Austin, Texas, Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center will work with renowned Texas-based architects Lake Flato and landscape architects Studio Outside to develop a comprehensive plan to support the Center’s growth and surging interest in native plants and natural landscapes.
The Wildflower Center is world recognized for its native plant botanic garden and its educational and landscape restoration programs. It has grown from welcoming 45,000 visitors per year in 1995 to more than 250,000 guests last year.
To accommodate future growth and increased programming, the Wildflower Center hopes to expand and enhance its guest amenities, including welcome facilities, gardens, education spaces, and food service, and create and renovate facilities for its research, conservation and horticulture programs.
Lake Flato Architects, based in San Antonio and Austin, will serve as architects of record for the project. One of the most lauded architecture firms in the world, Lake Flato will work closely with the Wildflower Center to develop the plan, which will likely include extensive and wide-ranging additions and alterations to existing structures and landscapes.
“By prioritizing this growth plan, the Wildflower Center is honoring its roots while deepening its impact—integrating conservation, education and research into a world-class destination that will bring a larger audience into closer dialogue with the natural world. We are excited to be collaborating with this remarkable team, the community and the Center’s visionary staff,” said Bob Harris, Partner, Lake Flato.
Dallas’ award-winning Studio Outside will serve as the planners and landscape architects and work closely with Lake Flato and other collaborators to design outdoor spaces that meet the future needs of the Center, from accessible-for-all trails and gardens to outdoor education experiences that inspire guests to take action.
“The Wildflower Center will be entering a new era of national leadership in its field research, public enjoyment, and horticultural education. As the state’s official botanic garden and arboretum, it will continue to delight and inspire the burgeoning population in Austin, as well as visitors from afar who admire Lady Bird Johnson’s vision for beauty across the nation,” said Tary Arterburn, Principal, Studio Outside. “We anticipate the Comprehensive Plan to encompass and open up all the inherent opportunities for the Wildflower Center based on its mission and unique site.”
Austin-based landscape architect Christine Ten Eyck will contribute her regional expertise to the design of gardens throughout the project.
Additional members of the team include Canopy Strategic Partners, Garza EMC, Siglo Group, CaCo Architecture, Cultural Strategies, Altura Solutions, Acacia Heritage Consulting and EudaCorp.
The assembled team will build upon an award-winning model of sustainable and thoughtful architecture and garden design that the Center has embodied for decades. Since opening at its current location in 1995, the Center has won numerous awards and recognitions for its facilities and gardens.
“We’re incredibly thrilled to embark on the next chapter in the Center’s remarkable journey with this exception team and to further our goals to conserve native plants and promote their use in our everyday landscapes,” said Lee Clippard, executive director of the Wildflower Center. “We look forward to welcoming more and more people into our world to experience the wonders of native plants and wildlife at our home in South Austin.”
###
Press inquiries:
Scott Simons, Director of Marketing and Communications, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Elizabeth Kubany, KUBANY LLC, on behalf of Lake Flato Architects & Studio Outside
About The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is the State Botanic Garden & Arboretum of Texas and welcomes more than 250,000 guests annually to its 284 acres of gardens, trails and exhibitions, thus fulfilling its mission of inspiring the conservation of native plants. As a fully self-funded unit of The University of Texas at Austin, the Wildflower Center’s investments in science, conservation and education include a native seed bank, a comprehensive database of North American native plants, and research programs in collaboration with the University. Now in its 42rd year, the Center is the embodiment of Mrs. Johnson’s environmental legacy. “The environment is where we all meet, where we all have a mutual interest,” she said. “It is the one thing all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.”
About Lake Flato Architects
Lake Flato crafts environments that enrich communities and nurture life. As architects, interior designers, sustainability leaders and urban planners, Lake Flato creates designs that are intrinsically rooted in place and responsive to local conditions and traditions. Equal parts pragmatic and poetic, Lake Flato’s work intentionally complements the diversity of our landscapes and the richness of our daily lives. Recognized as pioneers in sustainable design, the firm has received the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture and garnered 16 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment Awards, more than any other firm. Twenty years after receiving the AIA’s Firm of the Year Award, founders David Lake and Ted Flato were honored with the 2024 Gold Medal, the AIA's highest honor, recognizing individuals whose work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
About Studio Outside
Studio Outside is a landscape architectural practice in Dallas, Texas, that thrives on the challenge of projects which demand a comprehensive intellectual, artistic and collaborative design process. Passionate about all facets of landscape architecture, the studio has completed projects of many types and locations around the world, ranging widely from high-profile public spaces to high-end residential properties. The team’s passion for design drives them to pursue projects that require original thought and intense detailing, drawing upon years of experience with many cultures and a wide diversity of construction techniques. Studio Outside aspires to design places that demand a thoughtful and refined aesthetic while also incorporating sensitivity and intrigue for the human experience.
Scott Simons Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center ssimons@wildlfower.org
