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Top 10 Landscape Architecture and Design Firms in the USA

  • Soumen
  • March 6, 2025
  • 7:48 am

Although landscape design takes a large part of architectural design, we often overlook it. Landscape design requires specialist treatment from architects. While beautiful building structures take all the credit, we don’t pay enough attention to the surrounding landscape that makes the building stand out. Undoubtedly, concrete buildings can feel monotonous without the lush green landscape. 

Even the most beautiful facilities can feel secluded or monotonous without a suitable landscape design. Lush foliage, thoughtful arrangements, and carefully curated outdoor spaces can alter a building from just another structure into an integrated, living part of its environment.

Many landscape architecture firms specialize in creating a background that harmoniously blends natural and manufactured components, turning outdoor spaces into vibrant, functional works of art. Landscape architecture firms specialize in creating environments that The best firms understand that architectural designs can’t truly shine without the landscape designs that complement and enhance them. 

We have chalked down a list of USA's top 10 landscape architecture design firms, known for their creative vision, impactful projects, and knowledge to blend art with environmental commitment. Whether you're an aspiring landscape architect, a design enthusiast, or simply curious about the firms shaping the future of our urban and natural landscapes, this list is a great starting point for inspiration and insight.

GGN

GGN stands for Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, a recognized landscape architecture firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with an additional office in Washington, DC. Established in 1999 by Kathryn Gustafson, Jennifer Guthrie, and Shannon Nichol, the firm employs over 30 professionals with expertise in diverse fields, such as landscape design, architecture, art, engineering, ecology, and archaeology. This interdisciplinary approach enables GGN to handle various landscape design projects with the help of famous landscape architects. 

Specializing in creating landscapes for high-traffic urban areas, GGN designs calming and adaptable spaces, which are filled with people, providing quiet moments for reflection. Their designs are rooted in thoroughly understanding a site’s history, environment, and the surrounding community.

Sasaki

Sasaki is a design that focuses on landscape architecture and offers side expertise in urban design, ecology planning, civil engineering, more, etc. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices in Shanghai and Denver, Sasaki works globally and serves a wide array of clients professionally. 

Established in 1953 by landscape architect Hideo Sasaki, the business emerged during Sasaki’s tenure as a professor and head of the landscape architecture department at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Sasaki's method was groundbreaking at the time, prioritizing interdisciplinary alliance and highlighting the seamless integration of land, structures, people, and surrounding environments.

Today, Sasaki continues to rule as one of the best landscape architecture companies, with over 300 employees specializing in diverse design and specialized disciplines. The firm’s work spans a mixture of project types, concentrating on building endurable, alluring, and contextually relevant landscapes that connect people with their environments.

Stantec

Stantec, one of the world's most well-known architectural design companies, believes in empowering clients, communities, and individuals through their designs. The company takes on challenging projects and addresses design difficulties through modern infrastructural innovations. 

As an international leader in endurable landscape architecture, Stantec uses its innovative vision to design resilient and sustainable architecture that improves the quality of life. Through green infrastructure endeavors, the company has established an equilibrium between natural and built environments. Stantec has also embraced diverse perspectives to tackle critical issues such as climate adaptation, biodiversity, and sustainable urban planning, creating flourishing environments.

Stantec houses a few of the best landscape architects in town. These architects bring their creativity to innovate and transform landscapes, helping communities to reimagine themselves. 

Studio-MLA

With two offices, one in LA and the other one in San Francisco, California, Studio-MLA is dedicated to landscape architecture. The company has worked on medium- and large-scale private and shared projects. The landscape architects at Studio-MLA have improved urban places with their experimental design ideas. The company uses a unique method that blends inventiveness and public engagement.  

Studio-MLA aims to create layered experiences for people who enjoy their landscape architectural projects. The landscape designers' technical expertise at Studio-MLA make it possible to match imagination with reality through their outstanding designs. 

Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW)

Nelson Byrd Woltz (NBW) was established in 1985 by Warren T. Byrd Jr. and Susan Nelson Byrd, later joined by Thomas Woltz, who is now the firm's sole owner and principal. NBW has rightfully earned its reputation as one of America's most respected voices in cultural and ecological landscape design, driven by a consistent mission: to heal and regenerate damaged land, acknowledge its history, and create spaces that equally enrich nature and the human community.

The firm excels in creating diverse landscapes that blend ecological restoration with compelling design narratives. Notable projects include CityGarden in St. Louis, the Memorial Park Land Bridge in Houston, and the Oyster Harbor Master Plan in the Bahamas, all of which showcase how NBW transforms research and stewardship into functional art. Under Woltz's leadership, the firm merges scientific precision with aesthetic appeal, aiming to regenerate ecosystems and deepen connections between people and nature, placing NBW at the forefront of mission-driven landscape architecture.

West8

West8 is yet another well-known landscape design firm that has adapted its design style to climatic changes. The firm primarily works on public projects while collaborating with other architectural companies. Established in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1987, West8 later extended its office in New York. The landscape design firm has mastered providing solutions, playing with metal structures, colors, and lighting. 

OLIN

OLIN is a structure design studio housing a famous landscape architect specializing in landscape architecture, urban design, and planning. The company has offices in Philadelphia and Los Angeles and is dedicated to creating extraordinary landscapes and urban settings worldwide. OLIN focuses on forging innovative strategies to design that prioritizes social arrangement, environmental responsibility, justice, and financial sustainability. 

With over 40 years of experience, OLIN continues to evolve, blending craft and creativity with practicality in every project. The firm approaches each project with a profound acumen of the unique features of each zone. By blending the intrinsic qualities of the location with detailed programmatic needs, OLIN designs landscapes that are not only gorgeous but also functional and resilient. 

Jacobs Solutions Inc

Jacobs is one of the companies with a few of the best landscape architects specializing in creating sustainable, resilient, and environmentally responsible spaces. Known for integrating nature-based solutions into their designs, Jacobs works on a wide range of projects with a focus on developing landscapes that balance functionality and environmental stewardship. The company is committed to delivering designs that respond to both immediate and long-term needs, ensuring spaces that are not only visually appealing but also durable and sustainable. 

With over seven decades of experience, Jacobs has built a reputation as a leader in landscape architecture. The firm takes a collaborative approach, working with diverse teams of professionals from various disciplines to provide innovative and integrated solutions. Jacobs’ process involves all phases of sustainable design, from planning and design to construction and ongoing maintenance. Their commitment to using advanced tools and quality control ensures that each project is crafted with precision, reflecting their dedication to excellence and environmental responsibility in every landscape they create.

James Corner Field Operations

The firm, James Corner Field Operations, is helmed by its founder, James Corner, a landscape architect and influential theorist recognized as a pioneer of the "landscape urbanism" movement. Corner holds degrees from Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Pennsylvania (M.L.A. + Urban Design Certificate, 1986) and is a registered landscape architect.

Field Operations has garnered acclaim for transforming neglected urban infrastructure into vibrant public spaces. Notable projects include Manhattan's High Line, the conversion of the Freshkills landfill into Freshkills Park, and Miami's The Underline park beneath elevated rail lines.

The firm's philosophy extends beyond beautification; it emphasizes creating dynamic systems that engage people, nature, and the city. They view every site as an adaptable, interdisciplinary living system. Whether addressing waterfronts, transit corridors, or ecological regeneration, Field Operations expertly integrates infrastructure, ecology, and public life, producing designs that are both forward-looking and rooted in a strong sense of place.

SWA Group

SWA Group, founded in 1957, evolved from the original landscape architecture division of the celebrated firm Sasaki, Walker and Associates, lending the practice its iconic initials. Over more than six decades, SWA transitioned into an independent, employee-owned studio, championing a highly collaborative and deeply environmentally responsive design approach.

SWA, with studios in California, Texas, and China, focuses on creating human-centered outdoor environments that strengthen the connection between people and nature.

Their portfolio highlights landmark projects like Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston, Dallas's Pegasus Plaza, and Shanghai Houtan Park, all recognized for innovation in climate resilience and ecological restoration. SWA's vision emphasizes working with natural processes to achieve a balance of functionality, aesthetics, and environmental stewardship.

Conclusion

Organizations like Perkins Eastman, Jacobs, Sasaki, Hoerr Schaudt, and more exemplify the power of thoughtful, sustainable, and people-focused landscape design in creating atmospheres that enhance both quality of life and environmental stability. These businesses are devoted to combining aesthetics with functionality, and their tasks contribute to the long-term wellbeing of societies and ecosystems.

Uppteam is one of the design support providers for landscape architecture firms. We offer an invaluable contribution to those aiming to elevate their landscape architecture projects with our technical support. With experience in landscape design styles in the USA, Uppteam collaborates with small to large firms to bring innovative, sustainable, and efficient solutions to life, ensuring that every design thrives in its context and serves its community. 

We aim to help our clients meet their deadlines while we ensure their designs meet stability and quality standards. Our design support allows our clients to deliver impactful landscape designs, every time, without compromising the creativity.