Confluence - Landscape Architecture

We’re proud to recognize Devon and Laura for their participation in the American Society of Landscape Architects SKILL | ED Firm Leadership Accelerator!

Designed to prepare the next generation of landscape architecture firm leaders, this seven-month program brings together business training, mentorship, and peer learning to explore everything from financial planning and marketing to leadership, delegation, and sustainable growth.

Pictured here is the group meetup at Studio MLA in Los Angeles—a chance to connect with fellow participants and share ideas about the future of practice.

Join us in celebrating Devon and Laura’s continued professional growth!

Learn more about the program.

We turned Terry Berkbuegler and Jane Reasoner loose at the American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter Conference in Evanston, and they did what they do best: shook up the room and dropped some serious park-planning truths.

Their session, Mapping Equity in Park Planning: Connecting People and Parks, went straight after the traditional planning playbook. Checking off total acreage, counting swing sets, and drawing quarter-mile walk circles is fine and dandy, but it completely misses the real question: are your parks actually serving the folks who need them most? Terry and Jane broke down how we built a high-impact Equity Priority Index for the Round Lake Area Park District, mashing up hard demographic data, GIS mapping, and community conditions to funnel real investment into underserved neighborhoods.

And before anyone tries to roast them about the empty desks up front, Terry wanted to set the record straight: the room was nearly full; people were just terrified of the front-row splash zone. 😃

It was an exciting morning at the Park Hill High School expansion groundbreaking last Tuesday! Hank joined the Park Hill School District to mark the start of this project.

We look forward to seeing the expansion take shape and the learning opportunities it will bring to Park Hill students. We are proud to partner with Hollis + Miller Architects and to continue our long-standing partnership with the Park Hill School District.

Despite the rain, there were plenty of smiles at Monday evening’s groundbreaking for the Peterson Park Water Play Area in Gretna, Nebraska!

Free popsicles, exciting images of the next phase of Peterson Park, and a community eager for what’s ahead made for a memorable celebration. We’re proud to have worked on the Master Plan for this project and are excited for this next phase to see it come to life, bringing even more summertime joy to the Gretna community.

A great conversation in Los Angeles at ASLA 2026 this week.

Confluence’s Jenn Becker, ASLA, and Daniel Tal, FASLA, joined Kelly Curl, ASLA, of Colorado State University for AI in Professional Practice.

Together, they explored how landscape architecture practices can strategically implement AI tools, build effective policies and roadmaps, use AI-enhanced workflows for design, production, management, and operations, and prepare teams to use these tools responsibly.

Thank you to everyone who joined the session and contributed to the conversation.

What a wonderful evening celebrating our peers in Los Angeles!

Last night, four of our five Fellows were able to attend the American Society of Landscape Architects Fellows and Honors Gala to celebrate this year’s incredible inductees and honorees. It is always such a joy to gather in one room with longtime friends, mentors, and colleagues from across the country and recognize the meaningful contributions they make to our profession every single day.

Congratulations to all of the newly inducted Fellows and award recipients. It was an honor to celebrate alongside you!

We’re proud to celebrate Highland Bridge, which received a National ASLA Honor Award in the Urban Design category last night at the American Society of Landscape Architects 2026 Professional & Student Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles!

The award recognizes the transformation of a 122-acre former industrial site in St. Paul, Minnesota, into a connected, mixed-income neighborhood shaped by public space, ecology and water.

Confluence team members Terry Minarik, Chris Della Vedova, Jake Coryell, and Chris Cline, were there to accept the award on behalf of our team.

We’re honored by this recognition and proud of the many partners who helped bring Highland Bridge to life.

Every fall, our nine offices come together for The Ruckus, an opportunity to catch up, connect, and celebrate the people and projects that bring our firm together.

This week, we traveled to Medora to visit the recently opened Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, a project shaped by contributions from all nine Confluence offices.

From Pitchfork Steak Fondue and the Medora Musical to behind-the-scenes Library tours, exhibit exploration, a detailing and materials site walk, and moments of connection between coworkers, it was a memorable weekend.

Most importantly, it was a chance to reconnect with colleagues we may collaborate with regularly but do not always get to see in person. Those relationships, and the chance to reforge them, are a big part of what makes Confluence special.

What a great day with great people! Yesterday, Jared hit the links for the Good Fellowship Golf Tournament. He had a fantastic time out on the course, teaming up with Caleb and Tim from BBS Architecture & Design, along with David from SVPA Architects Inc.. We always appreciate the chance to catch up and enjoy friendly competition with great colleagues across the design and architecture community.

Big cheers to Jenn Becker, who recently took the keynote stage at the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) Annual Meeting 2026.

Jenn led a conversation on “AI, Digital Tools and Misuse in Practice,” a topic that’s moving fast and raising important questions for our profession. From the possibilities of new tools to the care and judgment it takes to use them well, it was a timely discussion.

Way to go, Jenn. We’re proud to have you helping lead the conversation.