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Service Overview

Bringing nature’s beauty and brilliance into your project’s design.

Our team of landscape architects dedicate themselves to beautiful, functional, and sustainable landscape designs. We use a signature design approach to ensure that the landscapes we design for our clients are site-specific and meet every project’s unique needs. Our work enhances our client’s quality of life by developing purposeful and resilient connections to nature, enhancing their vision and creating a lasting impact.  

Our team’s passion for integrating the natural environment into modern projects drives our landscape designs. We offer the full scope of landscape architectural services associated with this task, such as planning, design, and development. We have firsthand knowledge of the implementation and management of design processes, making us qualified to develop beautiful and uplifting aesthetic plans for municipalities and private interests alike. 

Capabilities

  • Site Analysis
  • Campus Design
  • Park/Greenway Design
  • Roof Gardens
  • Urban Streetscape and Plaza Design
  • Land Planning
  • Site Programming
  • Entitlements, Permitting Rezoning & Special Use Permits 
  • Due Diligence & Feasibility Studies 
  • Master Planning
  • Conceptual Design
  • Amenity Design 
  • Signage & Wayfinding Design 
  • Site Plan & Photorealistic Rendering 
  • 3D Modeling 
  • Hardscape Plans & Details
  • Construction Drawings
  • Construction Administration
  • Project Closeout 

Service Spotlight

State Employees’ Credit Union Program Overview

This program for the State Employees’ Credit Union includes tailoring each site to the meet the local municipal codes and fit the individual parcels unique characteristics. Working with Summit Architecture and Civil Engineering disciplines, we have experience across the region working on over 45+ SECU sites in North Carolina that are either in progress or have been completed.

Throughout this program, our team also provides project management for the client. Since these are not just one-off projects, Summit Architecture starts with designing the building (the prototype) working closely with Summit Landscape Architecture to fit it to the site. After, we involve more and more trades to create drawings and apply for permitting and construction.

What’s unique about this Summit program for SECU that’s lead by our Architects is that we manage the entire thing in-house. We do not just hand over one drawing for one project. Our goal is to keep the same SECU identity regardless of where it will be constructed, and we manage that process by looking at the location as an individual project and using themes and palettes that we have created for SECU to make each unique layout feel like a SECU Branch. Each site is individually unique and needs to be treated in that manner, whether it is the different topography across the site or the code requirements by the local municipality, but we work to navigate those differences while creating the best site design that the Credit Unions Members have come to expect at each SECU.

 

Our team fully understands that design is never done and can always be improved. Through design meetings with the Clients, we learn what our clients like and are able to implement those concepts into our designs both early in laying out the site, but also much later into the process by being flexible during the creation of Construction Drawings and Permitting. We work to get on paper what our clients envision, and then help the reviewing agencies to understand those needs and wants to have that design permitted. Updating the designs in real-time helps us learn and iterate in the future.

Service Spotlight

State Employees’ Credit Union Program Overview

Our Landscape Architecture team’s project management approach is designed to adapt to each site’s unique character while maintaining consistency across all project locations. From the earliest stages of site programming to final construction, we oversee every detail, managing each project as a unique endeavor rather than a one-size-fits-all prototype. This approach allows us to respond to the specific needs of each site, ensuring that our designs reflect both functionality and aesthetic appeal.

For example, in our work with the State Employees’ Credit Union, we developed a landscape design for one location that utilized the site’s natural ravine to create a walking trail that connects to the public sidewalk. The trail includes benches strategically placed to provide scenic viewpoints, offering users a moment of rest while taking in the natural surroundings. This space now serves SECU’s customers, staff, and the surrounding community, enhancing accessibility and engagement with the landscape.

Throughout this program, our team provides comprehensive project management, guiding each phase from concept to completion. We start with a detailed project briefing, immersing ourselves in the project scope, client goals, and budget, which establishes a clear foundation for design decisions.

Next, we move into Analysis and Problem Framing, where we conduct a thorough site analysis, identifying both challenges and opportunities. This critical step allows us to frame the design approach and address key issues before conceptualization.

With insights in hand, we proceed to Planning & Preliminary Design, where we craft an initial vision, integrating project findings and outlining key design principles. In this phase, we emphasize creative, site-specific planning that aligns with the project’s overall goals.

Client Collaboration is a priority throughout, as we actively engage with the client to gather feedback, refining the design to reflect their preferences and ensure alignment with expectations.

Once the concept is solidified, we enter the Design Refinement & Implementation phase, where we iteratively adjust the design based on ongoing input and oversee its implementation, paying close attention to detail and quality to bring the vision to life.

Finally, in the Closeout phase, we revisit and assess the design to confirm it meets all intended objectives. By reviewing feedback and making final adjustments, we ensure that each project outcome is both optimized and successful.

Tim Guadagno

Landscape Architecture Contact

1000 Social Street Suite 800 Raleigh, NC 27609
919-322-0115
timothy.guadagno@summitde.com