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Chris Riggert has appreciated the connection between landscape and architecture since he was young. The Louisville, Kentucky native joined HAA six years ago.

” My hometown Louisville, Kentucky has a rich tradition of world-class landscapes, including Hargreaves’ Waterfront Park and an Olmsted network of parkways and large parks which stitch together the city,” Chris said. “These places always provide memorable experiences, though it’s the interconnectivity of landscape and urbanism which inspires me the most.”

He enjoys how his work allows him to engage both broad concepts and granular details to create deep meaningful connections between people and the places they live or visit.

Chris, who graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor’s of Landscape Architecture, appreciates the Midwest for both its strengths and its struggles, and he views design as a tool to solve such problems.

“I’m passionate about focusing on the issues which our communities face on every day,” Chris said. “After graduation, I came to Detroit to observe and learn about this iconic, yet challenged American city. I found HAA for the community-centric work the firm undertakes and have always appreciated its commitment to Detroit and its people.”

To date, the project he’s liked working on most in the HAA office has been Brush Park / City Modern.

“Our talented team are experts in cross-disciplinary collaboration, and my favorite projects are the ones that merge architecture and landscape,” Chris said. “I’m particularly proud of our work on Brush Park City Modern because I think it illustrates this approach well.”

A rendering of Brush Park / City Modern

This post is part of HAA’s celebration of World Landscape Architecture Month, an international celebration of landscape architecture. As part of the celebration, we are spotlighting the staff who make up our award-winning landscape architecture team.