Yesterday, the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) announced that George F. Dark, OALA, FCSLA, FASLA, was selected by the jury as the 2018 recipient of the Governor General’s Medal in Landscape Architecture.
The Governor General’s Medal in Landscape Architecture (GGMLA) is the highest honour bestowed on a landscape architect by the CSLA. The medal is intended to honour exceptional landscape architects whose lifetime achievements and contributions to the profession have had a unique and lasting impact on Canadian society.
George F. Dark is an urban designer, landscape architect and member of both the College of Fellows of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects and the Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects. George has over 40 years of professional practice experience bringing the core thought process of landscape architecture to Allen fields of endeavour. George’s work focuses on the quality of urban environments and the coordination of large groups of diverse professionals, policy makers and implementers aimed at guiding projects through complex approval and consultation processes to successful outcomes.
During the past 20 years, George has developed a focus on the strategic design direction of large scale urban regeneration and regional landscape undertakings, putting him at the centre of design decisions for some of the largest urban and rural projects in Canada and abroad. George is very active in the charitable and not-for-profit sectors, having served as Board Chair of the Evergreen Foundation of Canada for over 12 years while creating Brickworks, leading to his appointment as Chairman Emeritus of the organization. He is currently Chairman of the Social Innovation Foundation at the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto and was appointed by the Province of Ontario as a Trustee of the McMichael Canadian Collection Gallery. George was the founding Chair of the Academic Advisory Council of the Willowbank School of Restoration Arts.
According to Nastaran Moradinejad, CSLA President and Chair of the 2018 Governor General’s Medal in Landscape Architecture Jury:
We are pleased to award this honour to George F. Dark, who sees potential where others cannot, builds the foundations of glorious landscape architecture work, mentors the upcoming generation of landscape architects, contributes to the charitable and non-profit sector, and promotes the goals of the profession and society through his participation on Boards and design panels Mr. Dark’s commitment to design excellence and to outcomes that address the needs of the public are what distinguish him.