Profile - Design Philosophy

As evidenced by our many awards, Shadley Associates consistently provides exceptionally high quality design.  We design beautiful, aesthetically compelling places.  In addition, to complement our passion for design, the firm applies an uncompromisingly pragmatic approach which is based on our respect for the economic and political facts of life, and in our practical knowledge of technical construction requirements.  This exceptional balance of inspired design, tenacious pragmatism, and sound technology is what sets our firm apart.  We consistently build high-quality landscapes that not only get built on time and on budget but which also are well used and enduring.  SA offers particular expertise in several types of landscape development, including urban streetscapes and plazas, brownfield development, waterfront landscapes, public parks, landscapes constructed on deck, visitor centers, historic landscape restoration and adaptation, commercial and office sites, and residential design and construction.

We are committed to sustaining both the natural environment and the cultural environment.  We believe that, in the majority of outdoor spaces, human ecology and environmental ecology are essentially inseparable.  We truly enjoy the community review and approvals process, and we measure the success of our projects not only by their beauty or artistry but also by the degree of use they receive from the people who live, work, and play in them every day.  We come to each project with the assumption that it is truly unique and that in order to respond appropriately to each site, each of our designs must also be truly unique.  We use the limitless palette of our surroundings, our collaborators, and our imaginations as the conceptual and material components of our work.  We believe that the art of landscape architecture is simply about building on life.