It’s that time of year again. A time to reflect back on the past 365 days at Studio Outside.
As 2024 comes to a close, we at Studio Outside take a moment to reflect on a transformative year marked by creativity, collaboration, and meaningful progress. From award-winning projects to new pursuits fostering community and resiliency, this year has underscored our commitment to designing landscapes that inspire and connect people to nature.
Celebrating Project Milestones
This year, we had the privilege of working on several landmark projects at various phases and scales, allowing us to engage with diverse landscapes and explore new project types:
The Didactic Ditch: Water Discovery Center | Stephenville, Texas
A true highlight of 2024 was the grand opening of The Didactic Ditch, a visionary nature education center designed to tell the story of water within the Trinity Aquifer in north central Texas. Funded by the Middle Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, this 3-acre green space features native prairie restoration, green infrastructure, and flexible classroom space.
Cool Schools | Dallas, Texas and Yolo County, California
Studio Outside continues to collaborate with the Texas Trees Foundation on the Cool Schools Neighborhood Park Program, creating outdoor classrooms, playgrounds, and gathering spaces at Dallas ISD elementary schools while planting 80-100 trees per campus. With 30 campuses completed in Dallas and 10 more in progress, the program has now expanded to 10 campuses in California and 16 campuses in the Rio Grande Valley, bringing healthier, greener spaces to schools and their surrounding communities.
Downtown Garland Square | Garland, Texas
A major achievement for the firm this year is the broad success of Downtown Garland Square. Seamlessly blending historic storefronts with contemporary public spaces, the square boosts retail growth, while establishing downtown Garland as an arts and culture destination. Since opening in October 2023, the revitalized public square has received numerous awards honoring its positive impact on the community:
2024 Built Award Greater Dallas Planning Council's Trinity Urban Design Awards
2024 Community Impact Award Dallas Business Journal
2024 The Best of Big D Award D Magazine
Caesar North Coast | Ras El Hikma, North Coast, Egypt
The Caesar community is a master-planned residential development on the serene Mediterranean shores, about 130 miles from Alexandria, Egypt, designed to enhance the existing beachfront with a luxurious coastal resort atmosphere. Central to the design are two large lagoons totaling 2.5 hectares (or ~6 acres) in size, surrounded by local plants, organic shapes, and gentle contours, offering diverse amenities that celebrate the region's unique environment while offering respite from the surrounding desert environment.
Iain Nicholson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary | Gibbon, Nebraska
Another milestone was the completion of a new Visitors Center at the Iain Nicholson Audubon Center, which opened to the public on December 7. The expanded visitor spaces include a new parking lot that was moved to protect migratory birds, new accessible trails, a wetland exploration deck, and a native plant restoration program. The Rowe Sanctuary will celebrate their 50th annual crane season in 2025 and expects to break visitor records during the 8-week migration period in the spring.
See our blog post from April 2023 to read more about our work with the Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary over the past 8 years - https://www.blogoutside.com/blog/heraldingspring
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | Austin, Texas
Highly anticipated in 2024 was the kick-off of a collaborative master planning effort at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Partnering with Lake Flato and supported by a team of 10 consultants, Studio Outside is developing a comprehensive plan to address the growth needs of this globally renowned center in Austin. As the Texas State Arboretum and Botanic Garden, the 100% native public garden and research hub exemplifies responsible land stewardship. This planning initiative will position the Center for continued success in educating and inspiring future generations to celebrate and conserve Texas’s native landscapes.
Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence
in Design Processes
Future technologies remained top of mind for our work in 2024. At our annual firm retreat, we explored using Artificial Intelligence to enhance the landscapes we design. Bradley Cantrell, Professor and Chair of Landscape Architecture at UVA, lead a workshop on innovative technologies that could be utilized in the design process, from site analysis through concept graphics.
Measuring Landscape Performance
In 2024, Studio Outside participated in the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Case Study Investigation program. Partnering with researchers at UT Arlington, folks at Studio Outside developed a research plan to measure and quantify the benefits of South Oak Cliff Renaissance Park. With the guidance and input of the South Oak Cliff community, an illegal dump site was transformed into a park, and the CSI effort provided quantitative evidence that it was a net positive for the community, reducing calls for emergency services and increasing outdoor community events.
You can watch the recording of the presentation on the LAF website - https://www.lafoundation.org/resources/2024/09/csi-webinar-inclusive-spaces
Engaging the Community
The Dallas Greening Initiative is bringing public green spaces to park deserts within the City of Dallas, by taking advantage of currently vacant lots managed by Dallas Parks and Recreation Department. Studio Outside, in partnership with Better Block and the Trust for Public Land, facilitated public engagements where community members provided input on the park's design, asking the community what they would like to see in their future parks. Designs are now underway for five parks, with a vision to eventually have a park in every council district.
2024 by the numbers
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we turn the page to a new year, we are excited to build upon the foundations laid in 2024 by continuing to emphasize initiatives that strengthen our values:
Building office culture around design, knowledge, and curiosity through drawing and design-thinking sessions, Taco Talks, Guest Lectures, Blog entries, LabOutside research, and the Intern Project
Establishing thought-leadership by pursuing conference speaking engagements, case study investigations, article publication, and awards recognitions
Furthering community engagement by continuing to partner with organizations that engage stakeholders in the design process
Gratitude and Reflection
We are deeply grateful to our clients, collaborators, and community partners who make our work possible. Your collaboration and bold ideas fuel our passion for creating landscapes that matter.
Here’s to 2024—a year of growth and impact—and to an even brighter 2025. From all of us at Studio Outside, we wish you a joyful and inspiring New Year!