Local Office Landscape

Local Office Landscape & Urban Design, LLC, WMBE was founded in 2006 by Harvard Graduate School of Design classmates Jennifer Bolstad, RLA and Walter Meyer, LEED-AP. Operating between infrastructure, urbanism, and ecology, the firm's primary focus is coastal landscapes at all scales. From residential gardens on the dunes to coastal parks that emplo... y sustainable and resilient technologies at the scale of the city, Local Office seeks to ameliorate the impact of cities on the sea, while protecting cities from sea surges. The firm has garnered accolades from across the disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture, public policy, science and art. The firm's recent built work includes the Parque del Litoral, in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, the largest urban park ever constructed on the island. The 2.5 km long beachfront park served as the site of the 2010 Central American Games. Local Office's innovative approach to the site design won the project a Distinguished Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in Puerto Rico. The project restored a decaying coral reef by restructuring the post-industrial shore into a dune forest that protects the city from sea surges, while phytoremediation wetlands protect the sea from the city's pollution. The design was endorsed by the Caribbean Tsunami Institute for coastal resiliency, and the project won an honor award from the AIA Puerto Rico, as well as a Cimex award for sustainable infrastructure. In April 2013, The White House recognized the firm's partners' initiatives for rebuilding a more resilient Rockaway Beach with the Hurricane Sandy "Champions of Change" award. In September 2010, they were recognized for their 'leadership and innovation in the green economy' by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in Washington DC. The New York State Council of the Arts awarded a 2009 Individual Projects in Architecture research grant to Local Office for their work in developing a modular, mobile and immediately-deployable solution to New York Harbor's Combined Sewer Overflow ...Read More