About
Studio Kongsgaard is a design practice known for methodological innovation in landscape architecture and urban design. Our work responds to the spatial and systemic challenge of urban and environmental transformation as cities and regions adapt to climate change. We partner with land trusts, landscape conservancies, cities, and governments on projects that mediate across scales from the bioregion to the site-level. Our work is holistic, charting a coherent arc from research to design to implementation.
Approach
The studio integrates transdisciplinary expertise with community perspectives to design unique and enduring spaces. Scientific understandings of how places change over time guide our work. As landscapes evolve beyond their historic limits, the question of if, when, and how to best intervene is critical to effective management. In this regard, the preservation of culturally and ecologically significant landscapes is a notable aspect of our practice.
Leadership
Helen Kongsgaard leads the practice and typically serves as Principal Investigator for transdisciplinary research projects. Trained in design and within the emergent field of climate adaptation, she frames design problems that contend with the dynamics of cities and landscapes. Helen brings her experience leading consultation with public agencies (and within communities) to each project that the studio engages. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Her practice is currently based in California.
Services
Geospatial Analytics
Landscape Architecture
Conservation Strategy
Resource Stewardship
Scenario Planning
Urban Design