Designing for a Livable World.

As world leaders in landscape architecture, planning, and urban design, SWA’s purpose and passion spans more than 60 years. We view landscape as part of the infrastructure of great cities: as critical as a freeway or electrical grid. When viewed through this lens, systems that can transform our communities emerge. Our rigorous process of engaging with each site on its own terms results in memorable places that have clarity of function, identity, and meaning.

Partnership.

We are a 100-percent employee-owned firm, organized into a network of eight flexible, studio-based offices worldwide – run by designers and creators as opposed to account managers or other gobetweens. SWA is committed to a collaborative design process that begins with understanding our clients’ objectives along with each site’s history, culture, and context. Our aim is for clients to experience the personal attention and tailored working process typical of a smaller company, as well as the reinforcement of shared resources typical of a larger firm.

Philosophy.

We know that great ideas come from a multitude of sources, and that great design is rooted in equal parts innovation, sustainability, and stewardship. From the smallest details at a boutique resort to a multi-layered urban eco-corridor, our approach reflects a sensibility that is both pragmatic and imaginative, uniting beauty with purpose in the natural and built environments. Parks, waterfronts, city districts, university campuses, mixed-use complexes, and new communities all benefit from our years of experience in creating ecologically resilient, aesthetically compelling, and socially beneficial places.

Recognition.

We don’t design to win awards … that may be why we win so many! Our people are continually looking for ways to infuse their work with new ideas: orchestrating land uses that reduce transportation costs, making high-density projects livable; integrating architecture with the landscape in to optimize the use and cost of water, energy, and other resources; creating green environments that provide social amenities; and conserving natural open space and habitat for future generations.