Thomas L. Woltz, ASLA
Partner, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
ASLA Council of Fellows Nomination: WORKS
EDUCATION
Masters in Landscape
Architecture, University of Virginia,
1997
Masters in Architecture,
University of Virginia, 1996
University of Virginia Vicenza
Program - selected to participate
in architecture program
concentrating on drawing, urban
analysis, and Renaissance history;
Vicenza, Italy (summer 1998)
Post-graduate studies in French
language, architectural history,
and literature, La Sorbonne, Paris,
France, 1992-3
Bachelor of Science Degree in
Architecture with triple major in
Architectural Design, Architectural
History, and Studio Art; University
of Virginia, 1990
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2004 - Present
Partner, Nelson Byrd Woltz
Landscape Architects
Charlottesville VA and NY, NY
1997- 2003
Project Manager, Nelson-Byrd
Landscape Architects
Charlottesville, VA
1990 - 1994
Designer, Office of Giorgio
Bellavitis, Venice, Italy
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
1990-1994
Instructor, University of Virginia
summer program in Vicenza, Italy
1997 –2009
Lecturer, University of Virginia
School of Architecture – taught
Sites and Systems
On the educational foundations of architecture, art, architectural history, and
landscape architecture combined with an intrinsic passion for the land, Thomas
Woltz has forged a body of work over the past 15 years that integrates the
beauty and function of built form and craftsmanship with an
understanding of complex biological systems and
Thomas’ recent work that
restoration ecology. His design work infuses places where
synthesizes landscape
people live, work, and play with narratives of the land that
architecture design with
inspire contemplation and stewardship. He melds the
conservation biology and
interests of land owners, conservation biologists, cultural
agricultural land
historians, and horticulturists with thoughtful design of the
management is the most
landscape and architecture. His innovative work has
exciting practice model I
yielded numerous national and international speaking
have seen in decades.
engagements. A keen ability to connect with people –
When Thomas lectured
recently to a diverse group
clients, students, staff, and wider audiences – gives him a
of UVA students, the
significant voice in the profession of landscape architecture
atmosphere in the room was
as an advocate for the ability of the profession to heal
electric. He was mobbed
wounds inflicted on the land while creating memorable
like a rock star after a
places of exquisite beauty.
concert. We are fortunate to
have this passionate
advocate for our profession
who combines design talent
with deep love for the land.
Thomas’s connection to the land began at an early age in
the agrarian Appalachian foothills of northwestern North
Carolina where he was raised on a family farm that grew
much of their own food. His undergraduate architectural
education at the University of Virginia led him to live and
Elizabeth K. Meyer, FASLA
work in the great European cities of Venice and Paris
Asociate Professor, Dept. of
before returning to UVA for masters degrees in architecture
Landscape Architecture
and landscape architecture. There, he intersected with
Univiersity of Virginia
Professor Warren Byrd who helped re-awaken his
connection to, and passion for, the landscape. Upon
graduation in 1997, Warren invited Thomas to join his small, private practice in
Charlottesville VA. In 2004, Thomas became a partner and co-owner of the firm.
That same year, Thomas guided the opening of the firm’s office in New York City
and has been managing that office ever since, splitting his time between the two
offices. Today the firm numbers nearly 30 staff members and the work of the
firm has garnered over 70 national and regional awards. Concurrent to practice,
Thomas taught a very popular course in site planning and land analysis at UVA
for nine years. His teaching attracted numerous students to the firm where he
continues to influence their growth within the practice.
Thomas has led the designs of a broad range of institutional, ecological
restoration, and corporate projects in the US and abroad. Perhaps his most
defining work is embodied in the Conservation Agriculture Studio which he was
instrumental in founding within Nelson Byrd Woltz. The studio unites a family of
projects that seeks to interweave sustainable agriculture with best management
practices for conservation of wildlife, indigenous plants, soil, and water. To date,
the studio has worked with over 60,000 acres of cultivated and conservation
land in Virginia, California, North Carolina, Texas, South Carolina, Kentucky,
Connecticut, New York, and New Zealand. The strength of Thomas’s work is
partly the result of longstanding client relationships founded on trust and mutual
respect. His ability to convince landowners of the wisdom of developing master
plans that work with the regional ecosystems and serve as stewardship
examples for other landowners, has enabled the firm to implement designs over
long periods of time. In 1998, Thomas began design of the master plan for the
133-acre Seven Ponds Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia. Implementation of
Thomas L. Woltz, ASLA
AWARDS & HONORS
Project Awards:
Orongo Station Conservation
Master Plan, Gisborne, New
Zealand
2011 New York ASLA Merit Award
2010 National ASLA Honor Award
2009 Virginia ASLA Honor Award for
Communications
The Homestead at Orongo
Station, Gisborne, New Zealand
2010 Virginia AIA INFORM Award of
Honor
2009 Virginia ASLA Merit Award for
Design
Carnegie Hill House, NY, NY
2011 New York ASLA Honor Award
Iron Mountain House,
northwestern Connecticut
2011 New York ASLA Merit Award
Medlock Ames Tasting Room
and Alexander Valley Bar,
Alexander Valley, CA
2011 New York ASLA Merit Award
Charles Luck Design Centers
2009 Virginia ASLA Award of
Excellence
Tupelo Farm, Albemarle County, VA
2009 Virginia ASLA Honor Award for
Design
2004 Building Stone Institute
Tucker Award
2003 Virginia AIA, Inform Award of
Honor
Crozet Master Plan, Albemarle
County, VA
2005 Congress for the New
Urbanism Charter Award of
Excellence with Renaissance
Planning Group
Nike European Headquarters,
Hilversum, the Netherlands
2002 Virginia ASLA, Honor Award
2001 Washington Chapter AIA,
Award of Excellence with William
McDonough + Partners Architects
2001 Virginia Society AIA, Inform
Award of Honor
Washington and Lee University
Commons, Lexington, Virginia
2005 Virginia ASLA Merit Award for
Design
the master plan continues to this day and has spawned over ten projects with
nearby landowners and as far away as New Zealand.
In recent years, the Conservation Agriculture Studio’s portfolio has broadened to
include more publicly accessible projects. Under Thomas’s leadership, the firm
recently completed a 100-year master plan for the Eastwoodhill Arboretum, the
National Arboretum of New Zealand in Gisborne. He and colleagues are
currently collaborating with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation on a land
stewardship master plan for the 2400-acre Monticello property in Virginia.
Thomas is also working with William McDonough + Partners on a master plan
for 43,000 acres of Catalina Island off the coast of southern California.
Select Work
Tupelo Farm projects, Albemarle County, VA; terrace fountain completed 2003;
projects on-going.
Role: Principal Design Landscape Architect and Project
Manager
Awards: 2009 Virginia ASLA Honor Award for Design
2004 Building Stone Institute Tucker Award
2003 Virginia AIA, Inform Merit Award
The Tupelo Farm projects began with a modest charge
from the client – the design of a 25 x 40’ stone terrace and
fountain with dual functions as outdoor living room and
office space – and led to a master plan and
implementation of several additional projects. The
landscape master plan for the 350-acre Piedmont farm is
based on a philosophy of combining best management
practices for agricultural production with an ethic of
conservation for native plants, forests, and wildlife corridors
across the farm. This ethic is interpreted and abstracted by
the landscape architect through the design of gardens,
trails, orchard, fountains, and landscape constructions.
Thomas Woltz, a master of
his craft, has produced an
extraordinary portfolio of
work. His landscapes,
created in partnership with
the firm Nelson Byrd Woltz,
balance his exceptional
sensitivity to people, place,
and ecology with a talent for
innovation at every scale.
An outstanding project, a
New Zealand sheep farm,
combines his bravura
design skills with his gift for
understanding the tools
needed to repair an
extremely degraded
ecosystem. His remarkable
work continues to inspire us
all.
The scope of the project included the renovation of an
existing 19th century farmhouse, design of cutting and
perennial gardens near the house, establishment of native
warm season meadows managed by fire, an extensive
production peach orchard, various perennial gardens, road
and fence networks, forestry management, and various
Susan Cohen FASLA
recreation amenities for the family. The client’s recreation
Susan Cohen Landscape Arch.
program included modifications to an existing swimming
Coordinator, Landscape Design
pool, a new tennis court, and hiking and biking trails. The
Program, NYBG
design goal was to imbed these program elements into the
productive land rather than separate them. This strategy
yielded a swimming pool within a pollinator garden, a tennis court imbedded in
a peach orchard, a farmhouse surrounded by native wildflower meadow, and
hiking and bike trails through conservation forest land.
2
SELECT LECTURES /SYMPOSIA
Illinois Institute of Technology
"Stewardship and Design in the
Urban and Agrarian Landscape"
22 November 2010
The Heritage Harvest Festival at
Monticello “The Working
Landscape: Design, Ecology, and
Farming” 11 September 2010
National ASLA Meeting
Washington DC “Sumptuous
Sustainability” with Mia Lehrer”
13 September 2010
NJ Highlands Regenerative Design
Conference; speaker at two
sessions 18 June 2010
The Morgan Library “Romantic
Gardens: Nature, Art, and
Landscape Design” 2 June 2010
Dumbarton Oaks Wildlife Habitats
Symposium, “Biodiversity and
Farming: Defining a role for
contemporary landscape
architecture that encourages plant
and wildlife biodiversity within the
context of productive agricultural
land” 14-15 May 2010
State University of New York
Environmental Science, “Designing
Common Ground: collaborative
design dialogues in the work of
Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape
Architects”, February 2010.
Gillette Forum, Lewis Ginter
Botanical Garden, Keynote
Address “Narratives of Ecology in
Public and Private Contemporary
Design”, October 2009.
Australian and New Zealand
Garden Design Conferences:
Designing the Livable Landscape
“Narratives of Ecology in
Contemporary Design”, September
2009.
Garden Conservancy Seminar, Los
Angeles, “Conservation by Design:
Narratives of Ecology from the
Public Park to the Working Farm”,
February 2009.
Second Wave of Modernism
Conference, Chicago, “Form and
Space, the Influence of
Architecture”, November 2008.
Thomas L. Woltz, ASLA
Charles Luck Stone Design Center, Richmond, VA; completed 2008
Role: Principal in Charge
Award: 2009 Virginia ASLA Award of Excellence(one of only 3 given in the history
of the Chapter)
The 11-acre Charles Luck Stone Center with demonstration gardens of stone
and native plants was designed for clients and customers of Luck Stone. These
gardens became opportunities to demonstrate a high level of craft in stone
detailing while creating a series of minimalist garden courts evoking a
contemporary sculpture garden. The entire site was imbued with qualities of a
sculpture or botanic garden to delight the senses and inspire customers with
potential ideas for the use of stone – from playful to pragmatic, while displaying
the range of stone products offered by Luck Stone. We challenged the notion of
traditional stone display panels that Luck Stone had previously used for selling
stone. The visitor experience is intended to be one of stone immersion to
demonstrate the application of stone for paving, benches, walls, piers, and
columns. The gardens were designed so they could be viewed collectively from
afar, from inside the building, or sequentially from a linear stone walkway that
threads through the individual gardens.
Future plans are to reduce the area of lawn by creating native meadows.
Iron Mountain House, northwestern Connecticut; completed 2010
Role: Principal in Charge
Awards: 2011NY ASLA Merit Award
Iron Mountain House is a contemporary residence on a
dramatic hillside overlooking a 300-acre working farm in
northwest Connecticut. The landscape design was
developed at two scales: the residential and the greater
landscape. At the residential scale a series of gardens
interact with the volumes and contemporary gestures of the
house while revealing the landscape beyond through
framed views and constructed thresholds made of stone,
board-formed concrete garden walls, and COR-TEN™ steel
panels. The greater landscape scale seeks to connect the
residence to its natural adjacencies of exposed stone ledge,
forest edge, hillside meadows, and cultivated fields. A
wildflower cutting garden and woodland cutting garden
bring plants from the adjacent ecologies in to the courtyard
spaces. A series of walks and trails were designed to
connect various points of interest on the farm including a
guest house, lake, stream, woodland lot, and remnant
orchard.
Medlock Ames Tasting Room and Alexander Valley Bar,
Sonoma County, CA; completed 2010
Role: Principal in Charge
Award: 2011 NY ASLA Merit Award
As a garden editor and
writer, I am always
searching for landscape
architecture that tells a
meaningful story. Over
the years, I have turned
again and again to
Thomas Woltz as one of
the world's great narrators
of nature. His work takes
the hidden or sometimes
even neglected stories
found on a site and
reveals the extant
geology, ecology, and
human history in the most
beautifully elegant and
understated way
possible.
Stephen Orr
Writer / editor
This is a one-acre garden design for a public wine-tasting
venue. Organic winemakers/produce farmers committed to
land stewardship and wild land preservation hired Nelson Byrd Woltz to help
create a vision for the adaptive reuse of a 1920s gas station and parking lot as a
tasting room, bar, garden, and farm stand. The landscape replaces asphalt with
3
The Horticultural Alliance of the
Hamptons, NY, “The 21st Century
Formal Garden: Aesthetics,
Ecology, and Form”, June 2008.
Garden Conservancy Seminar,
San Francisco, “Just Passing
Through: Landscape Design from
Garden Scale to the Scale of the
Ecosystem”, April 2008.
Eastwoodhill Arboretum, Gisborne,
New Zealand, February 2008.
University of Virginia,
Charlottesville ,“Alternative
Technologies”, January 2008
PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP
ACTIVITIES
2006 – present, Member, Board of
Directors, The Cultural Landscape
Foundation
Design Juries Rutgers University,
The Municipal Arts Society of New
York, University of Virginia
PUBLICATIONS/EXHIBITIONS
Estampille L’Objet d’Art, Dijon,
France, a monthly review of art
and architecture. Author of article
“Porto Colleoni: Une Villa Gothique
en Venetie” published in August
1997, numero 315.
Le Nouveau Guide de Venise,
Gallimard Publishing, Paris,
France. Commissioned to
complete illustrations of sixty-five
Venetian architectural subjects in
the forms of freehand ink drawings
and watercolors. First edition
published 1992. Translated into
four languages and reprinted
1993.
Eighteen Houses, Princeton
Architectural Press, Princeton, New
Jersey. Tee-Middleton House in
collaboration with J. Bushman.
Published 1991.
Virginia Studio Record, University
of Virginia. Projects published
1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996.
Fayerweather Gallery,
Charlottesville, VA. Group show of
photographic work. Spring 2001.
Save Venice, Inc. Venice, Italy.
Freehand drawings shown and sold
through Christie’s, New York in
benefit auctions for Save Venice.
1993, 1995.
Thomas L. Woltz, ASLA
designed learning opportunities about produce gardening and the client’s
commitment to sustainable agriculture and native regional plant ecology. Visible,
elegantly-detailed stormwater management ties the garden rooms and
gathering spaces of the site together in a narrative of conservation. The exciting
challenge of this project was to use the language of contemporary landscape
architecture to make evident these deeply held philosophies to the public
visitors to the one-acre tasting room landscape near town. This was achieved
this through careful selection of regional native and utilitarian plants, by giving
stormwater management a central role in organizing the site, and through the
repurposing of existing materials discovered on site during demolition.
Orongo Station Conservation Plan, Poverty Bay, New Zealand; project dates:
2002 – 2010 (with conservation work on-going)
Role: Principal in Charge
Awards: Orongo Station Conservation Master Plan
2011 New York ASLA Merit Award
2010 National ASLA Honor Award for Analysis and Planning
2009 Virginia ASLA Honor Award for Communications
The Homestead at Orongo Station
2010 Virginia AIA INFORM Award of Honor
2009 Virginia ASLA Merit Award for Design
“This is truly a once-in-a-century opportunity and this landscape architect has
really stepped up to the plate. The client has also gone beyond the call of duty-this is a heroic story. It shows the value of sustainable landscape architecture in
addressing a couple of hundred years of impact.” -- 2010 National ASLA
Professional Awards Jury
The Orongo Station Conservation Master Plan for a 3,000acre sheep farm in New Zealand establishes a vision for the
extensive regeneration of a devastated ecology while
expanding agricultural production and revealing a cultural
landscape rich in history. Completed in collaboration with a
team of public officials, private stakeholders and local
experts, the project serves as an important model that can
expand the current definitions of sustainability and Landscape
Architecture.
Thomas brilliantly applies
his far-ranging interests
and experiences to the
unique characteristics of
my project. Working with
Thomas over the past 15
years has been one of the
most educational, fruitful,
and enjoyable
experiences of my life.
In 2003, Orongo Station was a typical sheep farm on the East
Coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Grazing sheep and
livestock was tough due to the brutal salt spray and erosion
Michael Bills, client
on the exposed slopes. The Station’s only notoriety came
owner of Seven Ponds Farm,
Albemarle County, VA
from the prominent cliffs on its northern peninsula – Te Kuri a
Paoa, also called Young Nick’s Head. This promontory is
important to the history of New Zealand both as the landing site of the Horouta
Canoe, bringing Maori to the island, and as the first land spotted by Captain
Cook’s crew, the first whites to visit the island in 1769.
The project includes the creation of a Tuatara habitat preserve (nearly extinct
prehistoric reptile endemic to New Zealand), freshwater and saltwater wetland
creation/restoration, reforestation of 5-1/2 miles of coastline (to date, 500,000
trees have been planted); restoration of a Maori tribal cemetery; reconfiguration
of crops; design of a bridge crossing to create new connections; and the
creation of a series of narrative gardens around the Station’s Homestead that
interpret the natural and cultural histories of the New Zealand landscape.
4
Thomas L. Woltz, ASLA
Over the past fifteen years, Thomas L. Woltz, has become one of the most influential and important
landscape architects of our time. If a recipe existed for the making of a great landscape architect it would be
the combination of Thomas’s life experiences and his natural talent for design and planning. He grew up on
a farm in North Carolina, gained exposure to urban centers by living and working in Italy and France for five
years, studied both architecture and landscape architecture, and was mentored by a professor and practitioner
who ultimately invited him to help build and grow a 30-person firm, including a practice in New York City.
Each of these incremental experiences can be seen in the works that Thomas has led the design of while at
Nelson Byrd Woltz (NBW) and the multiple ways that he rigorously applies his skills, talents, and time.
The Conservation Agriculture Studio that Thomas started within NBW is one of his most interesting,
ambitious, and far-reaching initiatives. Working intimately with his clients, Thomas weaves sustainable
planning, best management practices with agricultural technique to create estates where landowners become
stewards of the land, setting an example for other landowners. With a growing interest in urban agriculture
and sustainability in New York City, Thomas has quickly become a leader in landscape architecture in our
chapter lecturing on topics that range from sustainable food production, to ecological restoration, to green
infrastructure to the preservation of cultural landscapes. This past year alone, projects led by Thomas won
five New York ASLA awards for his firm.
We are thrilled that seven years ago Thomas initiated the expansion of their Virginia office to New York City.
His list of design awards, lecture engagements, exhibitions, and publications are impressive. These
recognitions elevate the profession of landscape architecture worldwide, while locally helping us to push
legislation and policy that makes for a greener, more beautiful and vibrant New York City. It is with great
honor that we nominate Thomas Woltz for a Fellow in Works.
Sincerely,
Tricia Martin
President, New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architecture
5
Mark O. Dawson, ASLA
Principal, Sasaki Associates, Inc.
ASLA Council of Fellows Nomination: Works
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture,
Utah State University 1981
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sasaki Associates, Watertown MA.,
1981-1985
Sasaki Associates, Dallas, TX. 1985 1992
Talley Dawson, 1992-1994
Sasaki Associates, Watertown, MA
1994-present
LICENSURE
Texas, Utah, Kansas, Missouri,
Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Rhode
Island, Tennessee, Virginia, New York,
Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Arizona,
Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Minnesota,
Delaware, Illinois
CLARB Certificate
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
ASLA, BSLA 1989
Urban Land Institute 1990
The Waterfront Center Board of
Director -2002 to present
Landscape Architecture Foundation
Board of Directors 2005
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Visiting Lecturer
1990 Oklahoma State University
1997 Utah State University
1995 University of Massachusetts
1989 University of Rhode Island
1989 University of Texas
ASLA Activities
1996 Florida Chapter Design Juror
1993 Washington Chapter Design
Juror
On behalf of the Executive Committee of the BSLA, it is my privilege to nominate
Mark O. Dawson, ASLA, for your consideration. Mark has, for over 30 years,
focused his professional practice on creating civic landscapes in urban settings.
Each of his built works is characterized by a particular material presence – an
immediate experience of a place’s tactile qualities – that is the result of a
sustained engagement with landscape materials’ expressive potential and a
prolonged process of detailed design. A deep knowledge of landscape
construction guides this design process. Mark has
developed a language of contemporary landscape design
I have known Mark for
that finds its origins in the continuing evolution of the
many years. He is a
discipline’s formal design history, but also in an
person who genuinely
interrelated series of three dialogues: with communities,
cares about public
with contemporary economic realities, and with found
discourse, approaches it
environmental conditions.
with passion, and is able
Mark conceived the Cincinnati Riverfront Park design
to makes sense of it all,
and its physical form as an outgrowth of an ongoing
resulting in
dialogue with all the constituents who will build, use,
extraordinary, awardenjoy, maintain, and enhance the park landscape. At
winning designs the
National Harbor, Mark shaped the civic space to
public embraces. His
contribute to the economic regeneration and vitality of
projects are exquisitely
the community it serves, both in terms of planned uses
detailed and simply
and the revitalization of its surrounding urban district. In
beautiful urban
the 2008 Beijing Landscape Master Plan, Mark designed
landscapes.
built forms that understand, enhance, and interpret the
found environmental conditions – natural process
Joseph J. Lalli, FASLA
interweaving with the location’s particular history and
President, EDSA
culture.
Mark folds the history of a site, environmental stewardship, and sustainable
design practices into each place’s built form, creating contemporary public
spaces where visitors are participants in a relationship between the sensual
presence of landscape and a larger living environment.
The evolution of Mark’s landscape sensibility started as a teenager growing up in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Mark witnessed
the “hippie generation” coming of age, watched the civil rights movement front
and center, and experienced riots in Harvard Square. This time of change and
turmoil left a lasting understanding of how civic space can accommodate daily
life and significant public actions. As a young adult Mark spent much of his free
time enjoying the city of Boston. The imaginative freedom engendered by this
urban sauntering continues to inform his desire to create a sense of the
unexpected within the ordinary. In 1975, Mark joined the United States Marine
Corps. While leading a squad of Marines through 12 miles of mountainous
terrain, he engaged the landscape in the most fundamental of ways – survival.
This experience cemented his love for wild and rural landscapes and confirmed
his desire to study landscape architecture, combining his interest in urban
environments with the opportunity to understand and influence natural
landscape systems. Mark studied landscape architecture at Utah State
Mark O. Dawson, ASLA
1996 Utah Chapter Keynote Speaker
2008 U.S. Land Port of Entries
Visioning Charrette
2007 Cincinnati Civic Award Juror
SELECTED HONORS & AWARDS
Managing Partner
Cedar Rapids Riverfront Park Master
Plan; Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2010, Excellence Award for Innovation
for Sustaining Places, American Planning
Association – Iowa Chapter
2009, Planning Achievement Award for a
“Hard Won Victory,” American Planning
Association – Iowa Chapter
2009, Pinnacle Award, Downtown
Achievement Award, International
Downtown Association
Virginia Beach Strategic Plan; Virginia
Beach, Virginia
2009, Award of Distinction, Downtown
Achievement Awards, International
Downtown Association
2008 Beijing Olympics, Olympic
Green; Beijing, China
2007, BusinessWeek/Architecture
Record China Awards, Green Project
Category
2006, Honor Award, Boston Society of
Landscape Architects
Coconut Grove Waterfront; Grove,
Florida
2007, Orchid Award for Public Process
and Participation, The Urban
Environment League
Council Bluffs Riverfront Park Master
Plan; Council Bluffs, Iowa
2010, Honor Award, Master
Planning/Urban Design Awards,
American Institute of Architects – Central
States Region
2001, Finalist, Fresh Kills Landfill
Reuse Design Competition; Staten
Island, New York
University, choosing this program partly because it augmented his urban East
Coast upbringing with a stunning rural landscape, but principally because of
three professors – Carlisle Becker, Craig Johnson, and Dick Toth – who made a
lasting impression on his landscape thought and sensibility. Mark emulates these
mentors as he debates the values and interests of the communities in which he
works.
Upon graduation in 1981 Mark took a position with Sasaki Associates working
with John Jennings, Alison Richardson, Cynthia Smith, David Miller, Tom Ryan,
and Bob Fager. These colleagues mentored him in all aspects of design, and for
five years he focused on the making of landscapes including European American
Bank, TRW Headquarters, Highland Park, and Frito-Lay Headquarters. He
developed the ability to articulate an idea in two- and three-dimensional
drawings and through these, grasp the expressive implications of well-crafted
material connections. This knowledge intersected with his understanding of
climate, orientation, plants, soils, topography, and materials to become the
essence of what makes successful landscapes.
In 1985, at the request of Sasaki Principal Steve Hamwey PE, Honorary ASLA,
Mark moved to Dallas and was a key member of the new Sasaki Texas office
from 1985 to 1992. Mark led the design, management and construction of
significant projects throughout Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma,
and Missouri. During Mark’s last two years in Dallas he decided to join forces
with his friend Coy Talley to open their own practice. In November of 1992 they
launched a small landscape architectural firm of Talley.Dawson which was
focused primarily on projects in the Dallas Fort Worth area. As a small firm they
were able to leverage their backgrounds (Coy was from Johnson Johnson & Roy)
and develop a collaborative practice working with local architects and clients like
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital and Liberty Sports Corporate Headquarters. While
working on diverse project types in different parts of the country, Mark realized
the value of community dialogue and discourse – the community’s right to
engage in discussion and make meaningful contributions to the shape and use of
their civic environment. Mark appreciated that this discourse, while not always
easy, is fundamental to the long-term viability of contemporary community
space. Since then he has integrated social and economic perspectives and tools
into his design practice, enabling communities to understand the benefits of
these significant public investments in landscape space have ramifications far
beyond the aesthetic.
For Mark, the regeneration of urban environments is the most rewarding,
exciting, and sustainable setting to practice relevant contemporary landscape
architecture. The city is a vital and living ecosystem, which has made a lasting
contribution to the human condition. The complexities of social, economic,
environmental, and cultural influences are the reality he synthesizes into
coherent, enduring, sustainable designs. Crucial to this process is educating
communities in the requirements of successful public spaces and how they can
and must take ownership to ensure environmental and social sustainability that
set the groundwork for economic revitalization.
The goal and passion of his professional life is building innovative,
contemporary, award-winning landscapes born out of public dialogue, rooted in
the environmental context, expertly detailed with an understanding of materials
in the creation of each landscape’s unique atmosphere, and which become
beloved, well-used, and enjoyed by the community for which they exist.
2
Mark O. Dawson, ASLA
Participating Principal
SIGNIFICANT WORKS
Wilkes-Barre Riverfront Park; WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania
Cincinnati Riverfront Park, Cincinnati, Ohio – under construction – Completed
Fall 2011
2010, Excellence on the Waterfront
Honor Award, The Waterfront Center
Nominee's Role: Mark Dawson, Managing Partner,
working closely with Alistair McIntosh FASLA, Design
Principal, is leading the design team composed of
landscape architects; architects; civil, geotechnical, and
structural engineers; lighting consultants; and
environmental graphic designers. Mark also has been
working with the Cincinnati Park Board for almost nine
years, leading a passionate debate about civic design
within the community. Mark has been central in
identifying partners who are able to contribute capital
resources to the Park.
Schenely Plaza; Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
2009, Pinnacle Award, Downtown
Achievement Awards, International
Downtown Association
Addison Circle Park; Addison, Texas
2005, Honor Award, Boston Society of
Landscape Architects
Landscape Architect
Betty B. Marcus Park; Dallas, Texas
1994, Merit Award, American Society of
Landscape Architects – Texas Chapter
GTE Telops Headquarters; Las
Colinas, Texas
1991, Excellence in Planning and
Development Award, City of Irving,
Planning and Zoning Commission
Artist Square; Dallas, Texas
1990, Urban Design Award, Dallas Urban
Design
1990, Highest Honor Award, Excellence
in Development, American Planning
Association – North Central Texas
Arlington Parks Master Plan;
Arlington, Texas
1988, Project Planning Award, American
Planning Association – Texas Chapter
TRW Inc. World Headquarters;
Lyndhurst, Ohio
“Yield to the Trees” Videotape for
TRW Inc. World Headquarters;
Lyndhurst, Ohio
Honor Award, Communication Category,
American Society of Landscape
Architects
1987, Professional Award of Excellence
Description: The Cincinnati Riverfront Park will create a
world-class contemporary landscape on the riverfront of
Cincinnati and will reconnect the heart of the city,
located at Fountain Square, to the Ohio River. This 32acre park is the largest remaining piece to be
implemented in a series of public parks on the banks of
the downtown portion of the Ohio River.
We selected Sasaki to
build a riverfront park
that would become the
Great Room of
Cincinnati and economic
engine of Southwest
Ohio. The selection was
due to Mark’s
leadership,
professionalism, and
reputation for delivering
world-class projects. He
cares for and puts
himself in his client’s
shoes. Mark is no longer
just a consultant, but a
transplanted
Cincinnatian who is the
best at his trade, a great
person, and huge
member of the Park
Board family.
The park will provide a dynamic setting and will serve as
a catalyst for civic activities and entertainment venues
such as the new National Underground Freedom Center,
Paul Brown Stadium (home of the Cincinnati Bengals),
and the Great American Ballpark (home of the Cincinnati
Reds). The district will include a six block mixed-use
Willie F. Carden, Jr. Dir
development that will bring 400 residential units as well
as office and commercial activities into the waterfront
of Parks, Cincinnati
district. The park will create an appropriate setting for
the Roebling Bridge, a historically significant architectural icon, along with areas
for large gatherings, passive recreation, programmed events, access to the long
inaccessible water's edge, and access to the river for recreational boating.
Project Importance: This park design acts as open space infrastructure that will
reestablish the historical and geographic relationship between Cincinnati and
the Ohio River. This overarching landscape structure has been designed to
flexibly accommodate a series of events and design interventions over time. The
park also is the central civic component of an economic revitalization strategy
for the city’s neglected environmental resource – the Ohio River.
Addison Circle Park – Addison, Texas – Completed 2004
Nominee's Role: Mark served as a Participating Principal, in collaboration with
Alan Ward FASLA, Design Principal, actively leading a process that involved
public work sessions, stakeholder meetings, and coordination across a large
interdisciplinary consulting team in the design and detailed implementation of
the project. The park’s success was due in part to Mark’s leadership and focusing
of the design team, and his seeking innovative detail solutions while balancing
durability and aesthetics.
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Mark O. Dawson, ASLA
Description: Mark began the project with the design team by working with the community to establish a detailed
program for the park. One of the major goals established through this public process was to make a series of
wonderful visual and tactile experiences in the park, such as listening to splashing water while sitting under a shady
grove of trees, playing in the jets of water, walking the dog or jogging along the paths through trees, and participating
in the Town's famous festivals. The team undertook an in-depth process to meet technical requirements that included
numerous meetings with the Town’s Events Coordinator and with operators to determine the technical requirements
for tent size, layout, and installation requirements. This set a precedent for a more integrated design process, such as
in-depth technical input from concert programmers, acousticians, and theater consultants.
Project Importance: Addison Circle Park is an outdoor arts and culture district that is a landmark in the region, helping
to attract almost one million people each year to support the town’s hotels and restaurants. Herbert Gans identified
the broad spectrum of American arts and culture in his book, Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis and
Evaluation of Taste. Using his terms, the programming at Addison Circle Park includes Popular Culture events such as
Octoberfest, Taste of Addison, and Kaboom Town that attract an extraordinary diversity of people and backgrounds.
High Culture events, such as classical and jazz concerts, attract a different crowd. At a cost of $10 million, it is a
creative and cost-effective approach to establishing a civic place that brings a diversity of people and events to the
center of the community.
Awards
 Honor Award, Boston Society of Landscape Architects, Addison Circle Park, 2005
National Harbor – National Harbor, Maryland – Completed 2008
Nominee's Role: Mark was the Managing Partner for a large interdisciplinary team that included architects, landscape
architects, urban designers, artist, engineers, construction managers, traffic engineers,
marine engineers, special events designers, acoustical designers, and theater designers.
We at the Waterfront
Mark’s commitment to dialogue amongst team members and his passion for enduring
Center have valued Mark’s
design detail can be credited for the success of National Harbor and its civic realm in a highly
professional contributions
challenged real estate market.
to the field of waterfront
Description: Rising from the banks of the Potomac River in Prince George’s County,
planning and development
Maryland, National Harbor is a 300-acre, mixed-used development implemented by a single
as well as his leadership
private developer. The vision was to create a year-round destination – "Washington's
role on our board of
Waterfront" – providing a 24/7 alternative to the urban experience of Washington proper.
advisors for many, many
Evoking the region's great urban places such as Georgetown and Annapolis, the public realm
years.
at National Harbor is a carefully conceived and crafted series of spaces and streetscapes that
knit together the various uses of the site. Its landscape, layout, lighting, and fountains, as
Ann Breen, Co-founder
well as its prolific commitment to many genres and styles of public art, all contribute to the
The Waterfront Center
development’s sense of place.
The American Way, a pedestrian thoroughfare, is the project’s spine. Defined by an allee of majestic plane trees and
lined with retail, the street showcases iconic fountains, public art installations and small-scale vendor kiosks. The
sandy color and texture of the paving set the stage for its terminus – a waterfront plaza stepping down to a natural
sandy beach along the Potomac. The promenade and plaza are designed to host the activities of daily life – with highquality lighting, materials, planting, and furnishings – while also accommodating major year-round festivals and
events.
The role of landscape architecture at National Harbor also included the creation of a Public Art Master Plan. The
Master Plan concentrates art opportunities along the two major thoroughfares of the project: American Way in the
urban core and the Harborwalk, an esplanade along the Potomac River. The intent of the art program is to provide a
heightened experience of these spaces and an incredibly varied set of conditions – iconic, abstract, figurative, kinetic,
and interpretive – to appeal to the broadest possible audience.
Project Importance: From the urban design and planning vision to construction documentation, the process to create
National Harbor involved an incredibly broad, interdisciplinary team led by landscape architects. National Harbor is
worthy of the type of recognition typically reserved for institutional and public landscapes. It is a model for transit-
4
Mark O. Dawson, ASLA
oriented urban reinvestment, a successful catalyst in the regional economy, and an emulation-worthy demonstration
of the value created by a high-quality design of the public realm and amenities.
National Harbor occupies the site of a former quarry operation. The design converted the abandoned property into a
compact, urban development with 2,500 residential units, over 1 million square-feet of retail, and 500,000 square-feet
of office development. Opened in 2007, the project already has a significant impact on the regional economy, creating
over 13,000 jobs (30% of the employed reside in Prince George's County) and nearly one-billion dollars of tax revenue
over the next thirty years. The project provides retail, entertainment, and urban living options to a largely underserved
and diverse population – the predominantly African-American (66%) and Latino (13%) residents of Prince George's
County.
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Landscape – Completed 2007
Nominee Role: As Managing Partner, Mark was responsible for leading the design and planning effort that included
landscape architects, scientists, urban ecologists, architects, educators, planners, and local partners at Tsinghua
University in Beijing. Mark’s unique ability to listen, debate, and build consent and momentum for design through his
relentless passion for dialogue helped forge a strong relationship with Beijing political leadership that resulted in his
team’s submission being the preferred scheme. From this Landscape Master Plan, the 2008 Beijing Olympic grounds
were designed and built by local China professionals.
Description: Sasaki's award-winning entry for the international design competition for the 2008 Landscape Master
Plan created the public realm for the first Olympic Games in China and signified a major cultural shift for China. The
Landscape Master Plan has three fundamental elements: The Forest Park and its extension southward into the core of
Olympic venues; The Cultural Axis, which is a North-South conclusion of the great central axis of the city of Beijing; and
The Olympic Axis, linking the Asian Games site with the National Stadium.
In the creation of the Landscape Master Plan, the design team was very respectful of the significance of the central
axis to the city, and was deliberate in placing new buildings at its edge rather than on-axis. The enduring power,
boldness, and simplicity of the Cultural Axis extend beyond the relatively temporal nature of buildings. The axis
concludes with a powerful simplicity, in the hills of the Forest Park, signifying the beginning of Chinese culture and reconnection to nature. The Olympic Axis begins within the existing Asian Games stadium, extending northwest through
the proposed National Stadium, continuing onward to a Sports Heroes Garden, intersecting with the Cultural Axis.
Thus, the Olympic ideals of Sports, Culture and Environment are equally represented within the Olympic Green plan.
Project Importance: The Forest Park is conceived as a beautiful oasis of urban ecology, promoting sustainable
practices around urban bio-habitat, agriculture, storm water management, and recreation as a model for sustainable
living through planning and design. Sculpted landforms of hills, forests, and meadows are created by excavating a lake
within the Park. The Park transforms the setting into a calm oasis of nature which is juxtaposed with the activities of
the Cultural and Olympic Axes to the south. The water from the Forest Park flows southward within a canal adjacent
to a tree-lined esplanade. The canal and esplanade link the Forest Park, the Cultural Axis, and the Olympic Axis with a
massive storm water rain garden that converge for a flourishing urban ecology. Educating the public is also a driver for
the Forest Park, where a community education center will promote all aspects of the working urban forest and its
benefits.
Awards
 BusinessWeek/Architectural Record China Awards Green Projects Category, Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, 2006
 Honor Award, Boston Society of Landscape Architects, Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, 2006
The BSLA enthusiastically supports Mark Dawson’s election as a 2011 ASLA Fellow.
Sincerely,
BSLA President Ray Dunetz, ASLA, Boston Society of Landscape Architects
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