RBLA Design LLC, a landscape architecture and site planning firm, recently announced it has been certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Operational Services Division (OSD).
Rebecca Blancard
Women Business Enterprises are entities that are at least 51% owned and/or controlled by women. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises are for-profit small business concerns, at least 51% owned by one or more individuals who are socially and economically disadvantaged. Part of the Commonwealth’s Supplier Diversity Program (SDP), these certifications promote equality in the state government contracting market by ensuring full participation of minority, women, veteran, service-disabled veteran, disability and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (“LGBT”) owned businesses in all areas of state procurement by all Agencies.
At the end of 2016, Rebecca Bachand, PLA, LEED AP, became the sole owner of UIrich Bachand Landscape Architecture, LLC (UBLA) and began the process of re-branding and OSD certification. “With the growth of our multifamily and affordable housing practice in particular, we felt it was critical to our clients that – along with our strong design and permitting background – we provide the much-needed SDP certification,” said Rebecca Bachand, owner and manager of RBLA Design LLC. “Matt Ulrich will continue his single family residential design practice at UBLA Residential, and we look forward to collaborating as opportunities arise. My focus has been and will continue to be multifamily and institutional design, including assisted living residences.”
Since 1998, Ms. Bachand has focused on design projects and due diligence for multifamily and affordable housing, assisted living and commercial properties throughout Massachusetts. She has completed extensive local and state public permitting efforts such as Planning Board Approval, Conservation Commission Notices of Intent, MEPA Filings and Chapter 40B Affordable Housing entitlement processes.
As a LEED Accredited Professional, Ms. Bachand works with clients to integrate LEED points and sustainable techniques into all projects. This experience has ranged from detailing landscape and streetscape designs for several new LEED-certifiable apartment buildings in the Allston/Brighton Green District to composing drought tolerant, native plant palettes for residential and commercial properties.
Ms. Bachand often incorporates facets of Therapeutic Landscape Design and Universal Accessibility into spaces for use by all generations and abilities by providing fully accessible routes through sites and creating plant palettes that provide interest for all senses and seasons while being low maintenance and sustainable. These unique spaces also feature distinct landscape themes for wayfinding and are often certifiable as butterfly gardens.
