James H. Bassett biography
JAMES H. BASSETT, FASLA
PRESIDENT, BASSETT ASSOCIATES
James H. Bassett is a graduate in Landscape Architecture of Ohio State University, where he received a 1st Award - American Academy of Rome Design Competition and the ASLA Certificate of Merit. Other awards include the House & Home Design for Outdoor Living Achievement and the Texnikoi Outstanding Alumnus Award from the OSU College of Engineering. Under his leadership, Bassett Associates has been the recipient of more than twenty five state and national awards for design excellence, including a 1993 Merit Award from Ohio ASLA for the Lakes and Cascades at AmeriFlora '92, a 1997 Honor Award from the Ohio ASLA for the African Exhibits at the Kansas City Zoo and most recently a 2001 Merit Award from the Ohio ASLA for the Longaberger Homestead.
Mr. Bassett has developed his practice of landscape architecture from an individual private practice established in 1954 to an incorporated firm of professional landscape architects, designers and planners that has established a widespread reputation for design excellence in a diverse array of projects, including urban plazas and streetscapes, recreational facilities, corporate and institutional campuses, residential communities, zoological facilities and mixed use developments.
Mr. Bassett is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and was elected to the Council of Fellows in 1981. He holds a CLARB Certificate and currently holds active registration in nine states. His positions within the profession have included membership on the Ohio State Board of Landscape Architects Examiners, the ASLA Accreditation Board, and member and Director of the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Board Region II. In 1985-86, he served as a member of the Capitol Square Renovation Community assistance Team, and in 1993, the Ohio Chapter of the ASLA presented Mr. Bassett the Ohio Chapter Medal in recognition of his achievements in and contributions to the profession of Landscape Architecture. In addition, he has served in numerous local civic capacities and is currently a member of the Bluffton College Board of Directors.
His innovative and skillful approach to incorporating stormwater management in site design led to producing a "Stormwater Control Guidebook" for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and a national ASLA Merit Award for the document. The Soil Conservation Society of America presented Mr. Bassett with a national Merit Award for Land & Water Resource Design in 1987, and in 1994 the Water Management Association of Ohio presented Bassett Associates with the President's Industrial Award for innovative and skillful approaches to stormwater management.
In recent years, Jim Bassett has expanded the horizons of landscape architecture with his work in the planning and design of zoological facilities. Beginning with consultations with the director of the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo thirty years ago, Mr. Bassett is now recognized as one of the leading zoological designers in the country bringing his sensitive perceptions of site design and the relationship of plants, people and space to the unique challenges of zoo design.