Landscape Design is so much more then plants and flowers

When you hear the word "landscape" you probably think of someone who mows your yard or maintains your flowerbeds.

But Landscape Design is so much more.  

A Landscape Designer can help design a space that
fits your space, lifestyle and budget

A landscape designer, sometimes called a landscape architect, creates attractive, functional outdoor spaces for homeowners, businesses, schools and other organizations.   It is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practiced by landscape designers, combining nature and culture.

Landscape design typically involves artistic composition and artisanship, horticultural finesse and expertise, and emphasis on detailed site involvement from conceptual stages through to final construction.

While landscape design sometimes involves plants and gardens, they also focus on hardscape which include rock pathways, retaining walls, outdoor living spaces, swimming pools, lighting, irrigation and more.  

So the next time you are flipping through a magazine or you google outdoor living spaces, contact a professional Landscape Design Firm that can help you create an area that fits your space, lifestyle and budget.  

For more information, contact Studio W.  Specializing in commercial and high-end residential Landscape Design.  Info@thestudiow.com or 405.285.5610

Friday Focus on Landscape Design

Each Friday Studio W will post new and relevant information regarding Landscape Design and Architecture.  We hope you will find this useful and share with family and friends.  Please feel free to reach out to us at info@thestudiow.com or 405.285.5610.

Urban Projects, or Urban Renewal is the rehabilitation of city areas by renovating or replacing dilapidated buildings with new housing, public buildings, parks, roadways, industrial areas, etc., often in accordance with comprehensive plans.

Across our modern cities, abandoned railway lines and industrial areas are being transformed into green public space 

New York’s High Linephoto credit:  shutterstock

New York’s High Line is the poster child for this trend. What was once an abandoned section of railway on New York’s Lower West Side has slowly been transformed into a vibrant public park and raised walkway.

One influencer of urban renewal is a change in attitude among the younger generation about what the city center is, and how it should be used.  The ability to walk, run or cycle are priorities among urban millennials, who have less tolerance for long car commutes and the suburban lifestyle their parents aspired to live.

Across the U.S., opportunities exist to transform old infrastructure through urban renewal projects, such as 1960s-built highways that cut through almost every major city.  Fifty years ago, the construction of highways fueled the housing industry, made jobs more accessible and created a comfortable middle-class.  But today, that model is outdated.

Transforming outdated infrastructure provides a win-win solution for people living in neighborhoods that lack the green space and location efficiency of the newly imagined urban core. As well as community bond and increased quality of life for residents, capital and talent moves toward a neighborhood on the up, creating a cycle of investment and increased value for investors and developers.

As we move towards a new, sustainable set of urban values, renewal projects present an exciting opportunity to create strong cities for the 21st century.

For more information on commercial or public space landscape design, contact Studio W at info@thestudiow.com or 405.285.5610

Source:  JLLrealviews.com

Friday Focus on Landscape Design

Each Friday Studio W will post new and relevant information regarding Landscape Design and Architecture.  We hope you will find this useful and share with family and friends.  Please feel free to reach out to us at info@thestudiow.com or 405.285.5610.

How much value does landscaping add to the value of your home or commercial real estate?

Investing in your property, can add value to
to your home

Residential:

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) recommends that homeowners invest 10 percent of the home’s value in landscaping. Landscape architecture goes beyond plantings, or softscaping, to include structural features like lighting, fences, garden paths, fire pits, swimming pools, and ponds. Outdoor rooms, terraces, and decks are also high-yield structural or hardscaping investments. A landscape architect can work with the client to generate a detailed plan. 

Landscape design can do more then just add value to your home, just three trees in the right location can save up to $250 a year in heating and cooling costs, says the source for energy-saving stats: the U.S. Department of Energy.

Commercial:

Oklahoma Farm Bureau Plaza Design
Designed by Studio W

Commercial real estate can be a lucrative investment.  But in order to get the most out of our investment, it is vital to enhance and maintain the property to attract tenants or customers.  This will protect your long-term investment of your property.

By having well maintained landscape and mature well-groomed trees, this can improve and protect your commercial property for years to come.  

Commercial property owners can also gain respect and admiration from their community by offering water features or unique stonework or landscape designs.  Adding these features to your commercial property will not only increase its property value, it can help make your property a focal point in the community and a place families want to gather.

Studies show commercial office space with a high quality landscape design have up to 7% higher rental rates.  

Investing in your home or commercial real estate will add value, increase community involvement and yield a return on your investment for years to come.

For more information on commercial or high-end residential landscape design, contact:  Studio W at info@thestudiow.com or 405.285.5610.

Landscape Design: Hardscape or Softscape?

Are you planning a landscape project?  Do you know the difference between hardscape and softscape?

Adding hardscape and softscape elements to your project
will help add balance and harmony to your area.

Whether you are planning a residential or commercial landscape project, it is good to know what your project will include.

Hardscape is normally what landscape designers start with.  It refers to heavier elements such as patios, stones, swimming pools and can even include sprinkler systems.   

Once the hardscape or border of the project is complete, it is time to add the softscape such as trees, soil, plants and flowers.  Some elements of the softscape will be permanent like evergreens.  While others are seasonal flowers that are ever changing and add color to the project.  

No project is complete without a little of both.  That's why hiring a professional landscape design firm is important.  They can help you design your project and add balance, functionality and an elegant focal point to the area.

Even though softscape features may be more affordable, they also require more maintenance.  On the other hand, hardscape is more expensive, but it is permanent.  A professional design team will help you determine just the right amount of both to fit your need and living style.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment with one of the Studio W landscape designers, contact us at info@thestudiow.com or 405.285.5610.

Historic Oklahoma: Robbers Cave State Park

As a landscape design firm, we take pride in showing off historic places Oklahoma has to offer.  Each month in 2017 we will highlight a few places that are on the map. We hope you will follow us on this journey!

This month we would like to highlight 

Robbers Cave State Park

Hiking Trailhead at Robbers Cave State Park

Robbers Cave State Park is a state park in Latimer County, Oklahoma. It is located 5 miles north of Wilburton, Oklahoma, on State Highway 2.  

Originally named Latimer State Park, it received its current name in 1936.   The area surrounding the present-day park has been a hunting ground for hundreds of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that the earliest people were related to the builders of the Spiro Mounds. By the 1600s, the Osage and Caddo tribes dominated the area. French hunters and explorers also visited, leaving their mark by naming some of the prominent geographic features, which are still used.

This park is a favorite of rappellers, equestrians, hikers and outdoor lovers. The park and adjoining wildlife management area covers more than 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) and includes three lakes. It offers visitors acres of discovery and enjoyment including trout fishing in season, boating, hunting, mountain biking, trails for hikers and horses, sandstone cliffs for climbing and rappelling, and fall foliage viewing. In addition, Robbers Cave is historically notable as a former hideout for infamous outlaws Belle Starr and Jesse James.

The park encompasses three lakes: Lake Carlton, Lake Wayne Wallace and Coon Creek Lake. These were created by dams built on Fourche Maline Creek, a tributary of Poteau River. The combined surface area of the three lakes is 189 acres.

source:  travelok.com

Historic Oklahoma: Oklahoma City National Memorial

As a landscape design firm, we take pride in showing off historic places Oklahoma has to offer.  Each month in 2017 we will highlight a few places that are on the map. We hope you will follow us on this journey!

This month we would like to highlight 

The Oklahoma City National Memorial

The Oklahoma City National Memorial
photo courtesy:  Adventure Road

The outdoor symbolic memorial is a place of quiet reflection, honoring victims, survivors, rescuers and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995. It encompasses the now sacred soil where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood, capturing and preserving forever the place and events that changed the world.

This month on April 19th we will remember and honor the 168 people who lost their life and those whose lives were forever changed by the events that took place April 19, 1995.  Oklahoma City will also host the 17th annual OKC Memorial Marathon on April 30, 2017...A Run to Remember. 

Through the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, the world will never forget the 168 victims who died in the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.

The Memorial is comprised of two separate components, each of which pays tribute to the victims of the tragedy in a distinctive way. The 3.3-acre Outdoor Symbolic Memorial includes such features as the Gates of Time, which mark the time before and after the bombing took place, and the Field of Empty Chairs, which memorializes each of the victims. The Survivor Tree, a resilient symbol of the attack, is an American Elm that withstood the full force of the bomb's blast on that fateful day.

Inside the 50,000-square-foot Memorial Museum, interactive exhibits offer a contrast between the immense brutality of the senseless act of violence and the tenderness of the city's response. This chronological, self-guided tour takes you through the story of April 19, 1995, and the days, weeks and years that followed.

For more information on commercial landscape design or high-end residential outdoor living and design, contact:  Studio W, info@thestudiow.com or 405.285.5610

Source:  adventureroad.com

Our Team: Meet Kerry Willmon, Office Manager/Executive Assistant

At Studio W, our company values, integrity and knowledge are never more apparent than when you meet our employees. Studio W feels fortunate to have such wonderful people on our team! 

Kerry Willmon
Studio W, Office Manager
Executive Assistant

I started working for Studio W, in August 2016, as the Office Manager/Executive Assistant to the president, Jason Wilke.  

My job is ever changing - which is what makes it fun and exciting.  Our business changes and grows on a daily basis, so my daily responsibilities are very fluid.  Whether we are working on a major commercial project like the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, or a high-end residential project, my job is to make sure everything runs smoothly and is coordinated internally.  I am also responsible for daily operations such as; bookkeeping, payroll, taxes, budgets and forecasts as well as all aspects of managing the office.

In the fall of 2015 I made the decision to close my home based business that allowed me to be at home with my own children for several years.  Getting back into the corporate world did have some challenges and new learning curves but that is what helps make us grow into better employee’s! 

I have been married to my husband Travis for almost 21 years and have two beautiful children- our daughter Baile is a Freshman in High School and our son Rok is in Pre-K. I enjoy watching OU Football and OU Basketball, sewing, cooking/baking, but mostly being with family and friends.

I am very grateful that I was given this wonderful opportunity.  Studio W is not just a place of employment; we are a family! 

Historic Oklahoma: Oklahoma State Parks

As a landscape design firm, we take pride in showing off historic places Oklahoma has to offer.  Each month in 2017 we will highlight a few places that are on the map. We hope you will follow us on this journey!

This month we would like to highlight 

Oklahoma State Parks - Part I

Beavers Bend State Park

The Mountain Fork River in Beavers Bend State Park offers incredible scenery like 
this area where the water cascades over the rocky river bottom.  ~TravelOk.com

Explore Oklahoma's gorgeous scenery and inspirational places. Admire a beautiful waterfall, trek along a scenic byway overlooking forested hills or hike among ancient mountains.

This 3,482-acre park offers 47 cabins plus 393 campsites and over 50 tent sites spread over eight camping areas.  Escape into the serenity of nature and follow Mountain Fork River as it flows from the base of Broken Bow Lake through the park below.  This area provides visitors with spectacular views, as well as excellent canoeing and fishing opportunities.  

Enjoy hiking, biking, boating, fishing, water skiing, nature center activities, river float trips, canoeing, horseback riding and much more.  Trout streams are stocked year-round and the park features two catch-and-release trophy areas.  

This is one of Oklahoma's 33 state parks!  

Beavers Bend State Park is located at:

4350 S Hwy 259A

Broken Bow, OK  74728

Phone: 580-494-6300

Phone: 580-494-6556

source:  Travelok.com

Landscape Architect and Urban Planner

What is the difference between a Landscape Architect and an Urban Planner?

Landscape Architects:

Landscape architects design beautiful gardens, public parks, playgrounds, residential areas, and other public spaces for everyone to enjoy. It is the responsibility of the landscape architect to create functional and beautiful spaces that match with the surrounding environments. They plan the locations of flowers, shrubs, trees, walkways, and buildings within a space. Furthermore, landscape architects enhance and restore natural spaces that may have been disturbed by human contact, such as streams and wetlands. Landscape architects also develop environmentally-friendly designs and research ways to reduce their environmental impact. Additionally, landscape architects preserve and restore historic landscapes, national parks, and forests. 

In order to become a landscape architect, you will need to obtain a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture. Be sure the institution and the degree is accredited and approved by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). Throughout your academic journey, your coursework may include landscape ecology, landscape design and construction, surveying, site design, and urban or regional planning. Furthermore, you may have coursework in the areas of plant and soil science, professional practice, general management, and history of landscape architecture. Designing landscape designs are a vital component to your educational journey. You will be assigned actual projects as a landscape architecture student and perform computer-aided design and drafting and model building.

Urban Planner:

Urban planners act as activists for individuals and communities; they are the voice of a community when deciding the best use for a community’s land and resources. Organizing community groups, overseeing projects, and carrying out community plans are a part of an urban planner’s job. In order to create new buildings or areas for land usage, urban planners utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which analyze population density. Financial spreadsheets, database software, statistical software, and presentation software play a crucial role in presenting information about a community to public officials. The job of an urban planner is incredibly rewarding, as they can be the voice and action of a community. 

If you wish to pursue a career in urban planning, you will need to obtain both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Urban Planning. A Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning will include urban neighborhood analysis, government budgets, site planning, and public and private development. Additional coursework or double majors may vary and might include topics such as environmental design, civil engineering, landscape architecture, and public administration. It is vital to complete an internship in areas such as public development and community planning. Upon graduation from a Bachelor’s degree program, you may find employment as an assistant or a junior urban planner. A Master’s degree in Urban Planning will include workshops, laboratory courses, and seminars in the field of urban planning. Also, throughout your studies, urban planners will solve and analyze urban planning issues in populated areas.

Studio W is passionate about what we do and look forward to working with many talented students in the field of landscape architecture and urban planning.  For more information, or to schedule a speaker on landscape architecture and design, contact us at:  info@thestudiow.com.

source: careerigniter