At The Helm Of Ground, Landscape Architect Shauna Gillies-Smith Designs Sustainable, Outdoor Spaces That Provide Wellness And Favor Connection Between People
Well-designed outdoor spaces allow us to reconnect with one another and with nature,” says Shauna Gillies-Smith, founder of Massachusetts-based landscape architecture studio Ground.
“These spaces provide respite, surprise and shared connection in a world that is increasingly global yet disconnected on a personal level.”
Before pursuing a career in landscape architecture, Shauna Gillies-Smith first studied architecture at the University of British Columbia and then urban design at Harvard. Growing up in the Canadian Rockies, her formative experiences with landscapes were characterized by constantly evolving spaces and visually rich, textured views. These core understandings have influenced her affinity for infusing designs with dynamic movement and textural richness.
From parks to public buildings, Ground’s “city makers” — as the team defines itself — create vibrant and joyful outdoor spaces with fluid curves, bright colors, and unique art elements, where people can connect and thrive.
“Landscapes should play a leading role in urban life, sparking joy and engagement while enhancing well-being through cleaner air, cooler spaces, and water conservation.”
From its inception, Ground has prioritized using a primarily native plant palette to foster habitat for regional pollinator species and reduce water consumption, highly focusing on sustainability.
“In the coming years and decades, as we enter an ever more entrenched phase of climate unpredictability and globalization, landscape architecture will come to play an even more significant role in the public and private realm,” says Shauna Gillies-Smith. “Each project, no matter the size or type, will need to consider issues of resilience, adaptability, flexibility, equity and accessibility. The ecological value and functionality of a space must be considered.”
Enriching our environments by purifying the air, mitigating heat islands and fostering diverse pollinator habitats, trees, shrubs and perennials play a pivotal role in Ground’s work, delivering more than visual appeal. Among some of the studio’s recent projects, 66 Galen in Watertown, Massachusetts, consisted in the creation of more than 1.5 acres of publicly accessible open space associated with a new life science building in the heart of town.
Flowing paths create a scenic meander down to the park, while oversized benches with high “fish fin” backs are dotted along its length. Four bespoke artwork panels, inspired by the indigenous fishing history of the Charles River Dam, provide an engaging backdrop and a partial screen between the neighborhood park and a new transit hub.
Another example is the 43-acre Community Park in Winchendon, Massachusetts, nestled along the shore of the picturesque Whitney Pond. At its heart is an outdoor amphitheater, designed for performances and events amidst a scenic, natural backdrop, with stone seat walls that define swaths of terraced lawn. Additional features include a pond overlook, kayak launch and multi-purpose soccer field.
“Landscape architecture by its nature is a living, changing discipline,” says Shauna Gillies-Smith. “The designs you put into place can only be controlled to a point — they change due to weather, with time and from what people bring to it. In that way it is a delightfully enhanced art form — you set the pieces in play, and then see the many different ways the place unfolds.”
Shauna Gillies-Smith
Ground | groundinc.com
Landscape architecture: Ground (Instagram @groundlandscapearchitecture)
Photos: Chuck Choi and Courtesy of Ground
