The landscape for the new Champions Golf Course pavilion focuses on natives that blend seamlessly with the natural setting of the course.
Collaboration with Rivers Barden Architects and Studio WAL
Project Type: Landscape Research
Partners: SPARK and the Powell Foundation
The nature toolkit for Houston public schools is a research project that creates design ideas and best management practices for fostering a connection between kids and the natural world through the design of playspaces in public school parks.
Natural Elements Integration: Incorporate natural materials such as wood, rocks, and water features to create a sensory-rich environment that stimulates curiosity and imagination.
Play Structures: Design custom play structures inspired by natural forms to provide opportunities for climbing, balancing, and imaginative play.
Educational Signage: Install informative signage throughout the playground area, educating children and caregivers about local flora, fauna, and ecological principles, fostering environmental awareness and stewardship.
Accessible Pathways and Interactive elements: Ensure accessibility for children of all abilities by incorporating smooth pathways, ramps, and sensory-rich surfaces, promoting inclusive play experiences. Provide inclusive design strategies for neurodivergent kids.
Shade Structures: Integrate shaded areas using natural elements such as pergolas, native trees, and vegetation, providing relief from the sun and creating comfortable gathering spaces for families.
Project Type: Community Park and Nature Playspace
Partners: SPARK Parks
Location: Southwest Houston
The Tinsley Park is a community space and nature playspace for the students at Tinsley Elementary School. The project aims to create an innovative and engaging recreational space within the community park, fostering a connection between children and the natural environment. This project seeks to reimagine traditional playground concepts by integrating elements inspired by nature, promoting exploration, creativity, and physical activity in a safe and inclusive environment.
Project Type: Landscape Architecture, Garden Design, Residential Garden
Services: Design through Construction Administration
Collaborators: Rivers Barden Architects
Year: 2021-present
Project Type: Interactive playspace and STEAM learning area
Collaborators: SLA Architects, River Bend Nature Center
in progress, 2021- present
This project transforms a blank concrete terrace into an engaging artsy STEAM plaza play space for kids. There will be oversized butterflies, interactive musical instruments, fort building, gardening, and more at this renovated nature educational center in North Texas.
Project Type: Residential Garden
Houston, TX
2020, constructed
In collaboration with LOJO Architecture
Landscape Contractor: Telloc Lifescapes
The pocket prairie flanks the corner of an urban neighborhood just north of Downtown Houston. Currently in the establishment phase, the pocket prairie was planted with a mix of nursery-grown containers, custom native seed mixes, and live root plant saplings for the best establishment of wildflowers and grasses. The prairie is dynamic each day as it catches the sun and shade against the grey metal of the house facade. Throughout the year it blooms in yellow, white, lavender, and pink against a backdrop of finely textured wild grasses with cloud-like seed heads dancing in the wind.
Project Type: Landscape Design
Eastham Thomason park is large park in the center of Huntsville, Texas. We were engaged to enhance the new playspace with interpretative nature elements. An imaginative fort-building and rock circle is sited at the confluence of the major walking trails and custom signage prompts kids to be curious about the nature that surrounds them.
Project Type: Residential Garden
Collaborators: Content Architecture, Haskins Design Build, Merge Fabrication
2021, completed
Winner, Texas Society of Architects Design Award, 2022
Winner, AIA Houston Design Award, 2021
Tucked into the Houston Heights neighborhood, this garden is a low-water landscape augmented by a specimen Japanese Maple Tree and native grasses. The back features a small pool and zoysia lawn with custom metal planters and trellises.
Photography: Leonid Furmansky
Project Type: Private Garden
Collaborators: Dillon Kyle Architects, Gandy Lighting Design, CLW Landscape, SL Anderson Urban Arborists
in progress, 2020-present
A whimsical garden of custom topiary sculptures and curvy patterns punctuated with lush tropical foliage. This project features a curvy boomerang pool like a Thomas Church kidney bean but with sleeker curves. A mix of groudcovers and gravel gestures create a patterned landscape.
Project Type: Landscape Master Plan
Coastal Florida, 2023
Services: Landscape strategies for planting, maintenance, and long term resiliency.
The masterplan process aims to enhance the unique natural character of the island landscape through resilient planting and maintenance strategies.
St. George Island in the Florida panhandle is a unique barrier island landscape with a multitude of ecosystems such as maritime forest, coastal uplands, marshes, and coastal dunes. These habitats of the Florida Gulf Coast are home to endangered sea turtles, abundant bird species, and a dazzling diversity of native plants.
Project Type: Landscape Design
The Champions Golf Course is a legacy landscape with a deep connection to notable golf history. It was founded in 1957 by golf major champions Jack Burke, Jr. and Jimmy Damaret. Today, the club has a thriving membership with active courses. Our work began with landscape design for the new dining pavilion by Rivers Barden Architects and Wal Studio. We continue to work with the Champions’ dedicated staff on the enhancement of their grounds.
Project type: Landscape Planting design and resilient maintenance practices
Partners: Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO)
In the second phase of work with METRO, the TMC transit plaza gets a landscape overhaul to create a robust pocket prairie that absorbs water and provides a new engaging lush landscape of native plants. Featuring dozens of different native species of wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs, the landscape plan reimagines what a transit hub could look and feel like.
Our maintenance practices guide for the transit center focused on how to create a more comfortable microclimate with changed pruning practices and the addition of many shade trees.
PROJECT TYPE: Specialty indoor learning gardens and exterior landscape design
SERVICES: landscape design, indoor planting support, plant selection, soil specifications
2018-Phase One
COLLABORATORS: Produced in collaboration with SLA Architects for the River Bend Nature Center Phase One Renovations in Wichita Falls, Texas
The SGI Vision 2025 is spearheaded by the St. George Island Civic Club members to create a plan for the commercial district on the island. The plan creates a framework for adding pedestrian and bike amenities, new recreational opportunities, flood mitigation, native plantings throughout the district, and a cohesive natural character for the beach community.
PROJECT TYPE: Elementary School Playground
Services: Concept Design, site design, project management, construction documentation
2018-Present
Phase One Completed in 2019
Project Type: Plaza Design, Ecological Design, Micromobility Design, Urban Design
Client: Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County
Status: Design, 2019-present
Project Type: Multifamily Housing Landscape
Partners: Avenue CDC, Living Paradigm CDC
Consultant Team: NDA Architects, Jones Carter Civil Engineers
For a new multifamily housing complex on 34th Street, the design is distinctively drought tolerant for a resilient landscape of native plants and crushed rock mulch. The goal with this project is to produce a landscape that’s recognizably sustainable and creates a larger impact on the surrounding urban context. Thus, the street medians are also being adopted as part of the project to tie-into a resilient landscape strategy.
Our Houston Heights Oasis garden is a tropical paradise inside one of Houston's oldest neighborhoods. We make a completely immersive oasis in this small, modern garden with boldly textured plants and materials.
Building Architecture by Anderson Canyon
Master Plan completed 2017, currently in construction
Size: 35 Acres
The Resort Village Master Plan in the Florida panhandle is creating spaces for people to connect to a pristine natural environment on 35 acres of barrier island property. Nestled within the SGPOA on St. George Island, the Resort Village encompasses a kayak launch, recreational courts, and a series of hiking trails.
Project Type: Landscape Architecture, Public Art, Community Engagement, Social Practice
Size: 1.67 Acres
Location: Gulfton Neighborhood, Southwest Houston
Project Description: Community Design collaboration with Open Architecture Houston, Connect Community, and Houston Southwest MultiServices Center
Work in Progress, 2017
Project Type: Elementary School Playground and Environmental Education Landscape
Location: Pasadena, Texas
Produced in partnership with the Kaboom Foundation and the Rebuild Texas Fund. Work in progress. 2019-present
PROJECT TYPE: Park Artwalk Competition Proposal
LOCATION: Bastrop, Texas
SERVICES PROVIDED: Concept Design
SIZE: 22 acres
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Overall Concept
The concept weaves together cultural and natural history of the Bastrop community by creating spaces that celebrate the people, geology, plants, and ecosystems of the region. The integrated spaces are built from local natural materials. Each space celebrates an aspect of the Bastrop community.
Celebrate People: Heritage Post Site Marker, 14 Total
The site markers, shown on the schematic plan as orange rectangles, are four-sided wood posts made from reclaimed Pine beams. Each side of the beam has carved text relevant to the languages, people, and history of the four prominent cultural groups that have lived in the Bastrop area. The four cultural groups are Native Americans, Mexicans, Africans, and Anglo Settlers. Each of these different peoples have a distinct culture to be represented each on one side of the Pine beam. Examples of text for the heritage posts might include poetry, stories, place-names, famous people, and significant dates. Together, each four-sided Pine beam represents a facet of the cultural and ethnic history of the region. The Heritage Post Site Markers are located at identified “gateways” throughout the Walk. The first posts flank either side of the walkway into the park and the additional posts mark sequenced spaces along the walk.
Celebrate Ecosystems: Texas Hill Country Wildflower Meadow and Texas Mesquite Savanna Boardwalk
The existing wildflower meadow is enhanced with seeded and transplanted native wildflowers and grasses including Sunflower Goldeneye, Velvetleaf Senna, Little Bluestem, Pink Evening Primrose, Rain Lily, Zexmenia, White Mistflower, Hill Country Penstemon, Four-nerve Daisy, and Winecup. These flowers and grasses are native to the region and create a colorful textured canvas for integrating additional permanent public artworks and sculptures within the park.
The Boardwalk is a subtly elevated wooden deck walk four feet wide that arcs through a planting of Texas Mesquite trees and Little Bluestem grasses. It is meant to be a discovery walk adjacent to the main path of the park that allows visitors to experience a slice of the Mesquite Savanna ecosystem.
Celebrate Geology and History: Limestone Plaza with Curved Seating
Using locally sourced limestone, a plaza with a curved seat wall is integrated into the path between existing mature trees. The plaza stones and stone seating area are designed to integrate various types of limestone rock relevant to different periods in Texas geologic history. The stones have embedded text about the geology endemic to the Edwards Plateau, the Lost Pines, and the formation of Limestone rock related to the prehistoric conditions of Texas.
Celebrate Plants: Loblolly Pine Grove Planting
As an homage to the special stand of “Lost Pines”, the loblolly pine grove is a loose grid of Pinus taeda trees planted in a drift from the limestone plaza and continuing north to the Wildflower Meadow. The pines should be planted from seedlings by volunteers as a way to teach the public about reforestation and forest management practices.
Celebrate People: Terraced Amphitheater
The amphitheater is a gathering space for watching movies, spoken-word performances, and contemporary plays. The terraced space is graded into the existing land to form a half-circle that joins the existing park pathway. Near the main path and parking area, the amphitheater is positioned to host lively arts events that celebrate today’s arts and cultural programs.
PROJECT TYPE: Ecological landscape design, wilderness park design, ecopark design. work in progress
LOCATION: St. George Island and Apalachicola Bay, Florida
SERVICES PROVIDED: landscape design
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Located on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, Tully Park provides a secluded view out over the bay to the adjacent wetlands. Wilderness boardwalks and platforms lead to a kayak launch within a slough of the Bay.
PROJECT TYPE: Wilderness Park Design, work in progress
LOCATION: St. George Island, Florida
SERVICES PROVIDED: Ecological design, concept design, ecosystem design, native plant palette design
SIZE: 5 acres
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: How do you design access into a pristine wilderness while respecting the beauty and remoteness of the place? You work with a light hand and design with minimal materials: wood, sand, crushed shells, water, fire, native plants. These designs in progress for a barrier island in the Florida panhandle create spaces for watching bald eagles and wading birds in Apalachicola Bay and for discovering colonies of rare native plants growing on the island's interior. Boardwalks connect to sloughs within the Bay and to interior freshwater ponds fed by rain. The goal is to connect people to nature for everyday enjoyment.
Project Type: Residential Pool Garden
Location: Garden Oaks, Houston, Texas
Completed: 2018
Services: Plant and material selection, container garden and custom raised bed garden design
Project Type: National Cemetery and Memorial Arboretum Design
LOCATION: Arlington, Virginia
Services Provided: Lead Plant Designer for the 30 acre expansion project while employed as a Landscape Architect at Sasaki
Project Size: 30 acres
Project Description:
Arlington National Cemetery is an iconic landscape and a national memorial space for veterans. The design for a 30 acre expansion of the cemetery was focused on creating an arboretum of specimen trees in the burial ground and gardens and pathways that navigate the steep slopes of the site. Several hundred species of trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses, vines, and bulbs were used in the design of this project.
