SEPT 15 | 4:00 P.M. | AB100

Lectures are free and open to the public

Joe Wahler, Principal and Landscape Architect at STIMSON, will share insights into the firm’s unique approach to landscape architecture. STIMSON operates at the intersection of design and ecology, integrating an urban and rural design studio with a working farm and plant nursery in Massachusetts. With over three decades of built work, Joe will explore the firm’s philosophy of investigation, exploration, and collaboration, highlighting the synergy between designers, planners, and horticulturalists. Through a series of past and current projects, he will demonstrate how these principles shape STIMSON’s practice and outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand STIMSON’s approach to experiential learning and its project applications.
  • Discover how multidisciplinary teams collaborate to achieve iimpactful design goals.
  • Identify the foundational skills essential to professional landscape architecture and the value of diverse expertise.
  • Examine project development from concept through implementation, including lessons learned along the way.

Bio:

Joe is a Principal at STIMSON studio and has been practicing landscape architecture for 25 years. His body of work consistently focuses on a rigorous commitment to exceptional craft and detailing, performative landscapes, and a holistic team approach to the design process. His projects have been recognized for national and regional awards, including the American Society of Landscape Architects 2019 Award of Excellence for the Heritage Museums and Gardens’ Flume Fountain.

Joe believes in the vital collaboration between client, designer, contractor, manufacturer, artisan, and caretaker. His gratitude for collaborator contributions stems from his childhood experience on the grounds crew of his father’s golf course which instilled an appreciation for the contributions of many towards a common pursuit. His experiences inspired a deep relationship with the environment and the primary materials of landscape: soil, water, and plants.  He followed in his father’s path, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and interned with leading superintendents and researchers in Illinois, Ohio, and California. He was awarded the Faculty Scholarship. He received a Master’s in Landscape Architecture from The Ohio State University and was awarded the American Society of Landscape Architecture’s Merit of Excellence in the Study of Landscape Architecture, the Walter L. Chambers ‘29 Scholarship in Landscape Architecture, and was inducted in the Phi Alpha Xi Honorary Horticulture Society. Joe has lectured at the Parrish Art Museum, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, Envision Resilience, and the American Society of Consulting Arborists; and served on the Boston Society of Landscape Architects’ Executive Committee.  Joe lives on and manages a 12-acre experimental homestead alongside his wife, a landscape architect, their family, and a tenant farmer.  He and his family are committed to a lifetime of land preservation and environmental stewardship.