Built Projects
Sustainable Landscape Architecture
We are committed to providing our clients with sustainable landscape architecture and creating outdoor spaces that enhance the aesthetics of properties and promote ecological balance and resource efficiency. Our approach begins with attentive listening to our clients and comprehensively understanding their vision, challenges, and aspirations for their outdoor spaces.
Effective landscape design starts with deeply understanding the site’s unique characteristics. Before considering design elements, we analyze terrain, soil composition, existing vegetation, and microclimates. By prioritizing site analysis, we want our designs to harmonize seamlessly with the natural environment, resulting in landscapes that thrive with minimal intervention and maintenance.
Our commitment to sustainable practices goes beyond design aesthetics. We strategically select materials, grade the land, and provide innovative drainage solutions to mitigate environmental impact while maximizing functionality and longevity. What sets us apart is our priority for local materials, which reduces the carbon footprint associated with transportation and supports the regional economy. We also salvage landscape materials whenever possible, giving new life to reclaimed resources and reducing waste.
From urban rooftops to expansive rural estates, our Maryland-based landscape architecture team has demonstrated expertise in diverse landscapes. Each setting has its unique requirements; our designs enhance the property and contribute to the preservation of the surrounding ecosystem. Let us transform your outdoor space into a haven of beauty, sustainability, and enduring value.
Select Projects
Penrose Square Apartments
Mixed-Use Development Landscape Consultants for Renovation | Streetscape Design
Penrose Square Apartments is a mixed development of retail and rental apartments in Arlington, Virginia. CRLA was the landscape consultant.
The project involved the installation of new streetscape design and container plantings along Columbia Pike, South Barton Street, and 9th Road South.
Logistically, it was a challenging project for the contractor to install because of the vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Need a Virginia landscape architect for your streetscape design? That’s what we do.
Village Center at
Stadium Place
Mixed-use/Multi-family Residential New Construction | Landscape Design & Permits
Landscape architecture in Baltimore is making its impact. Stadium Place is a multi-property, mixed-use development at Baltimore’s old Memorial Stadium grounds. Village Center is an office, retail, and residential landscape design project and streetscape design located at the corner of 33rd Street and Ednor Road. There are 70 residential units. It was completed in 2021.
Design Team:
Moseley Architects
STV, Inc.
Craig Richmond Landscape Architects
Golf Course
Residence
Single-family Residential Landscape Renovation | Residential Landscape Design
Located within the Belmont Country Club golf course community in Loudoun County, Virginia, this front landscape renovation was designed for an active family with limited gardening expertise. The intent was to create a low-maintenance landscape with contrasting color and texture on a reasonable budget; besides being aesthetically pleasing, the plantings needed to be able to survive a hungry deer herd.
It was a pleasure to collaborate with the team at Smoot Landscape on this project. They always bring their ‘A’ game with customer service, material acquisition, and installation. Yes, we are Virginia landscape architects, as well.
Design Team:
Craig Richmond Landscape Architects
HarborView
Community
Mixed Multi-family Residential Landscape Renovation | Landscape Design
This is a streetscape and common area landscape renovation at a private mixed residential community in Port Washington, NY. The project scope involved a complete refurbishment of the landscape. The previous landscape was in poor condition because of drainage problems and deficient soils.
The site was previously a sand mine that supplied the sand for the concrete from which a large portion of Manhattan was built. Most of the topsoil and sand had been stripped before the community was constructed, so what was left was wet clay.
Our solution was to bring in over 500 cubic yards of topsoil and compost to elevate the beds for positive drainage and to provide fertile planting beds. Some existing trees were in good condition, requiring careful grading and protection to keep them healthy.
Roberta’s
House
Sustainable Landscape Architecture | Landscape Design & Permits
Roberta’s House is a family grief support center in Baltimore. It was challenging to design a landscape to endure harsh urban conditions. CRLA is taking the lead on landscape architecture in Baltimore.
Coastal
Residence
Single-family Residential Landscape Renovation | Landscape Design
In 2012 this residence located along the Middle Canal on the Great South Bay on Long Island, New York was damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Unfortunately, the salty storm surge killed most of the trees and shrubs. Thankfully one specimen Pin Oak survived and remained an important site feature.
Our scope was to develop a site design to refurbish the patios and walkways, provide a planting and site design adapted to coastal conditions, offer seasonal interest, and require moderate maintenance. This was a project for an experienced landscape architect. The following images were taken approximately one year after installation, so there’s still some filling-in needed.
410 Loft
Apartments
Mixed-Use Development Green Roof & Streetscape | Landscape Design & Permits
In the heart of the Bromo Tower Arts District and Market Center neighborhood, 410 Loft Apartments provide affordable housing and create space for Baltimore artists. Amenities include a gallery, sound studio, multipurpose studio, spray booth, and a green roof garden courtyard built over the parking garage—a project completed in 2021—Baltimore landscape design at its best.
Design Team:
Moseley Architects
KCW Engineering Technologies
Craig Richmond Landscape Architects
Converse Lake
House
Single-family Residential New Construction | Sustainable Landscape Architecture & Permits
This private residence is in an exclusive gated community built around beautiful Converse Lake. The neighborhood, located 30 miles from NYC, straddles the borderline between North Castle in Westchester County, New York, and Greenwich, Connecticut. As the designer and project manager, I was challenged by the existing site constraints.
The property had lakefrontage and two wetlands and was in a highly environmentally regulated and enforced area. Half of the dry buildable area on the site lay on the ledgestone outcrop to make complex matters even more. The excavation contractor drilled and blasted stone for weeks to accommodate the homeowner’s indoor basketball court and swimming pool on the basement level. The blasted rock was used to construct the natural stone retaining walls and as accents on site.
The site design was meant to flow with the existing topography as much as possible, which is why the rear yard is terraced to minimize excavation and blasting. With the native plant landscape design, most of the plant material specified provides food or wildlife habitat to offset some of the disturbance to the site. All stormwater runoff from development is run through oil and sediment separators and bio-filtration gardens and then retained in large underground infiltration chambers. This was one of the first sustainable landscape architecture projects I designed.
This project was designed while the Project Manager for
Jay Fain and Associates, Fairfield, Connecticut.
Lakeview
Terrace
Multi-Family Residential Landscape Renovation | Landscape Design
During the Great Depression, the City of Cleveland acquired millions of dollars of federal money in the mid-1930s to build three of the first public housing projects in the nation. One of them was Lakeview Terrace. In attendance at the dedication ceremonies in 1937 was First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Lakeview Terrace sits on a hillside overlooking Lake Erie and the various industries along the Cuyahoga River. At its conception, the developers wanted to provide amenities for working-class residents, like a multi-purpose community center, playgrounds, and lots of green space.
Unfortunately, the community was neglected and came into disrepair in the mid-60s and had boarded-up sections adjacent to occupied units when we began the site revitalization project in 1998. In addition, the buildings had single entrances with long, dark interior hallways, which created dangerous conditions for its residents.
Most of the sites had poor accessibility for disabled people and inadequate lighting. In addition, some of the children’s playground equipment was the same items initially installed in 1937.
The revitalization involved providing single entrances for each unit to eliminate the need for long interior hallways, complete gutting and renovation of the individual units, and façade refurbishment. In addition, our scope on the site design was to redesign the walkways, steps, retaining walls, playground areas, and landscape.
Craig was the lead designer for the project while Project Landscape Architect at the Outside In-Landscape Architects.
Design Team:
The Outside In – Sustainable Landscape Architecture
West End
Center
Adult Day Care & Residential
New Construction | Site Design
& Permits
The West End Center project is in Westminster, Maryland. It is expanding an existing facility into a comprehensive family support center. The new wing will provide new senior living apartments, domestic case management, trauma counseling, and office space.
Most of the plant material is native and adheres to the principles of sustainable landscape architecture.
Browns
Stadium
NFL Stadium | Site Design
& Forest Conservation
Plan
The site design for this NFL stadium was driven by the need to replace the existing trees that had been removed for construction with more native plant species.
Cleveland Browns Stadium was the first large-scale landscape architecture project in which the firm’s owner played a significant role in site design. The old Municipal Stadium was built along the shore of Lake Erie.
This project was an early example of sustainable landscape architecture. The original landscape for the stadium became an essential migratory bird resting and feeding location, so we were careful to maintain as many of the existing trees and shrubs as possible during the design of the new stadium. We also expanded the wildlife feeding and habitat area by planting new native and naturalized plant species.
SUNY Purchase
College
Campus Exterior
Landscape Renovation
As registered landscape architects, commercial landscape architecture and academics are our specialties. The project involved renovating the gym and pool at SUNY Purchase College.
In addition, redesigning the landscape layout involved providing an accessible entrance with a convenient connection to the rest of the campus.
CRLA’s scope of work for the exterior landscape renovation involved generating demolition, site alignment and materials, grading and drainage, and planting and lighting plans.
Design Team:
KG&D Architects
Craig Richmond Landscape Architects
Here’s a great article on sustainable landscapes. Click HERE!
Check out this link to an informative video about sustainable landscape architecture from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Click HERE!
Projects Under Construction
Construction Administration
Construction administration consists of regular visits by the landscape architect to ensure the project is constructed according to plan, especially regarding grading and drainage design. We aim to work with the contractor to deliver the best long-term value for their landscape investment. As certified landscape architects, we are not responsible for contractors’ means and methods of construction.
Our role is to ensure the contractor builds the job per specifications. A project must meet the clients’ needs, comply with local construction codes, look great, and stand up to the elements.
Most landscape contractors are great at building according to plan. Still, some occasionally try to increase their profit by not installing materials in proper quantities or by omitting some altogether. We’re on-site to catch the shortcuts and to bring them to the client’s attention.
We approach a landscape project as a collaborative effort with a team consisting of the clients, the contractor, and the landscape architect. Everyone should have the same goal: to have an incredible-looking finished project that the client is happy with.
We are dirty boot LAs. Let us design and see your landscape project through from concept to completion. That’s what we do.
Here are some images of some of our projects during construction.
Landscape Architect On-site
410 Loft Apartments
The most challenging part for the contractor was cutting the pedestal pavers on the green roof installation. The green roof is built over the parking garage. All construction materials had to be lifted by crane or in the elevators. Landscape construction observation was essential for this project. Baltimore landscape architecture at its best.
Building a structure this size on a busy downtown Baltimore street was a challenging task, logistically speaking.
This project phase involves putting in a large terrace at the rear of the house, a gazebo with a fire pit by the Bay, connecting walks and steps, and plantings.
Because of the harsh coastal environment, materials must be carefully chosen. Salt, wind, sun, and occasional flooding happen.
Village Center at Stadium Place
This site was part of the old Baltimore Memorial Stadium parking lot that where the Colts used to play. The City Planning Office reviewed the plans to make sure the project fit into their vision for Baltimore landscape architecture.
After being delayed for several years, the project started during Covid. There were lots of construction material hold-ups and changes, but the project was completed.
West End Center
The location for the adult day care center in Westminster, Maryland, was one of the most unusual sites I’ve ever worked on. It’s a triangular site surrounded by alleyways in the middle of single-family homes. Our building was an expansion of an existing old school building.
Most of the larger trees on site were maintained, and approximately 90 percent of the new plant material is native to Maryland. The approved landscape plans received a thorough review from the Carroll County planning office.
HarborView Community
Landscape construction observation for this project was extensive. The site was an old sand mine. A large hill of sand adjacent to the Long Island Sound was excavated to use in the concrete that most of Manhattan built.
The site was stripped flat down to poorly draining, heavy clay soils. Then, the roads, buildings, homes, and landscape were built on top of the flat clay.
This project was one of my first large projects as a new landscape architecture firm. My job was to develop a landscape plan to completely renovate the senior community’s common areas, which could be implemented in phases.
The first thing was to inventory and evaluate the existing trees and shrubs. Then, the salvageable plants were dug and stored in a temporary nursery.
The planting areas needed to be built up to provide positive drainage. The planting median alone required enough topsoil to keep a constant flow of dump trucks for two days.
Subsurface drainage was installed to ensure the new trees, shrubs, and other plantings had the best chance of survival.
Chesapeake Bay House
This home in Lake Shore, Maryland, is on the Chesapeake Bay. Anne Arundel County strictly regulates all construction for environmental factors.
CRLA provided the clients with site plan approval documents to start the job. Construction observation requires frequent visits to the site.
This project phase involves putting in a large terrace at the rear of the house, a gazebo with a fire pit by the Bay, connecting walks and steps, and plantings.
Because of the harsh coastal environment, materials must be carefully chosen. Salt, wind, sun, and occasional flooding happen.
Washington DC Landscape Design - Green Roof
For this Washington DC landscape design, we are the landscape architect for the GAR Plan (Green Area Ratio Plan) and the green roof design for this Historial Anacostia Neighborhood in Washington, DC.
It was a two-story building that expanded upward on two floors with multiple levels of green roofs. The soil mix was pumped up from a truck below. All the other materials were lifted in or carried up the steps. Construction adminstration ensures construction goes according to plan.
The Department of Energy and the Environment reviewed and approved the plans. DC landscape architects must follow their guidelines.
Electric Vehicle Charging-Silver Spring
This project involved creating a parking and charging station for the client’s electric vehicle. It involved a grading and drainage permit and site plan approval from the County.
Great Falls Residence-Site Plan Approval
This project in Great Falls, Virginia, involved hardscape design only. CRLA is responsible for the design of the front driveway and swimming pool area. The retaining wall design was a collaboration with the client’s structural engineer.
The County of Fairfax Planning Office reviewed plans before site plan approval.
SUNY Purchase College
Site plan approval from the planning department must happen before materials can be delivered and construction can begin.
The old entrance was demolished, and the site was excavated. Grading and drainage were next, followed by the concrete slab beneath before the paver installation. The hot asphalt base is being used to level the surface.
The decorative concrete paver design will be placed on top of the asphalt using an asphalt tackifier to ensure it remains in place.
A complete interior renovation, including the glass atrium, took place simultaneously.
To learn more about our process. Click HERE!
Check out this link to an article on construction administration. Click HERE!