The Site Commissioning White Paper—published in 2017 by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)—establishes the policy framework for an agency-wide process of formulating, and then field-verifying, performance goals for GSA’s future land development projects. As one of the world’s largest public real-estate organizations, this process has the potential to advance the effectiveness of the site design, construction, and management industries, which in turn could positively impact landscape performance at a national scale.
The digital, publically-available white paper was developed through a unique collaboration between policy-makers, landscape architects, and working groups comprised of 89 industry thought-leaders. While written as a policy tool, the white paper’s tone and graphic quality make it equally accessible to practitioners. Since its publication, GSA launched its first site-commissioning pilot project. The Site Commissioning White Paper uniquely demonstrates how landscape architects can help shape policy, thereby advocating for a more resilient built environment.
According to Christian Gabriel, PLA, ASLA—GSA’s National Design Director for Landscape Architecture—“the team conducted themselves to the highest standards from both an administrative and research perspective, producing an outstanding, world-class research report by any professional standard.”
