Created in 1985, Landscape Architect and Specifier News (LASN) is a professional journal that features issues and projects led or influenced by registered landscape architects. Their mission is to “entertain and educate landscape professionals, and connect them to vendors and service providers.”1 Through project highlights, new concepts spotlights, industry news reports, company advertisements, monthly vendor listings, and a yearly Specifier's Guide, they promote and inform professional landscape architects nationwide.
Published by Landscape Communications, Inc., the photographically-rich magazine regularly features articles on “design-build, water management, hardscapes, custom residential, city planning, school and campus projects,” and playgrounds.2 In 1998 a sister publication, Landscape Contractor National was launched. Today, the publication is called Landscape Contractor / Design Build Maintain (LC/DBM) to better reflect the focus of the publication.3
In conjunction with both of these publications, two yearly product directories are produced: the Landscape Architect Specifiers Guide and the Landscape Contractor Buyer's Guide. Landscape Communications also produces LandscapeOnline Weekly, a digital weekly newsletter that covers landscape issues, and produces two trade shows each year in Long Beach, California: the Landscape Architects’ Expo and the Landscape Expo.
Each month LASN publishes columns on playgrounds, hardscapes, ordinances, technology, “Movers & Shakers” about people, letters to the editor, and stewardship focusing on pro bono design work.4 They also have current industry news features, an editorial comment, and a book or media review.
LASN Marketplace advertisements feature relevant industry products organized by topics, including a corresponding topical index and a product information order form. Some of the marketing categories include Site Amenities, Outdoor Living, Park & Recreation, Landscape Lighting, Plant Materials, PMBR (pavers, masonry, blocks & rocks), Green Roof, Decorative Water Features, Equipment, and Business Services. Additionally, they feature “World Premiere” products for which either the picture or the advertisement has never been published before.
Every edition of LASN focuses on one area in the landscape architecture industry, such as lighting, park amenities, water features, paving materials, and playgrounds. The five or six main features of that issue will be about different aspects of the theme, including a prominent product focus feature. Over the nearly 30 years of publication, LASN has published more than 500 playground articles between the yearly September playground issue and the monthly playground columns.5 The magazine also produces a Playground column each issue that focuses on playground safety and design.
The May edition of each year is an Annual Specifier's Guide with product details for designers and engineers who need to specify the materials required for a bid or contract.6 Arranged by topics (such as Park & Recreation), then by subcategories (such as Play Structures) and sometimes further categories (such as Play Houses), the companies offering needed products are located with their brief summary, contact information, information request number, and the page reference for their larger ad.
Each year the December edition is a “Best of the Year” summary that includes the most popular products of the year, the reader's choice awards of articles in LASN, and the Top-10 articles from the LandscapeOnline Weekly newsletter. They also feature the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) regional Chapter Reports for the year as well as ASLA national organization news. Lastly, the year-end edition honors those professionals in the landscape architect industry that died during that year.
- 1. “Advertising Information Request Center!” LandscapeOnline.com. < http://landscapeonline.com/advertising/advertising_media.php > 14 April 2013.
- 2. “Editorial Submissions.” LandscapeOnline.com. < http://landscapeonline.com/research/submissions/index.php > 14 April 2013.
- 3. LandscapeOnline.com. < http://landscapeonline.com > 14 April 2013.
- 4. “Submit Material to LASN's Monthly Columns.” LandscapeOnline.com. < http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/article/17224 > 14 April 2013.
- 5. “Editorial & Article Search Results.” LandscapeOnline.com. < http://landscapeonline.com/research/index.php?action=find&searchType=advanced&searchBy=keywords&serachFor=Playgrounds > 14 April 2013.
- 6. “Specifiers Industrial Definition.” The Industrial Marketplace Web. < http://www.theindustrialmarketplaceweb.com/2011/11/specifiers-industrial-definition/ > 14 April 2013.
