Landscape Architecture
We provide landscape architectural services from concept through construction management. Our design clients are in the public, private and institutional sectors throughout the southeast. WLA Studio specializes in landscapes in historic contexts as well as "green build" projects.
Reynolda Gardens, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
The firm has been assisting Wake Forest University in the rehabilitation of historic Reynolda Gardens for nearly three decades. The firm first task at Reynolda Gardens, the former estate of the R.J. Reynolds family in Winston-Salem, NC, was the development of a Cultural Landscape Report and Master Plan. The Gardens, now in the ownership of Wake Forest University, are comprised of four acres within the larger Reynolda Estate grounds. The Gardens are endeared by the local community and university students, who visit on a daily basis. The plan evaluated the existing condition of the Gardens and assessed the existence of original plant materials and structures. The Master Plan recommendations have been implemented in phases over the past twenty years. The current phase of construction includes additional pathways, planting restoration, invasive vegetation removal and additional site furnishings.
Reynolda Gardens, photo by Lee Anne White
Roosevelt Square, Gainesville, GA
On April 6, 1936, a tornado devastated the area that comprises today’s Roosevelt Square in Gainesville, GA, destroying the Hall County Courthouse along with commercial and residential structures. Funds from the Works Progress Administration resulted in the construction of a new county courthouse and city hall. On March 23, 1938, President Roosevelt officially dedicated “Roosevelt Square” and a monument erected in his honor was unveiled. WLA Studio was retained to redesign this historic square. From concept through construction, firm members worked with the City of Gainesville and local stakeholders to create a space that respects the site’s past while providing for today’s programming needs. During the construction documentation phase, regionally appropriate materials such as locally quarried granite and native, drought tolerant plants were selected and used throughout the square. This redesign allows Roosevelt Square to thrive as a site for official community gatherings, a civic space with monuments, a location for groups to enjoy a variety of activities.
Roosevelt Square concept plan
City of Greensboro Downtown Master Plan, Streetscape, and GATEway Design
Beginning in 1996, our firm has assisted the City of Greensboro, Georgia with a variety of downtown design projects. The firm's 1996 Downtown Master Plan identified areas for improvement within the historic area of the town. Multiple design and construction projects followed and we are currently contracted to complete a streetscape design project which connects the historic downtown to new projects within the district including a multi-family residential project in a historic mill and a brewery. Our firm assisted Greensboro in implementing a GATEway grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation for landscape improvements at one of the entrances to downtown. Construction was recently completed on a project to connect downtown with the recently completed Oconee Brewing Company and Mary-Leila Lofts projects, and a new phase of construction funded in part by GDOT’s TAP program is in pre-design.
Greensboro downtown streetscape.