LBA Landscape Architecture

During our weekly Friday office lunch, we had a visit from someone special – our partner emeritus Jack LaQuatra. As we sat down for a lively question and answer session, it quickly became clear how he and Fred have built an enduring and wonderful place in the last 40 years. We asked questions about favorite projects, inspiration, embarrassing moments, and regrets. They answered with stories of their fathers and mothers, educating clients, and the importance of a compassionate office culture. By the end of our meal together, none of us were left to wonder why these two have had such a successful partnership or why they have decades-long relationships with numerous clients. They are a success in all these aspects of life due to their unwavering commitment and respect for people. Look for a post linking you to the interview coming in November. In the meantime, look at some of our most cherished and rewarding projects from the Pittsburgh area. #anniversary #40years #landscapearchitecture #design #sustainabledesign #publicspaces #pittsburghparks #urbanlife #pittsburgh

We were excited to finally visit the finished product of a local residence that was installed this spring. Our design transformed an unusable, steep Pittsburgh backyard into one with dining terraces, a level play lawn with a swing structure, and primarily native plantings to retain the slope. Thanks to Vermont Stone & Horticulture for their wonderful installation! #landscapearchitecture #residence #nativeplanting #hillsidegarden #Pittsburgh

We would like to welcome our new hire, Alex McCleary, to the LBA office! Being born and raised in Pittsburgh, he has grown up to love the city and its unique character. After earning his Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from Arizona State University, he gained experience working in upstate New York and Charlotte, NC before returning home to Pittsburgh, where he plans on making an impact in the city through the many exciting projects that LBA is involved in. Here are a few questions to get to know Alex: 1. What brought you back to Pittsburgh? Desire to be closer to family and friends. 2. What is your favorite place you’ve ever been? Telluride, Colorado. The natural scenery was unlike anywhere else I’ve seen. It’s my favorite place for hiking and snowboarding. 3. If you hadn’t chose this profession what else would you be doing Creative Directing or working on entrepreneurial endeavors 4. What is your favorite season and why? Spring. I love watching the days slowly get warmer and longer as everything begins to come back to life after the cold winter and knowing you still have all summer ahead. 5. With such distinct neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, where did you decide to live and why? The North Hills. I enjoy its proximity to downtown and other popular areas while still feeling secluded and homelike. 6. What are some of your favorite plants? Dogwoods & salvias.

In June 1984, Jack LaQuatra and Frederick R Bonci formed LaQuatra Bonci Associates (now LBA Landscape Architecture). This anniversary year will be spent honoring our wonderful clients, employees, partners, and friends while highlighting some of our favorite work over the past four decades. Joe Hackett Maddy R. Christine Tarullo, RLA Michael Leckie Jason Loaney Dan McDowell, RLA, CLARB, ASLA Natalie Plecity Alex McCleary Rebecca Bercini #anniversary #40years #fourdecades #landscapearchitecture #design #urbandesign #planningstudio #greenspaces #publicplaces #gardendesign #pittsburgh

We had a fantastic Saturday at Baxter Park in Homewood, PA, sharing exciting updates about the future of their neighborhood park! It's incredible to revisit a project we worked on back in the ‘90s and connect and engage with the community once again to help realize their vision for this public space.

We are proud to be a part of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative and have the opportunity to contribute our passion to affordable housing in distressed intercity neighborhoods. With over 35 years of working in these communities, we have developed a connection to the people and their neighborhoods. Thank you Lindsey for the shout out and we are excited to continue building these types of projects in the future!

We had some help in the office today so if you see some small fingerprints on our planting plan just know a lot of kid power went into it! Happy bring your kids to work day! #design #landscapearchitecture #workinghard

Let’s celebrate Earth Day by making a pledge to enhance our commitment to taking care of and nurturing this beautiful planet for our future generations. At LBA we are determined, more than ever, to embrace sensitive and resilient design practices in our everyday work - for projects large and small. This is our home, let’s begin to respect it as a shared resource of our global community. #landscapearchitecture #earthday #earth #design #sunset #wlam2024

While celebrating Landscape Architecture across the globe this month, we would like to acknowledge our creative staff, our many alumni, and our valued clients whom we have collaborated with over the years. They have all contributed significantly to our success as a design practice and still support us to this day as we strive to deliver contextual, timeless, and memorable landscape experiences. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to working in unison with all of you across the globe to advance the profession of Landscape Architecture to make our planet more livable, sustainable, and socially engaging. American Society of Landscape Architects World Landscape Architecture #wlam2024 #landscapearchitecture #design #thisislandscapearchitecture