News
Missouri Botanical Garden Featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine
Aug. 2025 | Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden is the cover story of Landscape Architecture Magazine’s August issue, featuring the article by editor Timothy A. Schuler, “MVLA Turns Up the Light at Missouri Botanical Garden.”
The story highlights how the project brings the Garden’s global conservation mission—to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life—to the forefront through close collaboration with horticultural staff. The design creates a welcoming sequence of aesthetic and educational experiences that enrich each visitor’s journey into the Garden.
We are deeply honored to see our work celebrated in this way—recognizing a landscape that connects people not only to nature, but also to the Garden’s enduring mission of discovery, conservation, and public engagement.
Student Intern on site
May 2025 | Our office welcomed Shri Bala, a high school senior from Falls Church High School, for a one-week job shadowing experience. Shri has a strong vision for the future of urban spaces and has led numerous student organizations, including AIAS. During her time at MVLA, she explored how design shapes the built environment by participating in meetings, joining field visits, and engaging in one-on-one conversations with our team. Her curiosity and enthusiasm inspired the MVLA team, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support the next generation of designers.
Potomac ASLA award
May 2025 | Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden received a 2025 Potomac ASLA Honor Award in the Design-Built category. The design features the Garden’s international research and conservation efforts through thoughtfully themed gardens and spaces, while enhancing the St. Louis community’s engagement with this 166-year-old institution. It deepens visitors’ understanding of the Garden’s mission in discovering and sharing knowledge about plants and their environment to preserve and enrich life.
AVDLM-Fire back on
April 2025 | After nearly a decade, the flame at the American Veteran Disabled for Life Memorial burns once again. Surrounded by the quiet dignity of water, glass, and stone, the fire anchors a space for reflection in the heart of the capital—a symbol of sacrifice, resilience, and enduring gratitude. We’re honored to see it rekindled, restoring a space that recognizes veterans and their families with compassion and respect.
MVLA at ASLA
ASLA Inside the Studio
Oct. 7th 2024 | MVLA presented an Inside the LA Studio session at the 2024 ASLA Conference in Washington, D.C. On the second day of the conference, principals Michael Vergason, Beata Boodell Corcoran, and Kameron Aroom, together with moderator Elizabeth Meyer, shared recent work and how hand drawing continues to inform MVLA’s design process. The session highlighted insights from the firm’s 37+ years of practice and emphasized the value of collaboration both internally and externally in shaping meaningful landscapes.
ASLA Field Session Walk the Wharf
Oct. 9th 2024 | Beata Boodell Corcoran co-led the ASLA Field Session “Walking the Wharf,” alongside master plan architect Perkins Eastman, and developer Hoffman & Associates, local landscape teams Wolf-Josey, MVVA, and MKSK. Together, the team shared diverse design approaches and stories that shaped District Wharf—Washington, D.C.’s vibrant new waterfront. The tour offered participants a firsthand look at how large-scale collaboration transformed a privatized site into a nationally recognized public destination for all ages and backgrounds, balancing urban life, public access, and resilient waterfront design.
Uarkansas students visiting
Oct. 8th 2024 | MVLA welcomed 14 third-year students from the University of Arkansas Landscape Architecture department to our office as part of their ASLA Conference experience. Senior Associate Matt Johnston shared insights into the firm’s practice and ongoing projects, while students brought thoughtful questions and fresh perspectives. MVLA values these exchanges as an opportunity to connect with future colleagues and is always grateful to learn from the energy and vision of emerging designers.
ASLA Awards honor in URBAN design to tHE wharf’s 7th street park and recreation pier
AUG. 2024 | The Wharf's 7th Street Park and Recreation Pier in Washington, DC, received an ASLA Honor Award for Urban Design. Completed with Phase One of the Wharf District in 2016, this project invites people back to the water’s edge after generations of limited access. Situated at the heart of a mile-long mixed-use development, the project evokes imagery of water and shipbuilding and uplifts spirits with swings and a whimsical contoured pier deck. Floating wetlands filter stormwater and regenerate natural habitats, especially for water fowl. The jury praised the project’s thoughtful use of materials, detailing, and seamless integration of landscape, architecture, and waterfront elements.
The Wharf has also received 2024 AIA Regional and Urban Design Award.
team MVLA received the award at 2024 national asla conference in dc
OCT. 11 2024 |MVLA is honored to have the Wharf celebrated among peers for its National ASLA Urban Design Honor Award at the conference in DC. We are very grateful to our collaborators for helping bring this public space to life.
This recognition affirms our ongoing commitment to creating places that reconnect people with the land—and in this case, with the water.
michael vergason led tours in what’s out there weekend baltimore
SEP. 21 2024 |On Sat., Michael led two tours in Baltimore as part of What’s Out There, Baltimore, organized by The Cultural Landscape Foundation. The first tour, at Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood Campus, was co-led with Jonathon Ceci, former principal of landscape architecture at ASG. The second took place at Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park. Attendees included design professionals, librarians, and historians with a deep interest in Baltimore’s history. Their questions brought diverse perspectives, enriching the discussions and helping all explore the historic layers embedded within these cultural landscapes.
park(ing) day 2024
SEP. 20 2024 | Park(ing) Day 2024, MVLA took over a parking space in front of our office with a vibrant wind wall of fall-colored pinwheels on King Street in Old Town, Alexandria. As wind moved through the installation, the spin of pinwheels brought wishes to life. This interactive piece invited our community to catch a breeze, share laughter and stories, and take a moment to enjoy the fall beauty.
ASLA Awards honor in general design to american veterans disabled for life memorial
SEP. 4 2020 | MVLA is proud to receive an ASLA Honor Award for General Design for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, DC, which recognizes the lives and phoenix-like transformations of our service men and women from all branches of the military. We thank them for their sacrifice and courage, and ASLA for recognizing the place that honors them.
Architecture|DC features The wharf’s 7th Street Park and Recreation Pier
JAN. 18 2021 | Architecture|DC has released their Winter 2020 Issue, Making Nice With Nature, with a feature on The Wharf’s 7th Street Park and Recreation Pier. Michael Vergason was interviewed for the article, which details the design decisions and technological tools behind this beloved community landscape on page 44.
BLACK LIVES MATTER
JUN. 5 2020 | Our public spaces hold and shape the values of our culture. As designers, we play a role in creating just and healthy places for all people. We can do more and understand better.
Black Lives Matter. We stand in solidarity with the Black community against racial injustice and police brutality. We are committed to educating ourselves to challenge norms and design for inclusive, positive change within our communities. We can do more to put people first, to strive for a more civil and just society.
MVLA WINS ASLA POTOMAC Merit Award for Fort WOrth Arena
MAY 14 2020 | MVLA’s 5-acre green roof surrounding the Fort Worth Arena has received a Merit Award from the Potomac Chapter of ASLA. The design strategically weaves robust flexibility into a layout that emphasizes green spaces, circulation routes, and arrival and entries.
washington university in st. louis WINS SOCIETY FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY PLANNING AWARD
APR. 14 2020 | The East End Transformation has been awarded the 2020 Honor Award for Excellence in Planning from SCUP. This is the highest annual award for campus planning.
MVLA sends best wishes to All during covid-19
MAR. 16 2020 | MVLA hopes you and your community are healthy and safe during this unprecedented time. Our team members are working remotely and continue to be committed to meeting schedules and project needs. We are checking emails and voicemails regularly. Please do not hesitate to contact team members directly, either by email or phone. Be well!
MVLA’s work for washington university in st. louis featured in architect magazine
FEB. 25 2020 | Katie Gerfen writes about the pivotal role landscape takes in Washington University in St. Louis’ East End Transformation in the cover story of the most recent issue of Architect Magazine.
Michael Vergason Interviewed for RECREATION mANAGEMENT
JAN. 31 2019 | Dave Ramont’s new article, The Spaces We Share, has just been published on Recreation Management. In it, he interviews Michael Vergason about the thought process behind designing Sundance Square Plaza as a socially and climate conscious destination in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas.
FIND US ON LANDEZINE
DEC. 11 2019 | Landscape architecture platform Landezine is featuring a profile on MVLA. Check it out to see some of the firm’s favorite projects and enjoy one of the most popular and inspiring websites about landscape architecture and the people who practice it.
dickies arena celebrates grand opening
OCT. 26 2019 | A new project has been unveiled in Fort Worth, Texas: Dickies Arena celebrated its Grand Opening with tours and entertainment in late October. MVLA collaborated with David M. Schwarz Architects to create a landscaped plaza that sits above the event level and livestock facilities, with fantastic views of downtown Fort Worth.
‘SQUARE DANCE’ TRENDS AT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE MAGAZINE
OCT. 22 2019 | Check out the 2016 article about Fort Worth’s Sundance Square Plaza that’s trending right now after the ASLA awards announcement. Written by Jonathan Lerner, the article discuss how the project “flips the script on developer-driven civic spaces.” Interviews with Michael Vergason detail the complexities of the project.
MVLA has moved!
OCT. 14 2019 | Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Ltd. has moved to a new location. Happily, we’re still in Old Town, Alexandria, the community that we love. Drop us a line and come say hi!
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS EAST END TRANSFORMATION DEDICATED
OCT. 3 2019 | After years of intensive development, the East End Transformation is now open to students and faculty. MVLA congratulates Washington University in St. Louis on this achievement, which is the largest capital project in the school’s history. The firm looks forward to future projects at this prestigious institution.
MVLA WINS 2019 NATIONAL ASLA HONOR AWARD
OCT. 1 2019 | MVLA is pleased to announce that Sundance Square Plaza has won a 2019 National ASLA Honor Award. The Awards Jury says, "The plaza is a spirited social hub that has emerged as a symbol of urban pride and an emblem of the richness of the city’s diverse cultures."
The Wharf wins ULI Global Award for Excellence
SEP. 5 2019 | Eleven real estate projects from around the globe, including DC’s Wharf, have been selected as winners of the 2019 ULI Global Awards for Excellence. This award is widely recognized as one of the development industry’s most prestigious. MVLA is one of several firms honored by the recognition.
MATT SICKLE WINS ANOVA ASLA GRANT
SEP. 3 2019 | With an entry that posited landscape architects should act as advocates for “the reshaping of spaces that do not reflect community values,” MVLA’s Matt Sickle has won a grant to attend the National ASLA Conference in San Diego this fall. Look for him at the conference and follow his Instagram account, Monument Blog, for thoughts on monuments, memorials, and public art.
The Wharf’s Recreation Pier Featured in ASLA blog The Dirt
AUG. 8 2019 | Ian Dillon describes MVLA’s design process in his post, The Latest and Greatest from D.C.’s Landscape Architects. Michael Vergason recently spoke about the Recreation Pier on a panel hosted by Potomac Chapter ASLA alongside four other distinguished practitioners.
Thomas Baker Leads Sketch Crawl Through Glenstone Campus and Museum for Potomac ASLA
JUL. 13 2019 | MVLA’s Thomas Baker led a sketch tour through the grounds of Glenstone. The property encompasses two buildings, several outdoor sculptures and more than 230 acres of rolling meadows, woodlands, and streams, designed by Adam Greenspan and Peter Walker of PWP Landscape Architecture.
Normandy American Cemetery Welcomes Visitors for 75th Anniversary of D-Day
JUN. 1 2019 | Just in time for the 75th anniversary of the Allied landing on the beaches of Normandy that turned the tide of World War II in Europe, the Visitor Center at Normandy American Cemetery has re-opened. Normandy is ABMC's most visited cemetery, receiving approximately one million visitors each year.
2019 Potomac ASLA Awards Announced
MAY 16 2019 | MVLA has won Potomac ASLA Awards for The Wharf’s 7th Street Park and Recreation Pier in Washington, DC and Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. These fall into the categories of Honors Award for Built Design and Merit Award for Historic Preservation, respectively. MVLA thanks the chapter for their consideration and is honored to be recognized.
SUNDANCE SQUARE PLAZA NAMED ONE OF CNU’S TEN GREAT PUBLIC SQUARES
MAY 13 2019 | MVLA is pleased to announce that Sundance Square Plaza has been named one of Ten Great Public Squares by Congress for New Urbanism. The project is honored alongside greats like Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, Washington Square in New York, and Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.
International Spy Museum Grand Opening
MAY 12 2019 | The new International Spy Museum at L'Enfant Plaza is officially opening its doors! MVLA designed a landscape that connects the new site for this popular museum to its surroundings and establishes a central, public plaza with moveable furniture, lush plantings, and abundant light. The work underlines a graceful and contemporary urban aesthetic, open to all.
Lan Hogue and Ana Quintana Present Gender Equity in the Built Environment Lecture for Women in Architecture
APR. 25 2019 | Kicking off a series hosted by the Women in Architecture Committee of Northern Virginia, MVLA’s Lan Hogue and Ana Quintana lecture and sit as panelists for a lively discussion on the way landscapes can and should be adapted for gender equity.
Heritage Tree Relocation at City Ridge in Washington, DC
JAN. 23 2019 | At 65 feet tall and 600,000 pounds, three heritage oak trees required an intensive preservation effort. MVLA sited and oversaw their relocation along Wisconsin Avenue in our nation’s capital.