ASLA is continuing to celebrate #womeninlandscapearchitecture who are shaping our environment on social media this Women’s History Month. Last week, we recapped a first set of WILA profiles here on The Field for anyone who may have missed them. Check out that first installment for Alexandra Mei, ASLA, Angelica Rockquemore, ASLA, Sandy Meulners, ASLA, and SuLin Kotowicz, FASLA.
Today, we’re sharing the next set of profiles, of Shuangwen Yang, Associate ASLA, Heidi Hohmann, ASLA, Tristan Fields, ASLA, Joni Hammons, ASLA, and Sahar Teymouri, ASLA.
Shuangwen Yang, Associate ASLA
Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?
I admire the perseverance of journalist and activist Jane Jacobs, who was passionately and fearlessly committed to introducing sympathetic city planning and design oriented around people and communities, during an era where women’s opinions weren’t welcome in many rooms. Another role model that I look up to is landscape architect Mikyoung Kim, FASLA. Seeing someone who looks like me to thrive and continue to be a great mentor to others in a white male dominated profession makes me see myself in a similar position to make greater impact.
What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?
No matter what ups and downs you run into, always uplift your peers, deeply believe in your values, and speak confidently about your work, because somebody somewhere is inspired by what you do.
Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?
One project that I’m proud of is a tactical urbanism installation project with Nashville Youth Design Team. As a design mentor, I helped the design team with design, SketchUp modeling, and implementation of a temporary crosswalk and pedestrian bulb-outs at one of the most dangerous intersections in the city. Their advocacy pushed Nashville DOT to finally install pedestrian safety measures that had been ignored for a long time. It was very fulfilling that I got to be a part of their journey of expressing youth voice and using it to create equitable designs for our communities.
Heidi Hohmann, ASLA
What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?
How I got to graduate school for an MLA after a degree in molecular biophysics is a long and convoluted story, but let’s just say, I think landscape architecture is a good career for people who like both science and art. The design process and the scientific method have a lot in common, but I found that as a STEM discipline, in landscape architecture there’s much more of place for subjectivity—and ideas like beauty—than other sciences.
Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?
I think in terms of landscape architecture practice when I was coming up after school, my former employer Patricia O’Donnell, FASLA, of Heritage Landscapes was very influential—she and Marion Pressley, FASLA, were women owning their own firms 30 years ago and there weren’t all that many back then. Historically, I have a soft spot for Theodora Kimball Hubbard—she’s one of my “heroes”—landscape architecture librarian at Harvard’s GSD and for the Olmsted firm. Today we’d call her an interdisciplinary researcher and collaborator.
What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?
Make sure you speak up, even if you haven’t been invited!
Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?
About 10 years ago I did a preservation plan for Brucemore, an O.C. Simonds landscape that is now a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. When it was struck by 100-mph winds in August 2020, the documentation we did then has proven invaluable in helping to do a massive rehabilitation effort that a former student of mine is now working on. It demonstrates the importance of planning and preparedness in the coming era of climate change.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Be less scared. On some level, none of it matters, so you might as well go for it.
Tristan Fields, ASLA
What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?
In January 1997, I was on a crab processing boat in the middle of the Bering Sea, reading the course catalog for the University of Washington. The landscape architecture courses melded together all my passions for nature and design. After that, I knew my dream was to become a landscape architect. I wanted to create spaces for people and the environment, keeping both at the heart of the issue while creating a deep sense of space.
Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?
For 19 years, Lucy Tolmach was the Horticulture Director at Filoli Historic Estate in Woodside, CA. I had the pleasure of working with her for two years in the early 2000s. Her passion, drive, intelligence, and knowledge were truly inspirational. She is a strong proponent of higher education in horticulture. She encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming a landscape architect.
Another female role model is every landscape architect woman with whom I have enjoyed learning and working. So many inspirational incredible women are in our industry.
What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?
Those that are most successful in landscape architecture find their passion. Talk to as many folks in the field as you can to see all the possibilities in the field. Then follow your passion!
Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?
There are incredible, feel-good projects like working on a First Responders Memorial for Pierce County, WA—those projects you know are honorable and very public. But then there are those quieter projects that I also feel proud about, like an innovative planting design for a small mall in Oregon. The projects integrate all my knowledge of stormwater, planting design, and compliance.
About four years ago, I became a licensed arborist. Now on every project I touch, I combine my knowledge of landscape architecture with my background in horticulture and arboriculture. It is incredibly gratifying to create spaces that preserve and integrate trees.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t be afraid of the non-accredited landscape architecture programs. There are other paths to licensure. Focus on getting as much education as possible. And don’t worry, the windy way to a goal is sometimes the most educational and fun.
Joni Hammons, ASLA
What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?
I was born and raised in a small, rural village in Acadiana—a region of Cajun heritage in South Louisiana. My parents are farmers, and I grew up on Bayou Teche. Identifying with landscape and taking to heart principles of land stewardship has always been at the forefront of my identity, and it played a heavy hand in my journey to landscape architecture. I also lived in New Orleans for a few years after undergrad, and observing the tenuous intersections of urban and natural systems opened my eyes to the potential of landscape architecture to provide important benefits to the community and the environment.
Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?
My mother. She is a crawfish farmer and carpenter and an all-around expert in figuring out how things work. She instilled in me from a young age that I could do anything I put my mind to. I grew up watching her float seamlessly between her roles as mother and working woman, and her can-do attitude lives in me, too. I am so grateful for her example.
What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?
Seek out good mentors. I find so much inspiration in the community of women in landscape architecture—there is so much wisdom to be shared within this relatively small, friendly professional community. And while each of our journeys through the profession is unique, we’re not journeying alone. Listen to the experiences of other female landscape architects and hear how they’ve carved out a career that feels right for them.
What advice would you give your younger self?
You can build a career on your own terms. Maybe you can’t do everything you want all at once, but a career is long, and your cumulative experiences will get you where you want to be. You don’t have to make concessions—do the work that is meaningful to you. You have a unique perspective and skill set that can help move the profession forward.
Sahar Teymouri, ASLA
What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?
I pursued landscape architecture in graduate school because of my passion for the environment and my interest in design and planning to create outdoor spaces that are beautiful, equitable, and sustainable. In my senior year at the school of architecture, I had more exposure to the field of landscape architecture while working on my final project. As I enjoyed spending much of my childhood in my grandparents’ orchard, the love of nature naturally grew in me without my noticing it. With my passion for architecture, I always felt an intangible gap of something missing between the buildings we designed and the cities we live in. By pursuing a master’s degree in landscape architecture, I thought I could become a better architect, not realizing that landscape architecture is a part of me, and I enjoy practicing it every day.
Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?
My role models, both in my career and in my life, are all of the Iranian women out there who do their best to push boundaries, fight for what is right, despite all challenges they face every day, keep moving forward, and lifting each other up along the way. Their courage continues to inspire and influence me and my design.
What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?
No matter how experienced you become over time, always be open to new learning opportunities, seek feedback and mentorship to improve yourself continuously, and don’t be shy to advocate for yourself and others who need your voice to represent them.
Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?
One of my favorite public park projects, which is recently finished and open to the public, is the Bijou Park renovation in Downtown Wilmington, NC. This project is located between two buildings in the heart of downtown, which merges a cozy urban alley with a crowded downtown corridor utilizing patterns, colors, and vegetation. The path is flanked by small sculptures, floral panels, native plants, and lights, providing various opportunities to enjoy a peaceful alley in the midst of the busy downtown area. The Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County Bijou Park Mural Project will cover the entire wall facing Bijou Park, enriching it with an invaluable story that this historic site deserves.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Work more on the things you enjoy and believe in. Don’t be afraid to take chances to try new things. This can be new skills, projects, training, and much more in professional practice. And, have more courage.
Keep an eye on ASLA’s social media for more #womeninlandscapearchitecture profiles and join us in celebrating the work and accomplishments of women in the field!