Cortona, Arezzo, Italy
Summer 2024
This project provides an outdoor space for the Church of Saint Dominic in Cortona, Italy and enhances the passage between a public park and another plaza. With vehicular traffic being redirected to adjacent corridors, the area becomes pedestrian.
The design uses path shape, planting, and topographic change to serve the concepts of intensification and contrast. The low elevation of the plaza also helps to block street noise and create a feeling of enclosure.
The trees are placed in groups of three and ten, referencing the numbers of grouped beads on a rosary, which Saint Dominic is credited for popularizing, and there is a bed of lilies surrounding his statue, as that flower is one of his attributes. The paving of the wings is stone to match the rest of Cortona, but the central plaza area will use pebble pavement, matching that at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, Italy.
Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, U.S.A.
Fall 2025
This small, rural community in the Appalachian foothills aims to bring neighbors together through clustered housing and communal outdoor recreational areas. Houses and adjacent structures mingle with one another, but the topographical nature of the site ensures that each residence will still feel a sense of privacy. This clustering of properties also allows for a large band of undeveloped and undisturbed land to surround the entire property, contributing to a sense of seclusion for the community as a whole. The architectural style of the homes is humble and pastoral, with each house featuring a front porch and/or back deck oriented to provide a view of the pond. The lots are minimally programmed to allow the houses to settle into the natural landscape but offer some outdoor seating and gardening spaces as allowed by the topography. The selected construction materials – wood, stone, brick - are natural and native to the area to minimize ecological impact and promote visual unity between the built and natural environments.
The community is entered via a two-way gravel road from the northeastern corner of the site. After a few gentle curves, the road branches off into a one-way loop which first goes “low” to pass the pond and then circles around to cross the high point of the site before rejoining the two-way stretch. The road is intended to feel like an extension of each resident’s driveway, providing a long, winding entry/exit sequence through the land. A natural pedestrian trail circles the pond, crossing a small wooden bridge over the eastern point, and then meanders up to the high point and down to the community barns. At the pond, a small, wooden picnic shelter provides respite from the elements. The high point has intentionally been left a wild plateau to maintain a feeling of adventure and ruggedness for those enjoying the views. Trees have been preserved/added strategically in areas that will not interrupt important sightlines, such as that between the pond and high point. The plant palette for the property will be entirely made up of species native to the piedmont region – oaks, maples, beeches, pines, hemlocks. Each design decision was made with the land itself in mind, as it is the true star of the show in any rural setting.
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
Fall 2025
This residential redesign makes the most of limited space. New features include a combined garage and accessory dwelling unit with patio, a utility space beyond the garage, a covered entry court and walk to the house (shown in sketch at bottom right), a lawn with landscaped borders, a staircase connection from the backyard to the basement, and a revised deck to frame the existing pool. Grading, drainage, and tree recompense calculations were emphasized in this project.
Sedalia, Colorado, U.S.A.
Fall 2024
with Will Harvey, Razeen Kanjiani, and Hailey Tangum
This guest ranch in the Rocky Mountains aims to bring awareness to the wild horse overpopulation crisis in the larger American West. Through immersion in the beautifully rugged Colorado landscape alongside resident rescue mustangs, visitors will learn about the ecological implications of the issue – erosion, wildfire, and invasion of non-native species – as well as about the efforts being made to mitigate them. The design of the lodge capitalizes on the site’s topography and proximity to natural features like the Bee Rock formation. It also prioritizes environmental sustainability through native planting, solar energy, and stormwater management infrastructure like bioretention areas and bioswales.
LODGE ENLARGEMENT AND GRADING PLAN
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
Fall 2025
Beginning with a meandering driveway, views open to a picturesque front landscape dotted with stately canopy trees such as white oak, sycamore, and tulip poplar. Residents follow the drive all the way back to their private auto court, while guests navigate a right turn to the front parking area. From there, a brick staircase offers an oblique approach to the main house, making for a dynamic and impressive entry sequence. Stacked stone retaining walls flanking the steps bring plants like columbine, daphne, and phlox closer to eye level, encouraging interaction from passersby. Off the back of the house, an outdoor dining patio transitions into lawn overlooking the property beyond. On the left, the lawn slopes down to a lower level on the same plane as the pool deck, which is also accessible via stairs from the right side of the upper lawn. Fieldstone pavers border the rectangular pool on two sides, and the remaining two are met with a landscape of plants which tolerate full sun, drought, and chlorine. Many of them, including rosemary, oregano, and sage, are aromatic, which will not only contribute a pleasant scent to the area but also keep mosquitos at bay. At the far end of the pool deck near the fire pit, stone steps encircle the spa, which sits twoand-a-half feet higher than the pool, offering an engaging view from one of the highest points on the property. Also accessible from the pool deck is a sunny meadow walk on the south side of the house. As one traverses the near five feet of elevation gain along the length of the walk, they will be met with species like rattlesnake master, muhly grass, and goldenrod, which are punctuated by the occasional “emerald feather” eastern red cedar, a columnar cultivar. One stone bench at the highest point of the walk provides a space for visitors to take a rest within the meadow before beginning their descent toward the front of the house. At the end of the walk is an overlook platform with swing bench. Overhead, trumpet honeysuckle rests on a wooden pergola structure, offering shade. As a reward for completing the meadow walk, the overlook provides an expansive view of the front of the property and toward the street. A natural earth pathway continues onward from the overlook point, wrapping around the front of the house, passing through the brick entry stairs, and finally terminating at the covered porch on the north side. Along this walk are plants with strong seasonal interest, like yoshino cherry, witch hazel, crocus, and mystery lily to give the front yard color year-round. Woodland trails provide access to the back of the property, but only after passing through a transitional forest glade. This clearing is bordered with ornamental understory trees and shrubs and features a boardwalk over ferns, sedges, and ephemeral groundcovers. From here, the trails lead one to the secluded ADU and/or the small creek, near which a picnic area within a grove of river birches is located.
Meadow color chart
GRADING VIEWS
GRASS MATRIX
COLOR CHART- MEADOW
Andropogon virginicus
Asclepias tuberosa
Baptisia alba
Bouteloua curtipendula
Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition'
Eryngium yuccifolium
Helenium 'Double Trouble'
Liatris pycnostachya
Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud'
Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'
Schizachyrium scoparium
Sisyrinchium angustifolium 'Blue Note'
Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks'
Symphyotricum novi-belgii 'Grape Crush'
