1. Tell us a bit about your current firm and projects or type of work you are doing.
I’m currently with Design Workshop in our Aspen Studio. I primarily work in residential design, but with a larger studio, it’s easy to lend a hand to our planning and public teams. I love that I have residential projects that I can dig into and feel responsible for, but that every week can end up being pretty varied.
2. Do you have a favorite professional project you have worked on? Why did it have such an impact for you?
I had the opportunity this spring to jump into an awards package for Black Fox Ranch, a residential project in Jackson, WY. We won a National ASLA Honor Award in Residential Design, with the jury remarking “The design seamlessly integrates nature and humanity, revealing a softness and the subtle beauty of nature.” It felt very surreal to get a call from a former intern this fall, letting me know that he had been assigned the project as a case study in class and that my drawings were featured as a great example of environmental storytelling.
3. What is your team like?
I absolutely love my team. It’s refreshing to be in a work environment that places such a focus on my personal and professional growth. I’m happy to be in a studio that values ideas and design input at all levels.
4. Are there designers or firms that you follow consistently? What is it about their work that you are attracted to?
@terremoto_landscape for their attention to craft and their always inspiring thoughts on the profession, @joost.emmerik shares the most incredible and underrated gardens, @ccxa.landscape for a dose of fun, and of course @mikejalbert who I have the privilege of working with and learning from every day!
5. What skills that you learned in your MLA program have you found to be the most helpful?
Being able to think/model/design in 3d is so important. Whether it’s a deep section, a 15-minute rhino model, or an incredibly detailed watershed analysis, bringing your designs out of plan will really take them to the next level.
6. What do you wish other people knew about our MLA program/Landscape Architecture/SoLA?
I cannot overstate the value of an MLA from the University of Tennessee. Graduate school is the place to test-drive your crazy ideas, build a foundation of solid design thinking, and discover what it is about this discipline that motivates you. SoLA is a place where you can dig in and get your hands dirty while also giving your brain a good stretch.