From August 30th – September 1, 2011 P.I.A.’s annual Plantscape Industry Expo took place at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas.  This interior plantscape expo attracts people in the industry from all over the U.S. each year, staying true to it’s motto “where the interiorscape industry grows.”

On Thursday, Sept 1st the expo came to an end at the Awards Gala where antendees were  inducted into the Interior Plantscape Hall of Fame and recipients of the P.I.A. Awards  were announced.

Janice Goodman & Amy Walker of Cityscapes were honored to accept an Award of Excellence in the Exterior Garden Category for Cityscapes’ Exterior Landscaping Designs at the Intercontinental Boston Hotel (image from the Awards Gala below).  Cityscapes was awarded on exterior landscaping projects completed at the hotel between June of 2009 through October of 2010.

Janice Goodman and Amy Walker at the Awards Gala accepting the award

Janice Goodman with Bill Meade from Architectural Supplements who was also the Chairman of Exhibition

According to Janice Goodman, appropriate plant selection was the biggest challenge at the Intercontinental.  Since the hotel is located on the waterfront, the plants have to be able to withstand the harsh winds and full sun throughout the day.  We made it a priority to select plants that would thrive in this type of atmosphere.  There are forty large terracotta containers encircling the back rotunda area of the hotel that get four seasonal rotations a year to always keep it fresh and colorful.   We used a unique mirage of flowers and foliage each season including tropical yellow mandevilla trellis’, bright red hardy mums, coleus, geraniums, and rare hot pink oleander trees to give the space a “South Beach” feel.  Take a look at some of the winning design photos below.

The planters at the front entrance and valet area of the hotel was also a difficult location for the plants to thrive due to its lack of light and exposure to heavy traffic.  For Spring Cityscapes rotated fresh cut branches every six weeks such as forsythia, flowering quince, and the cherry blossoms pictured below.  During other seasons such as summer, one rotation of tropical foliage such as bromeliads, succulents and phoenix roebellini (below right) was sufficient.

Meil Restaurant, located at the hotel, wanted to create an atmosphere similar to a “French Provence”  while providing privacy for diners on their outdoor patio.  In response to their request, we placed rectangular planters between each table to provide a screen filled with plants reminiscent of France.  An herb garden was also installed so the diners can watch the chef pick fresh product for their meals!  Fruiting citrus trees and flowering topiaires lined the walkway along the  restaurant to accent the theme.  (Below)

Some other categories that were judged in the design competition were Green Roofs, Living Walls, Horticultural Service, Major Renovation, Installation, and Design. To find out more about the P.I.A. Expo and Awards click here www.piagrows.org

From November 17th -19th, 2010 Cityscapes Living Walls were on display at the Seaport World Trade Center for Build Boston’s 1st Annual Innovation Pavilion.  Our Living walls were chosen as one of Boston’s most cutting edge innovative building products.  Each of the products that were selected have only been in the market for 3 years or less. Build Boston is the Northeast’s largest regional convention and tradeshow for engineers, architects, contractors, interior designers, and other industry professionals with an annual 15,000 attendees each year. Below are some images of our living walls that were on display at the event.

For more information about Build Boston: www.buildboston.com

On November 18th BOMA Boston held their annual Toby & Industry Awards at the Boston Sheraton Hotel. During the ceremony, awards were given in 20 different categories for Real Estate Excellence. Janice Goodman, President and Owner of Cityscapes, won Affiliate Member of the Year! Take a look at some of the pictures and check out this great video: TOBY Awards 2010 from the event!

Janice Goodman holding her award!

Jen Berube and Amy Walker of Cityscapes and Kathleen McCarthy of Manulife

The Cityscapes Crew from the left: Joe Giansiracusa, Alyce Crowley, David Clifford, Chris Goodman, Janice Goodman, Jen Berube, and Amy Walker

For more photos and information regarding the event, click here www.gbreb.com/boma.aspx

On April 27 ^th at the Bronx County Court House in New York, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. together with Janice Goodman, President of Cityscapes in Boston, George Irwin, CEO of Green Living Technologies in New York, and Steve Ritz, teacher at Discovery High School in the Bronx, NY, presented Discovery High School students with their Nationally Recognized Employment Certifications in a ceremony highlighting the youngest citizens in America to have completed an extensive green roof and wall certification program.

From the Left: Presentors Steve Ritz, Ruben Diaz Jr., George Irwin, and Janice Goodman at the ceremony.

Janice Goodman, had contracted Green Living Technologies to train and certify her key staff members as green wall and green roof installers. While working out the details of the training, George Irwin and Jan Goodman had decided to fund this training and certification (via scholarships) to several outstanding horticulture students – two from Silver Lake Regional in Kingston and ten from the Discovery High School in the Bronx. Thirteen Cityscapes’ employees also earned their certifications.  The training took place on February 26th and 27th at Cityscapes’ office and greenhouses.

The certification will give these students a chance to get ahead and employed anywhere in the green industry having completed a rigorous academic training session and completing a professional installation to the satisfaction of the leader to the industry who also has college programs, workforce development, and other training initiatives.

The concept of growing good food, good jobs and good citizens by tapping into one of our greatest wasted resources – urban youth – came from Steve Ritz, a teacher with an impressive dedication to his students and a track record of achievement. At his current teaching position at the Discovery High School in the Bronx, he is working with students in one of the most challenging environments in New York City. Ritz just oversaw the installation of a living, edible green wall that was donated by Green Living Technologies.  He was also the sole recipient of the 2010 US EPA Award, the highest award given to a citizen from the EPA. 

The students from Discovery High School and Silverlake High School along with Jan Goodman, Steve Ritz and George Irwin.

The Plantscape Industry Alliance (PIA) awarded Cityscapes with a “2009 Award of Excellence” in the Special Events & Holiday category for our Brookfield Properties, 53 State, Holiday 2008 Installation! This awards program is held each year to recognize excellence and professionalism in the interior plantscaping industry.

Jan Goodman, president and owner of Cityscapes, made the journey out to Las Vegas on October 1st to attend the 2009 Calscape Expo to receive the award.  During her time at Calscape she also did a presentation about focusing on how to make your company stand out in a crowd.  Some of the key points she addressed were: Team Building and Management Empowerment, Designing Outside the Box, and Green Building Marketing.

                         Amy Gallagher and Jan Goodman presenting the award to Amanda Welch and Steve Plagg of Brookfield Properties

 For more information on PIA or the annual Calscape Expo click here www.piagrows.org

We are delighted to receive the highest honor within the Interiorscape magazine.  The winning project was located at The Winter Garden at 111 Huntington Avenue. The retail shopping complex now has the look of a mature garden living within the 23-acre area. The Garden was installed and completed over a three-night time span but looks as if it’s been there for 25 years. 

BOMA Boston (Building Owners and Managers Association) TOBY (The Office Building of the Year) and Industry Awards has recognized Cityscapes as “The Affiliate Company of the Year”! We are honored for this recognition and were elated for the nomination. This award was received by president Jan Goodman on November 12, 2008 and supported by her team of managers and designers.  Click on the link to find out more about the evening’s events and to see photos. www.bomaboston.org

Jan Goodman, owner and President of Cityscapes, has brought another award back to Boston to share with her company and clients.

 PIA, Plantscape Industry Alliance, has honored Cityscapes with the 2007 Award of Excellence for Installation at The Winter Garden at 111 Huntington Ave. This installation happened over the course of 3 nights due to high-traffic volume throughout the day.  Now shoppers enjoy the fresh foliage as they shop at the Prudential Center in Back Bay, Boston. If you’d like to be inspired, have a seat and relax in The Winter Garden at 111 Huntington Ave.