About

DESIGN UNDER SKY is an award-winning Landscape Architecture studio in Providence, RI with several recent projects—including the National ASLA Honor Award for 10,000 Suns, The Living Edge and the Roger Williams Park Gateway—that have contributed to the transformation of the urban landscape of Providence and beyond. Ultimately, we look to create joy, wonder, and curiosity in the living world.

NATURE+CULTURE

Our work emerges not from any particular stylistic approach but from research and analysis of the existing cultural and natural systems of a site and translating them into an expressive and functional new form in sync with those systems.

COMMUNITY ENGAGED

Our work often includes what Founding Principal Anderson refers to as “Participatory Landscapes” where the community at large are invited in the building and maintenance of our projects. This builds a communal sense of belonging and responsibility to our urban landscapes. In the design development of public spaces, we view ourselves as facilitators of the public voice by synthesizing community engagement conversations into expressive and buildable landscapes.

PLANTS: ECOLOGICAL SERVICES + NOVEL ECOSYSTEMS

Our approach to planting design in urban landscapes is to look at the ecological services that both native and regionally adapted plants provide that support local biodiversity, promote pollination, control erosion, and filter water and air. Additionally, recognizing the value of novel ecosystems allows us to embrace the changes brought about by urbanization and climate change, offering opportunities to design with adaptable and resilient plant communities.

MAINTENANCE AS A DESIGN ACT

Maintenance in our view is seen as a sculptural and/or a design act, and where possible we build long-term relationships with our clients and built work to continue to shape them over time. Landscapes are not inert, and constantly changing. We recognize and embrace time as a medium of the Landscape Architect, and believe that management, as opposed to “mow and blow” maintenance practices lead to more beautiful and healthy landscapes.

COLLABORATIONS WITH ARCHITECTS / ENGINEERS / ARTISTS

We believe that early collaboration between various disciplines of a project yields a more beautiful integration of landscape from inside and outside and into site systems, both cultural and natural. This cross-pollination of ideas and expertise leads to more healthy, long-lasting, and expressive built work.

CLIENTS | COLLABORATORS:

KITE Architects / Studio LUZ / Jack Ryan Architects / UltraModerne / Payette / CIVIC / INFORM Studio / Providence Planning Dept / Providence Office of Sustainability / Green International / Fuss and O’neil / Dune Brothers

PAST TEAM MEMBERS:

Austin Bamford / Yifan Qui / Mo Kong / Corey Watanabe / Jacob Lightman / Yu Pei / Xue Gao / Gavin Zeitz