for contemplation and reflection of our spiritual connection to the natural world. The project also coincided with professional and personal change in my life. Over its four year duration, I had a child, became a business owner, and became a licensed landscape architect.
