When we asked ASLA’s Professional Practice Network (PPN) members whose work (an individual landscape architect or a firm) they most admire in a 2015 survey, one response basically sums up the results: “too many to list.” Another member emphasized how their answer is constantly changing: “Today…Andrea Cochran…tomorrow MVVA…depends what I’m working on and how I feel!” Clearly, there are many landscape architects out there doing exceptional work, and highlighted below are both some familiar names and hopefully a few new ones to check out when you need a new source of inspiration.
Here are the most admired landscape architects, designers, and firms, each coming up four times or more:
- Laurie Olin, FASLA – OLIN
- Michael Van Valkenburgh, FASLA – Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
- Douglas Reed, FASLA, and Gary Hilderbrand, FASLA – Reed Hilderbrand
- Christine Ten Eyck, FASLA – Ten Eyck Landscape Architects
- Piet Oudolf
- Frederick Law Olmsted
- Dan Kiley
- Nelson Byrd Woltz
- Oehme, Van Sweden
- Peter Walker, FASLA – PWP Landscape Architecture
- James Corner, ASLA – James Corner Field Operations
- Thomas Church
The responses below all appeared two or three times:
A. E. Bye
Andropogon Associates
Beatrix Farrand
Darrel Morrison, FASLA
GreenWorks (Portland, OR)
James Rose
Jon Coe, FASLA
Kathryn Gustafson, ASLA – Gustafson Guthrie Nichol
Kongjian Yu, FASLA – Turenscape
Lawrence Halprin
Maya Lin
Mia Lehrer, FASLA
Michael Vergason, FASLA
Roberto Burle Marx
SWA
Thomas Balsley, FASLA – Thomas Balsley Associates
West 8
Other firms—ranging in size from small studios to large international practices—that were also mentioned include AHBE Landscape Architects, Biohabitats, CMG Landscape Architecture, Design Workshop, D.I.R.T. studio, EDSA, GROSS. MAX. Landscape Architects, Inscape Publico, O2 Planning + Design, PFS Studio, Sasaki Associates, Stoss, Swift Company, VITA Planning and Landscape Architecture, Wallace Roberts and Todd, and Wirtz International.
Inspiring individuals who were mentioned included:
Andrea Saven, ASLA – Lango Hansen Landscape Architects
Andrés Duany – Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ)
Anne Whiston Spirn
Claude Cormier, ASLA
Garrett Eckbo
Grant Jones, FASLA
Herbert Dreiseitl, International ASLA
Jamie Durie
Jens Jensen
Julie Moir Messervy
Ken Smith, FASLA
Thorbjorn Andersson
Walter Hood, ASLA
At the start of 2015, a questionnaire was sent out to members of ASLA’s Professional Practice Networks (PPNs). The theme: creativity and inspired design. As you can imagine, responses were varied, and included many insightful comments and suggestions. Synopses of the survey results were originally shared in LAND over the course of 2015, and we are now re-posting this information here on The Field. For the latest updates on the results of the annual PPN Survey, see LAND’s PPN News section.
I am so disappointed to see such limited diversity in the list of admired folks. It points to a real issue in our profession and something ASLA needs to take proactive steps to address. Who are we holding up at conferences as those to admire? Do they reflect the diversity of our profession in terms of gender? race? Type of practice (public vs private)? We can do better.