Revealing Place: Context, Cultural History, and Ecological Memory in Landscape Architecture - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/HSW)

Recorded On: 10/11/2025

This presentation challenges notions that land is empty or fallow. Three landscape architects will present strategies and studies emphasizing the importance of expressing a site’s historical, cultural, and ecological context and the benefits derived from this approach. Contemporary landscape challenges will also be addressed in this “place-revealing” design approach.

Learning objectives:

Learn to read the land's history and context as part of the design process.
Gain interpretive techniques for revealing and incorporating place in design.
Understand the importance of advocacy and managing public and owner expectations and involvement.
Explore case studies that demonstrate how landscape design can serve social purpose, environmental health, and memory.

Sara Zewde, ASLA

Founding Principal & Assistant Professor of Practice

Studio Zewde & Harvard GSD

Sara Zewde is the founding principal of Studio Zewde, based in New York City. Named TIME Magazine’s TIME 100 Next, Architectural Digest's AD100, and *Wallpaper’s 300 People Shaping Creative America, her practice is celebrated for its design methods that sync culture, ecology, and craft. In parallel to her design practice, Sara serves as Assistant Professor of Practice at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Sara holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, a Master of City Planning from MIT, and a BA in sociology and statistics from Boston University.

Thomas Woltz, FASLA, CLARB

Owner and Senior Principal

Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

Thomas Woltz is the Principal and Owner of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW). He received his Master of Architecture and Landscape Architecture from UVA and holds an honorary doctorate from SUNY ESF. He was recognized with the Land for People Award by the Trust for Public Land in 2019 and serves on the Board of Directors of the Cultural Landscape Foundation. Over the past two decades of practice, NBW has developed a unique approach to design using ecological and cultural research as the foundation for creating meaningful landscapes that inspire connection to place.

Ken Smith, FASLA

Founder and Principal

Ken Smith Workshop

Ken Smith is a landscape architect whose practice explores the relationship between art, contemporary culture, and the environment. Based in New York City, he founded Ken Smith Workshop in 1992. He holds degrees from ISU and Harvard’s GSD and has been an adjunct professor, principally at City College of New York and the GSD. He has been widely published in popular and academic presses. He is a Fellow of ASLA and board member of the Architectural League of New York. His work has received many accolades including eight ASLA awards, two MASterworks Awards, and awards from AIA, APA, and NPS.