Assemblage: a gathering and reorganizing of biodiverse elements that, when combined, create landscapes that engender new possibilities.
Assemblage is woman-owned, New York City-based landscape architecture studio that was founded with a mission to explore creative design solutions that are grounded in ecological and sustainable principles. We believe that design can create environments that improve and regenerate our land, air and water, and create lasting bonds between people and place. At the outset of each project we uncover the site’s unique history, we reveal the site’s assets and challenges, and we strategize as a team to find meaningful design outcomes. We work to make every landscape a positive ecological performer. Our design process invites many perspectives - we believe communication is what holds every design together.
We integrate nature and the city in a rigorous design process with the following design ethos underpinning all of our work:
Interdependent Scales
• We recognize all projects are part of connected and continuous systems, and our design thinking extends beyond site boundaries
• We design and collaborate across scales, from individual users to multiple stakeholders
• We consider how design elements and systems work together at macro and micro scales
Climate Responsive Design
• We investigate baselines and establish targets for mitigating climate risk
• We create landscapes that are resilient over time and responsive to change, such as rising water levels, temperatures, etc.
• We design with entropic processes in mind, to embrace material evolution and change over time
• We design for the present and future with innovation as our driving ethos
Carbon Conscious Design
• We source local and incorporate reuse of salvaged and recycled building materials for reducing embodied carbon in the landscape
• We give consideration to the provenance and histories of the materials we specify
• We track material origins, transportation distances, and carbon emissions
• We seek ways to innovate new, low impact design opportunities that minimize maintenance and operational requirements
Ecological Design
• We design connected, whole loop ecologies by considering interconnected ecological systems
• We establish and track biodiversity baselines and targets
• We design regenerative landscapes that contribute to healthy, thriving ecologies
Inclusive Design
• We collaborate through an iterative process to create multi-dimensional, compelling, designs for everyone
• We forge partnerships with experts in parallel fields and we listen to expert recommendations and advice
• We design with sensitivity to the level of comfort and needs of people of all abilities
The principles that underpin our work occur at projects of every scale. We welcome the opportunity to work with clients in a creative atmosphere, seeking regenerative solutions in both public and private realm projects: public parks, waterfronts, plazas, greenways, streetscapes, institutional, residential, and mixed use.