Wyck-Strickland Award

Wyck Honors José Almiñana as the 2023 Wyck-Strickland Awardee

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 | Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania

5:30pm Reception | 7:00pm Award Presentation

Award Chair: Laurie Olin

Address
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
100 E Northwestern Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118

Agenda
5:30 PM drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres
7:00 PM remarks & presentation of award
7:30 PM dessert and coffee

Attire
The suggested dress is business or cocktail attire, with a note to dress for the weather. The event is outdoors, please plan accordingly.

Additionally, Out on A Limb is made of boardwalk-style wood and metal decking, so please opt for sensible shoes. Narrow heels are not recommended.

Parking
Free parking is available in the parking lot just beyond the Arboretum’s Visitor Center. In the event that the lot is full, overflow parking is available near the entrance kiosk. Vehicles may use the loading zone in front of the Visitor Center to drop-off passengers if needed.

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About the Awardee:

José Almiñana PLA, FASLA, SITES AP, LEED AP joined Andropogon in 1983 and leads the firm in its commitment to regenerative design by tailoring humanist principles and ecosystem wellness to the unique elements of each site. With a background in architecture and landscape architecture, José has a deep, holistic understanding of how distinct elements of the natural and built environment function independently and collectively. José embraces a system thinking approach to understand each project and place’s complex and layered functions, adeptly crafting elegant, multivalent, and resilient landscape-based solutions.

For his entire career, José has worked to improve Philadelphia’s urban fabric and enrich the lives of Philadelphians across the city. His contributions include projects at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Thomas Jefferson University, Fairmount Park, and the School District of Philadelphia. José has been a member of the City of Philadelphia Art Commission for 14 years and is currently appointed to the Design Review Committee at the University of Pennsylvania.

Beyond his project work, José continues to be a leading voice in standardizing and growing the practice of regenerative landscape design. He was one of the first landscape architects in the country to become a LEED-accredited professional; he was instrumental in the development of the Sustainable Sites Initiative – SITES; has led multiple Living Building Challenge projects through design, construction, and certification; and currently serves on the ASLA Climate Action Plan Taskforce.

José holds a professional architectural degree from Venezuela and a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2010, he was honored by the American Society of Landscape Architects with the President’s Medal and induction into the ASLA College of Fellows.

About Andropogon:
Andropogon Associates is an award-winning, MBE-certified landscape architecture and ecological planning firm. For more than 40 years, Andropogon has committed itself to the principle of Place Forward design to create beautiful and evocative landscapes inspired by nature, informed by ecological research, and crafted to meet the current and future needs of their unique communities. Andropogon’s regenerative planning and design process is fundamentally collaborative, and its designers have worked with academic, healthcare, cultural, corporate, and government clients across the United States and abroad. Through curious and thoughtful dialogue with stakeholders, Andropogon’s teams leverage each site’s social, environmental, and financial assets to address user challenges, support diverse ecosystems, and create lasting and memorable landscapes. Andropogon received the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Firm Award, the highest national award achievable for a professional landscape architecture firm in the United States.

The Wyck-Strickland award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the cultural life of Philadelphia through work that reflects a drive for progress and modernity with a sensitivity to the past.

About the Award

The Wyck-Strickland Award Dinner has been Wyck’s annual benefit for over 30 years. The Award is inspired by the balance of tradition and innovation created at Wyck when architect William Strickland remodeled the house in 1824 for his friends, then residents Jane and Reuben Haines. The award honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the cultural life of Philadelphia through work that reflects a drive for progress and modernity and a sensitivity to the past. This honor has evolved over the years to include architects, landscape architects, engineers, urban planners, historians, museum curators, and librarians. All share a love of Philadelphia and its rich history and cultural life.

Foundation
Rosalind Remer & Jim Green
Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation at Drexel University
Fredda Lippes & José Almiñana
Penn Facilities & Real Estate Services
Page Talbott & Jim Gould
Tim Wood & Kate Stover

Sponsor
Elizabeth H. Gemmill
David C. Goss
Sandra Mackenzie Lloyd
Kathy May
Alan Metcalfe, AIA
Ed & Kelly Vresilovic

Patron
Emily Lind & D. James Baker
David Hollenberg and Linda Bantel
Dan Bosin Associates
William H. Ewing
Rob & Susan Fleming
Jeff Groff
Anthony Imbiscuso
Kelly/Maiello Architects
Norman S. Marcus
Meliora Design
Albert Michell & Darien Sutton
Ellen Nieses
North Creek Nurseries, Inc.
Sandy Tilney & Gail Harrity
Viridian Landscape Studio
Mike & Christine Wall
Janice Woodcock & Bill Cheeseman

Subscriber
Kate & Jill Altman-Caffery
Jennifer & Ben Carlson
George L. Claflen Jr., FAIA
Katherine M. Butler
Mary Ann Case
Elie-Anne Chevrier & Rudy Lewis
Bill Cullina
Tom & Ellie Elkinton
Beatrice B. Garvan
Rose Johnson
Scott Kelly, Re:Vision Architecture
Jean & Dan McCoubrey
Chris Mendel
Tom Normile, Keast & Hood Co.
Maggie & Jerry Silk
Frederick Steiner
Alison Thornton

Contribution
Laura Haines Belman
David Brownlee
David G. DeLong
Corinne Dieterle
Alan & Greta Greenberger
Robert & Emilie Harting
Catherine Hineline
Janet Klein
Long Beach Island Foundation
Sarah McEneaney
Diane Newbury & Steven Berman
PZS Architects
Missy & John Randolph
Debra Rogers & Paul Meyer
Paul Steinke
Nancy & Randy Williams
Jean K. Wolf

Previous Recipients

1988 Ehrman B. Mitchell, Jr.

1989 Robert Venturi

1990 G. Stockton Strawbridge

1991 Edmund N. Bacon

1992 Denise Scott Brown

1993 Romaldo Giurgola

1994 Sir Peter Shepheard

1995 Nicholas Gianopulos

1996 Beatrice W. B. Garvan

1997 Vincent Scully

1998 David G. DeLong

1999 Laurie D. Olin

2000 Joseph J. Rishel

2001 Elliot L. Shelkrot

2002 Paul R. Levy

2003 Robert McCracken Peck

2004 Judith Rodin

2005 Ted and Stevie Wolf

2006 David Brownlee

2007 Jane Pepper

2008 Signe Wilkinson

2009 Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake

2010 Paul W. Meyer

2011 John Milner

2012 Alan Greenberger

2013 Meryl Levitz

2014 Paul B. Redman

2015 David Hollenberg

2016 Sam Katz

2017 John M. (Jeff) Groff

2018 Harris M. Steinberg, FAIA

2019 Penny Balkin Bach

2020 Wyck’s Way Forward

2021 Sharmain Matlock-Turner

2022 Alan Metcalfe & Aaron Goldblatt