FEATURED PROJECTS
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
The Spaces Between Buildings at Stanford – Lecture
Interview: Burj Khalifa Featured on Huffington Post
Thoughts on Tall Building Groundscapes
Green Roof Symposium (Video)
An Entire City in Vertical Form – An Interview With John Wong
Selected Works of Landscape Architect John L. Wong,
From Private to Public Ground From Small to Tall
Oscar Riera Ojeda Publishers – 2024
John L. Wong, FASLA, FAAR, PLA
“Collaboration is key. Stay open to suggestions and design ideas from all the project’s players — clients, architects, artists, engineers — and let the best idea move forward.”
Since joining SWA in 1976, John has directed an array of projects, from the design and crafting of small gardens to the large-scale planning and design of neighborhoods, towns, and new communities. He has extensive experience in North America, the Middle East, and Asia—particularly in Japan, Korea, and China. Over the past two decades, John has led more than 150 campus improvement projects at Stanford University, including the award-winning DAPER Master Plan and the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Center for the Visual Arts. He and his teams have designed the groundscapes for 12 of the 100 tallest buildings in the world.
John also became a Principal at SWA/Balsley in December 2016.
INSPIRED BY
Great design, in whatever form: the French gardens of LeNotre; 15th- and 16th-century Italian gardens; 20th-century Minimalist artists (Richard Long, Sol Lewitt, Donald Judd); Japanese Zen gardens.
EDUCATION
Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design (1978)
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture with Honors, UC Berkeley (1974)
Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture, American Academy in Rome (1981)
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Collaboration is key. Stay open to suggestions and design ideas from all the project’s players—clients, architects, artists, engineers—and let the best idea move forward.
AFFILIATIONS & REGISTRATIONS
CED/CEDA Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of California Berkeley, College of Environmental Design 2012
Fellow, American Society of Landscape Architects
Fellow, Institute of Urban Design
Fellow, American Academy in Rome
Member, Urban Land Institute
Member, CTBUH
SELECTED AWARDS
ULI Award for Excellence (2021), Grosvener Ambleside, Canada,
Architecture of Major Prize, Chicago Athenaeum International
Architecture and Green, Good Design Award (2021), EXPO 2020 Al Wasl Plaza, Dubai, UAE
Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), Best Tall Building Worldwide: Shanghai Tower (2016); Cayan Tower (2014); Burj Khalifa (2010 – Global Icon Award)
Center for Active Design (CAD), Award of Excellence (2015); ULI Urban Open Space Finalist (2014); WAN, Best Urban Design (2013): Guthrie Green
ASLA NorCal Chapter, Merit Award, UC Davis West Village (2013); ULI Global Award for Excellence (2013); SCUP Excellence in Landscape Architecture – Open Space Planning and Design, Honor Award (2015): UC Davis West Village