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The Architecture of the Garden: Defining the Sculptural vs. the Earthy


3/30/2026

WestGate Church Campus in San Jose


Retail | Mixed-Use


Location
San Jose, CA

Year
2025

Gross Area
288,003 square feet

Client
 WestGate Church

Collaborators
Studio T-Square [Architect]

Status
Concept Design
The landscape design for WestGate Church’s Saratoga and South Hill campuses reflects the church’s desire to deepen its roots as a church family while serving the broader community. Open, welcoming spaces blur the boundary between church and city. The Saratoga campus features a central plaza, outdoor seating, activity lawn, and a flexible stage integrated with a community café. At South Hill, the design includes an entry plaza, event lawn, pickleball court, outdoor seating, and a community pocket with a container-style coffee space and modular homes—creating places of hospitality, belonging, and everyday connection.

Silicon Valley Townhomes Landscape Design


Residential | Hospitality


Location
Year
2024

Gross Area
 42,258 square feet 

Collaborators
Studio T-Square [Architecture]

Status
Entitlement Phase
This Bay Area townhomes landscape project is designed to enhance community connection and urban livability through walkable, green spaces. Tree-lined paths, native plantings, and shaded seating areas invite residents to engage with their surroundings.

Sustainable strategies, including bioswales and permeable paving, efficiently manage stormwater while enhancing the site’s natural character. Thoughtfully designed lighting and clear circulation routes provide comfort and safety, day or night.

Rooted in resilience and simplicity, the design strikes a balance between ecological function and everyday use, creating a vibrant, people-friendly environment that embodies the spirit of the Bay Area.

PACE Supply Landscape Revitalization


Retail | Mixed Use


Location
Salinas, CA

Year
2024

Gross Area
 18,000 square feet

Client
 Haggerty Construction

Collaborators
Haggerty Construction [General Contractor]

Status
Under Construction
The landscape design and permitting work for PACE Supply in Salinas, California, involved rehabilitating an 18,000 square feet area to meet current codes and achieve water efficiency. The project focused on integrating sustainable practices while preserving existing mature trees. The design ensures functionality and aesthetics, aligning with the needs of this leading wholesale distributor for plumbers and contractors. This effort highlights a commitment to environmental responsibility and efficient resource use.

Kunshan Xinchen Road Residential 2


Residential | Hospitality


Location
Kunshan, China

Year
2024

Gross Area
56,031 m2

Client
KCID

Collaborators
Xicheng Engineering Design Group Co. LTD. [LDI]

Status
Schematic Design
The "Cloud Villa" residence in Kunshan is surrounded by water on three sides, with the vision of "New Jiangnan Elegance". It takes the native forest, stone and hill as the theme, and interact these elements with the water. It draws on the spatial characteristics of Jiangnan gardens, reinterprets the beauty of classical elements in contemporary life, and creates the urban life returning to nature.

Chaoyang Retail and Mixed Use Complex


Retail | Mixed Use


Location
Kunshan, China

Year
2016

Gross Area
 30,415 m 2

Client
 Kunshan City Construction Investment Development Company

Collaborators
IDL Design [Architecture]
Zhubo Design [LDI]
Suzhou Yuechen Design [LDI]
Shanghai Yuangui Structure Design [Steel Structure]

Status
Built
Referencing the site’s history as Kunshan’s central hub of activity, the design for Chaoyang showcases the identity and culture of downtown Kunshan while revitalizing a district in need of regeneration. A mixed-use development, Chaoyang has a variety programs on the site that facilitate active street front retail, urban farming and high-rise residential living.
Kit Shih-Ting Wang Kit Shih-Ting Wang
Partner / Project Director

Xiaoqing Qin
Associate / Project Manager


Xiaolu Lu
Project Manager


Kit Shih-Ting Wang Partner / Project Director
Likhit Hongthongkham
Landscape Designer


Peerawat Puntawee
Landscape Designer



Tianheng Xiong
Landscape Designer



Ran An
Business and Project Manager

Te-Hsuan Fred Liao
Partner / Design Director

Kit Shih-Ting Wang Partner / Project DirectorVivian Wang
Project Manager

Kit Shih-Ting Wang Partner / Project Director
Lienchia Chang
Landscape Designer

Angela Tang
Landscape Designer


Xin Sui
Landscape Designer

 Chong Yuan
Senior Landscape Designer

Kit Shih-Ting Wang Partner / Project Director
Maggie Kao
Partner / Project Director
Kit Shih-Ting Wang Partner / Project DirectorSophanut Jamonnak
Senior Landscape Designer

Yu Guo
Landscape Designer


James Chen
Senior Landscape Designer

Kit Shih-Ting Wang Partner / Project Director
Jin Liu
Landscape Designer


Yuching Cheng
Landscape Designer

a lab to explore and broaden the field of landscape architecture
PLATx is
conceptual
edgy
EXPERIMENTAL
emerging
pro bono
EMERGENCY SCHOOLYARD DESIGN
In March 2021, as U.S. schools return for in-person learning, they are in urgent need of outdoor classroom spaces. The nonprofit Green Schoolyards America [GSA] connected landscape architects with schools across the country. PLAT partnered with Bay Tree Design and Mount Diablo Unified School District to assist three schools with long term visioning and immediate outdoor solutions.

Read more here
THE UNDULANT GRID
The Undulant Grid explores the renewal of the art of the garden by merging an undulating surface with a grid of paths for an immersive, fun and artistic maze experience in the woods during the summer of Metis Gardens.
DRIVERLESS FUTURE: THE CITY IN A PARK
Intersections function as transportation hubs. An Integrated Intersection kiosk will: process data, manage the flow of traffic, and provide access to people without credit cards or smartphones. Easing traffic and providing efficient bike, bus and metro options means that less of the public realm is occupied by cars and can be converted into parks and gardens.
GENERATING FIELDS: HSINTA ECOLOGICAL POWER PLANT
The proposal Generating Fields sees the Hsinta Ecological Power Plant as part of the existing productive landscape and will integrate the additional power generating facilities with the existing cultural and ecological fabric. Instead of focusing on greening the power plant, Generating Fields proposes a system emerged from the existing forces of the site, to reveal the generating nature of this area.
QUEBEC GARDEN FESTIVAL
Commenting on rapidly melting icebergs, this playground monitors air quality while providing a fun topographical experience.

All Projects




2025
Agricultural Lab and Office in Monterey County
Retail | Mixed Use

Private Home in Altadena
Residential | Hospitality

Changsha Retail Street Complex Revitalization
Retail | Mixed Use

South San Francisco Multi-Family Landscape Design
Residential | Hospitality

WestGate Church Saratoga Campus in San Jose
Civic | Parks

WestGate Church South Hills Campus in San Jose
Civic | Parks

Manila SM City Harrison Plaza Bayview Retail Complex Sky Park
Retail | Mixed Use

Skyline Design in Quezon City Metro Manila
Retail | Mixed Use

Food Promenade at Mall of Asia in Manila
Retail | Mixed Use


2024
Chengdu Retail Plaza Landscape Design
Retail | Mixed Use

Silicon Valley Townhomes Landscape Design (Entitlement)
Residential | Hospitality

Eco Utopia Landscape Design in Ilan
Residential | Hospitality

San Mateo Apartments and Townhomes
Residential | Hospitality

Shanghai Waterfront Retail Complex Landscape Design
Residential | Hospitality

Wuxi Retail Complex Landscape Revitalization
Residential | Hospitality

Eco Utopia Retail Village Landscape Design in Ilan
Retail | Mixed Use

Whitewater Park Planning in Taiwan
Civic | Parks

SPA Resort Landscape Design in Clark, Philippines
Retail | Mixed Use

Park Revitalization Landscape Design in Clark, Philippines
Retail | Mixed Use

Kunshan Riverside Residential Development
Residential | Hospitality

PACE Supply Landscape Revitalization (Entitlement through Construction Documents)
Retail | Mixed Use


2023
Bicester Suzhou Village Shopping Destination Phase 3
Retail | Mixed Use

Xiamen Luxury Residential Tower Landscape
Residential | Hospitality

Shenzhen Metro & HSR Hub Park
Civic | Parks

Heart of Silicon Valley Residential in Cupertino
Residential | Hospitality

Shenzhen Metro & HSR Hub Extension Park
Civic | Parks

Dongguan Seashore Retail Village Landscape Design
Retail | Mixed Use

Hainan Retail Village Landscape Design
Retail | Mixed Use

SM City Santa Rosa Retail Complex Park
 Retail | Mixed Use


2022
Kunshan Yushan Plaza Landscape Renovation
Retail | Mixed Use

Tropical Metropolitan Sky Park
Retail | Mixed Use

CBD Mall Rooftop Sky Garden
Retail | Mixed Use

Seashore Shopping Mall Srteet Front Renovation
Retail | Mixed Use

Mountain Vacation Resort
Residential | Hospitality

Great Lake Park District
Masterplan | Urban Design

Jiading Campus of Shanghai University Masterplan
Civic | Parks

Baguio Cottages Landscape Renovation
Residential | Hospitality

Ningbo Xiangshan People's Square District
Civic | Parks

Kunshan Penglang High School
Civic | Parks


2021
Vanke Shangjiaohuan Redevelopment
Residential | Hospitality

Shenzhen Baoan Kindergarten Landscape Design
Civic | Parks

Qingdao Shilaoren Seaside Park
Masterplan | Urban Design

Canadian International School Kunshan Landscape Design
Civic | Parks

Baoan Campus of High School Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology
Civic | Parks

Ganjiang New District Chinese Medicine Technology City Streetscape Design
Civic | Parks

Supernova at Tanglang Mountain
Civic | Parks

Hung Kuo Ilan Sustainable Community Masterplan
Masterplan | Urban Design

Muir Eye Clinic
Retail | Mixed Use

Kunshan Museum of Chinese Opera
Civic | Parks 
2020
Infinity Sports Park
Civic | Parks

Parkhill Greens
Civic | Parks

Parkhill Greens Neighborhood
Residential | Hospitality

Huarun Highway Park
Civic | Parks

YCL Station Masterplan
Masterplan | Urban Design

Tianheng Island Masterplan
Masterplan | Urban Design

Hangzhou Bay Regional Landscape Masterplan
Masterplan | Urban Design

Kunshan Innovation Campus
Retail | Mixed Use

Kunshan Duke Avenue
Civic | Parks

Tuscany Hills Residential Masterplan Study
Residential | Hospitality

Vallejo Bay View Residences
Residential | Hospitality

2019
Vanke Dongguan Mind Island
Residential | Hospitality

Kunshan Post Industrial Waterfront Park
Civic | Parks

Qidong Regional Masterplan
Masterplan | Urban Design

Vanke Huizhou Glamorous City
Residential | Hospitality

Ningbo Lion Mountain
Civic | Parks

Yoland Shaoxing Keqiao Sky City
Residential | Hospitality

Yoland Mixed Use
 Residential | Hospitality

Qidong Boulevard
Civic | Parks

Kunshan Zuchongzhi Road
Civic | Parks

Kunshan North Elementary School
Civic | Parks

Vanke Elegant Mansion
Residential | Hospitality

Cinve Jinshan Residence
Residential | Hospitality

Qidong Doowin Education and Cultural Tourism New Town
Masterplan | Urban Design

Xuzhou Outlets Landscape Design
Retail | Mixed Use

Kunshan Nanxingdu District Landscape Masterplan
Masterplan | Urban Design

Burlingame Residences
Residential | Hospitality

Taiwan National Pacific Scenic Drive
 Civic | Parks

2018
Kunshan Boya Road Waterfront Park
Civic | Parks

Kunshan Linyin Road Waterfront Park
Civic | Parks

Vanke Dongguan Fenggan
Residential | Hospitality

Songshan Lake Waterfront Mall
Retail | Mixed Use

Nanjing East Outlets
Retail | Mixed Use

Kunshan West Experimental Elementary School Landscape Design
Civic | Parks

Kunshan Lize Park
Civic | Parks

Suzhou Jiarun Plaza
Retail | Mixed Use

Hangzhou Bay Regional Landscape Masterplan
Masterplan | Urban Design

Kunshan West
Masterplan | Urban Design

Kunshan Jingxi Residential
Residential | Hospitality

Ho Chi Minh City District 2 Retail Street Open Space Landscape Design
Retail | Mixed Use

Kunshan West Regional Greenway
Masterplan | Urban Design

Vanke Human Metropolis
Residential | Hospitality

Keqiao International Center KIC
Retail | Mixed Use

2017
Kuilei Lake Greenway System
Masterplan | Urban Design

Ningbo East New Town - Civic Space Activation
Civic | Parks

Kunshan Miaojing River Corridor
Masterplan | Urban Design, Civic | Parks

Yoland Waterfront Residences
Residential | Hospitality

Vanke Huangma Royal Palace
Residential | Hospitality

Kunshan Xinchen Road Residential
Residential | Hospitality

Waterfront Residence
Residential | Hospitality

Shanghai Innovation Media Hub
Retail | Mixed Use

2016
Kunshan Da Yu Wan Retail
Retail | Mixed Use

Kunshan Central Lake Landscape Masterplan
Civic | Parks

Chaoyang Retail and Mixed Use Complex
Retail | Mixed Use

Suzhou Gelin Town
Retail | Mixed Use

Kunshan West Wetland Park
Civic | Parks

2015
Vanke LunaSea Residential and Retail Complex
Residential | Hospitality

Overseas Chinese Financial Center
Retail | Mixed Use

Pengbu Central Commons
Residential | Hospitality

Songjiang Media Hub D’Hive
Retail | Mixed Use

Kunshan Kuilei Lake Bike Trail System
Civic | Parks

Vanke Xiaoshan Century Light Residential and Retail Complex
Residential | Hospitality

Songjiang Internet of Things Campus Design
Retail | Mixed Use

2012
Oakland Shops at the Ridge
Commercial | Workplace

Bicester Shanghai Village Shopping Destination
Commercial | Workplace

Project Spotlight: Kunshan Miaojing River Corridor Featured in THE PLAN’s Outdoor Winter Issue


February 9th, 2026
Berkeley, CA

We are honored to announce that the Kunshan Miaojing River Corridor has been featured in the Winter 2025 issue of Outdoor magazine. Published by THE PLAN, Italy’s premier international architecture and design platform, this publication is renowned for highlighting projects that merge technical innovation with landscape aesthetics. Our inclusion in the "Where Life Grows" feature marks a significant recognition of our commitment to resilient, ecology-driven design.

Exploring "Where Life Grows"


The latest issue investigates the vital role of ecological corridors—linear or reticular land portions that connect core natural habitats—in restoring balance to urbanized areas. The editorial highlights how a "new architectural grammar" can support biodiversity while providing inclusive public spaces.

Other global projects featured alongside ours include:

  • Vulkan Beehives (Norway): A Snøhetta-designed project consisting of hexagonal towers on Oslo rooftops that use advanced sensors to monitor bee behavior within an urban "Bee Highway".



  • The Pollinator and Bird Garden (USA): A 1.4-ha living laboratory at the Penn State Arboretum, designed by Didier Design Studio to interpret complex research on pollinator decline through 340 specially selected flora species.



  • Sponge Greenway (China): A Turenscape project in Ningbo that utilizes "terrain modeling" and phytoremediation to transform a polluted post-industrial brownfield into a purified riparian wetland.



Our Featured Project: Kunshan Miaojing River Corridor


Closing the feature is our work on the Kunshan Miaojing River Corridor, which transformed a former aqueduct into a 600,000 m² vital ecological backbone for the region. By linking the Kuilei Lake basin to Kunshan’s historic center, the project creates a dynamic refuge that rebalances human activity with environmental preservation.



Key highlights from the feature include:

  • Continuous Urban Connectivity: The project establishes a seamless 20 km system of trails, tunnels, and elevated walkways that traverse existing street grids to link residential neighborhoods directly with nature.

  • Layered Infrastructure: We utilized metal-grated platforms, permeable surfaces, and pathside drainage channels to augment the corridor's resilience while minimizing environmental impact.

  • Biodiversity & Education: Through a plethora of ecological zones, native species forests, and an onsite Ecological Education Center, the corridor serves as a benchmark for riverfront revitalization.

We extend our sincere thanks to THE PLAN for recognizing the Miaojing River Corridor as a model for ecological restoration.

Observations from India: Rethinking Site Through Vastu


February 27th, 2026
Berkeley, CA

On our first site visit in India, the heat was already rising from the ground before mid-morning. It immediately reframed how we think about orientation. In that context, Vastu Shastra stopped feeling symbolic and began to be read as environmental logic.


Solar Axis: The horizon line marks the Primary Orientation (East/West) that dictates room placement.

As landscape architects, we are trained to define a site through survey data, grading strategy, and performance metrics. Vastu approaches the same ground differently. It reads the land through direction, mass, light, and flow. Beneath that cultural language is a clear climatic intelligence.



One of the most striking observations was orientation. In colder climates, we often favor southern exposure to maximize solar gain. Vastu inverts this: sit to the South, face North. At first, this felt counterintuitive. But in India’s tropical heat, the South and West carry the harshest solar load. Orienting toward the North captures cooler, diffuse light and reduces thermal stress. The logic is simple; design with the climate, not against it.


Diagram Source: Wikipedia | Vastu Shastra (Ancient Indian system of spatial planning


The distribution of mass follows a similar reasoning.

Placing heavier built elements in the Southwest creates a thermal buffer, shielding open space from late afternoon heat. The suggestion of a “South-High, North-Low” gradient also guides water movement and spatial hierarchy simultaneously. What appears ritualistic at first glance often reveals environmental intent when viewed through a performance lens.

Massing: The hill represents "Heavy Elevation"

Perhaps most compelling is the emphasis on balance; keeping the center open (the Brahmasthan), allowing light, air, and movement to circulate. It aligns closely with contemporary goals of microclimate regulation and open-space connectivity.

This experience was a reminder that long-standing cultural frameworks often encode environmental adaptation. Vastu may use a different vocabulary, but its underlying concerns, sun, heat, airflow, mass, and equilibrium, are ones we continue to work with today.

Successful siting is not only about grids and metrics. It is about tuning design to the solar, magnetic, and thermal rhythms of place.

Cultivating Land, Cultivating Futures: Lessons from the Orchards of India


March 20th, 2026
Berkeley, CA

In the eyes of a landscape architect, "land" is never just a blank canvas.


IMG: The Orchard Canopy. Here, landscape is not an ornament but a life-sustaining system. Mango and Chiku trees intertwine to form a natural canopy, providing shade and sustenance.

During PLAT’s recent field observations in India, we were deeply moved by a profoundly pure symbiotic relationship. It was a lush grove of Mango and Chiku trees. There, the landscape is not a scenery to be "viewed," but a productive system that sustains life. A few cows and a fruit grove support an entire family’s nutrition and livelihood: the cattle provide fresh milk, the trees offer food and shade, and human life, in turn, carefully nourishes the earth.

IMG: Bounty of the Soil. Every fruit carries the nutrients of the soil. As designers, we contemplate how to preserve this primal output while integrating new functions.

IMG: The Rhythm of Labor. Human interaction breathes life into the land. As landscape architects, we act as observers and stewards, ensuring that design does not disrupt the existing rhythms of life.

This is the essence of a "Productive Landscape."

As designers, we often contemplate how to "intervene" in a site. But in the face of such a vibrant cycle, we believe the most humble yet ambitious approach is "minimum disturbance." We must ask: how can we integrate new functions—such as spaces for learning—while preserving the land’s inherent productivity?

This is not just about ecological sustainability; it is a metaphor for "growth."

This land yields fruit, and soon, it will cultivate potential. When children learn within the grid of an orchard, watching the cattle roam and experiencing the rhythm of the harvest, they receive the most profound education. Growing food is sustainable; so is raising the next generation. Both require patience, the right environment, and a deep reverence for the cycles of nature.


IMG: Cycle and Symbiosis. A few cattle and an orchard build a self-sufficient cycle. This symbiotic relationship is the most precious foundation of our design.

To us, the pinnacle of landscape architecture is perhaps not the creation of a brand-new world, but the protection of the richness that already belongs to the land—ensuring that while it feeds the body, it also nourishes the possibilities of the future.

IMG: Framework for Growth. From natural order to intentional intervention. Through a "minimum disturbance" strategy, we allow educational spaces to coexist with productive landscapes—where potential grows alongside the harvest.

Shaping Bay Area Community: Livable Density with Quality


July 25th, 2025
Berkeley, CA


In the San Francisco Bay Area, PLAT's landscape design transforms multi-family developments into livable spaces, blending nature, resilience, and community. With decades of experience, PLAT creates people-centered environments through walkable areas, vibrant outdoor spaces, and resilient landscapes, collaborating efficiently with clients and teams to meet local codes.

LIVABLE DENSITY WITH QUALITY FOR NEW URBAN LIVING

"Livable Density with Quality" addresses the evolving needs of urban residents who prioritize sustainability, wellness, and community. PLAT's multi-family landscape design focuses on place-making, supporting well-being, fostering community, meeting regulatory requirements, and delivering long-term value. This approach enhances the public realms, and improves tenant retention and market appeal.


Courtyard life at Burlingame Residences


RESILIENT IN EVERYDAY ECOLOGY

Guided by regional frameworks like Plan Bay Area 2050, PLAT integrates open space and ecology into resilient multi-family living. The Silicon Valley Townhomes project exemplifies this by balancing ecological function and daily use with sustainable strategies like bioswales and permeable paving. Thoughtful lighting, clear circulation, native plantings, and shaded seating create a people-first landscape.


The Silicon Valley Townhomes project exemplifies resilience in everyday ecology

THE ROLE OF CODE, EXPERIENCE, EFFICIENCY, AND COLLABORATION

Delivering quality design in the Bay Area demands navigating complex zoning, design guidelines, and permitting processes, including MWELO and C3 stormwater compliance. PLAT's collaborative approach, as seen in the San Mateo Apartment and Townhomes project, integrates solutions and streamlines approvals, fostering walkable, bike-friendly communities with green infrastructure and Bay Trail access.

PLAT's collaborative approach achieves the San Mateo Apartment and Townhome project

At dense and hilly sites with layered regulations and sustainability goals, PLAT collaborates early with design teams, aligning on circulation, programming, grading, and stormwater. The Vallejo Bay View Residences exemplify this, maximizing bay views with terraced gardens, viewing platforms, and roof gardens. This integration makes the landscape functional, where residents can enjoy all the site has to offer.

Bay View Residences maximize bay views by aligning early on circulation, programing, grading and stormwater management with client and design teams

Low-Rise Waterfront Living with the Charm of Modernity


November 21st, 2024

Kunshan, China


We’re excited to share that our "Cloud Villa" project in Kunshan is now underway!

Surrounded by water on three sides, this distinctive residence offers a peaceful escape, seamlessly blending the natural beauty of native forests, stones, and hills with the sophistication of modern living. The design flows effortlessly with the surrounding water, reinterpreting the timeless elegance of Jiangnan gardens.

This is a place where fresh air and tranquility invite you to step away from the hustle of fast-paced city life and into a low-density retreat thoughtfully crafted for contemporary lifestyles.

We can’t wait to see this elegant oasis come to life. Stay tuned for updates as we bring this vision to reality!












Project portfolio here

Our Work


PLAT Studio prides itself on maintaining a close relationship with clients through all phases of a project. We work together in order to align our project vision and design with the needs of clients and customers and with the constraints of reality.

Ingrained in the company culture is also a desire to foster synergistic energy between our office and our many collaborators. Intensive, thoughtful design sessions are not restricted to internal meetings but often involve working intimately with collaborators from schematic to detail design. PLAT Studio’s diverse expertise and experience in creating a variety of spaces around the world has allowed us to create with our clients and collaborators spaces of timeless beauty.

Services Provided
Concept Design
Master Planning
Schematic Design
Design Development
Construction Documentation
Entitlement Permit Processing (City & County)
Construction Coordination and Administration

Project Types
Urban Design & Master Planning
Civic & Parks
Retail Developments
Commercial & Mixed-Use Developments
Single-Family & Multi-Family Residential
Hospitality
Mark

Our Vision


Progressive Innovation Based on Research and the Design Process:

Our high-performance landscapes that redefine site limitations are a result of a rigourous research and design process that involve multiple levels of research into the site’s existing system and prototyping of landscape and built elements.

Synthesis of Systems (System-thinking): Rather than thinking about the landscape as its own, self-sustaining system, we recognize that it is an active component in the environmental, urban, economic, and social fabric. We consider and negotiate with all components to give readability to the urban fabric and to build a sustainable infrastructure. We accomplish this by working closely with our clients and collaborators to identify the site’s limitations, to establish potential solutions, and to bring those solutions into reality across all scales.

By thinking about our built landscape as a synthesis of systems, we desire to position the landscape as a framework for positive growth. We understand the economy, architecture, infrastructure, government, social fabric, structure, and environment of the site through research and put our designs through a rigourous design process to ensure that the landscapes we design are progressively innovative and support flexibility in future growth.

As landscape architects, urban designers, and architects, we believe that a powerfully constructed landscape has the potential to knit together otherwise incongruent land uses, socially disparate communities, and underutilized ecological systems. It is a powerful tool vital to the health of our economic, social, and environmental future.

Our Values


Innovation
We believe innovation blossoms when designers think outside the box and use rigorous research to tackle project-specific challenges, developing never-before-seen solutions.


Community
We understand that design does not exist in a vacuum, and that design choices impact people that come in contact with our work. We are dedicated to researching the context surrounding our projects so that they benefit the local communities.
Sustainability
Sustainability lies at the heart of our practice. As citizens of Earth, we are committed to making work that improves our quality of life while protecting the planet.


Authenticity
PLAT Studio is unique in our ability to synthesize urban planning, landscape architecture, and ecological design. Our research-driven process ensures that we produce authentic work for our wide scope of projects.

Awards


2023
Meadow Fields Village Masterplan Livable Neighborhoods in Yilan’s Rice Fields
WLA / Honour Award in Concept - Commercial Residential.

Kunshan Miaojing River Corridor
ASLA–NCC / Merit Award in Design: Parks, Recreation, Trails & Open Space

Great Lake Park District
ASLA–NCC / Merit Award in Analysis and Planning


2022
Parkhill Greens
IFLA AAPME / Outstanding Award in Built Projects: Social and Community Health

Parkhill Greens 
ASLA-NCC / Merit Award in Urban Design


2021
Pengbu Central Commons
IFLA ASIA-PAC / Awards of Excellence in Built Projects: Residential

Kunshan West: Landscape Infrastructure for A Livable District
IFLA ASIA-PAC / Honourable Mention in Unbuilt Projects: Parks and Environmental

Qidong Doowin Educational and Cultural Tourism New Town
PCBC / Grand Award in International Public Building - Forward Planning

Pengbu Central Commons
WLA / Merit Award in Built Residential

Ningbo Lion Mountain
ASLA-NCC / Merit Award in Analysis and Planning

Vanke Huangma Royal Palace
Vanke Dongguan / Best Built Project

Vanke Elegant Mansion
Vanke Dongguan / Excellent Demonstration Area


2020
Blue Kunshan: A Livable Innovation District
ASLA–NCC / Merit Award in Urban Design


2019
Kunshan Forest Park West Entry
ASLA–NCC / Honor Award in Design: Parks, Recreation, Trails and Open Space


2018
Kunshan Miaojing River Corridor
ASLA–NCC / Award of Excellence in Research, Planning, Analysis and Communication


2017
Yi Ou Lai Shanghai Village
ICSC / Gold Award for Design and Development Excellence in the category of New Developments in China


2016
Pengbu Central Commons
Vanke Shanghai Region / Best Sample Area

Publications



Hangzhou Bay New Town 

Kunshan Forest Park West Entry

Kunshan West

Oakland Shops at the Ridge

Parkhill Greens 

Pengbu Central Commons

Qidong Doowin Education and Cultural Tourism New Town
Vanke Dongguan Mind Island 

Yi Ou Lai Shanghai Village

Kit Shih-Ting Wang

Partner / Project Director

kit.wang@platstudio.net

As a project director at PLAT Studio, Kit Shih-Ting Wang ensures a constant synergy between design intent and the many technical challenges that we address with our collaborators. With degrees in architecture, landscape architecture and planning, she provides solutions in all project phases. She is a certified planner in the United States and a LEED Accredited Professional.

Kit’s professional interest is urban design that integrates contemporary landscape and architectural design. She cares about aesthetic, ecological and social values and is dedicated to creating beautiful, ecologically constructive and socially vital spaces in our cities. Her award-winning competitions include architectural designs, memorial parks, post-industrial parks and future solar energy applications.

Kit received her Master of Landscape Architecture and Master of City Planning at University of California at Berkeley, USA. She also earned Bachelor of Architecture, Tamkung University and a Certificate in Project Management from University of California Extension at Irvine, USA.


SELECTED PROJECTS

Te-Hsuan Fred Liao

Partner / Design Director

fred.liao@platstudio.net

Fred Liao is the founder and a director of PLAT Studio. He has engaged his passion for large-scale landscape and urbanism as a multi-disciplinary practice. Born and raised in Taipei, he spent 10 years on the East Coast and in 2010 settled in beautiful Northern California with his wife, two daughters, and his dog Parker.

He is a licensed landscape architect with extensive large-scale, site-specific masterplan and landscape design experience in both North America and Asia, building large urban parks, mixed-use developments, as well as office and academic campuses. His work focuses on conceptualization, systematic framework, and design studies; he envisions design as a dynamic process of investigating site potentials culturally, ecologically and economically, for timeless placemaking, and a more sustainable world.

Prior to starting PLAT Studio, Fred was involved in high-profile and design-oriented projects with multi-disciplinary teams, including New York World Trade Center Public Realm, Fresh Kills Park Master Plan, Taiwan Hengchun Tropical Botanic Garden, and Kunshan High School Campus. These projects require the consolidation of infrastructure, architecture and structure through cross-disciplinary design, coordination, and management through all project phases.

Fred received his Master of Landscape Architecture from University of Pennsylvania where he was awarded the ASLA Certificate of Honor and George Madden Boughton Prize. He is a licensed landscape architect in New York, Pennsylvania and a LEED AP.

Articles
  • Liao, TH. 2020. The landscape architecture practice with the changing ecology and economy. Taiwan Architecture, 296, 96-99.
  • Liao, TH. 2018. Low-impact development- a new chapter of stormwater management and sustainability, Landscape, 2018-I
  • Liao, TH. 2017. Exploring the new landscape practice for contemporary urban development. Landscape, 2017-II
  • Liao, TH. Wang, ST. Lan, SL. Z, HM. 2016. Implementing the expanding fields in the changing cities. Taiwan Architecture, 252
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  • Zhou, H. Liao, TH. 2007. Highline: From a vision to the rebirth. Urban Environment Design, 05.

Maggie Kao

Partner / Project Director

maggie.kao@platstudio.net

As a project director at PLAT Studio, Maggie Kao has years of experience from her involvement in projects from design through construction administration on a wide range of projects in California and Asia. With degrees in both Architecture and Landscape Architecture, she provides creativity and thoughtful design to all phases of projects. Maggie’s passion and design vision ensures a positive impact on the environment.

Prior to PLAT Studio, she participated in the award winning Santa Monica College Quad project and worked on large mixed-use, civic, corporate, and resort projects.


SELECTED PROJECTS

Xiaoqing Qin

Associate / Project Manager

xiaoqing.qin@platstudio.net

As a landscape designer at PLAT studio, Xiaoqing is passionate about using landscape architecture as a catalyst to create joy and increase value by creatively highlighting the unique cultural, ecological, and artistic details of each site. Before joining PLAT, Xiaoqing gained experience working in the US and China on projects of different scales including universities, developments, community and contryside projects.

Xiaoqing also did some academic research and practical work on landscape ecological infrastructure and urban revitalization in the field of urban design. She served as guest lecturer and recruitment assistant at Washington University in St. Louis, and president of the St. Louis Student Chapter, American Society of Landscape Architects. She is the winner of Anova ASLA Grant, special recognition for innovation and CityStudioSTL awarded founding.

Xiaoqing holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Washington University, St. Louis; a Master of Science, Landscape Architecture from Peking University, China; and a Bachelor of Agriculture, Landscape Gardening from Beijing Forestry University, China. She is a member of ASLA, and certified SITES AP.



Xiaolu Lu

Project Manager

xiaolu.lu@platstudio.net

Xiaolu Lu is a landscape designer at PLAT Studio, where she focuses on integrating human behavior with the natural environment. She believes landscape design as a means to address the interaction between people and nature, aiming to enhance people's connection to natural landscapes and foster a deeper engagement with the environment.

Prior to joining PLAT Studio, Lu Xiaolu worked at Shanghai TIANHUA Architecture Planning & Engineering, Agile Design, and the Dehui Group . With over 10 years of experience, she is well-versed in all aspects of landscape design and has worked on a diverse range of projects, including residential, commercial, hotel, and park designs.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Art Design from Yangzhou University.
PLAT Studio
Landscape Architecture & Urbanism

2550 Ninth Street, Suite 113A
Berkeley, CA 94710 USA

+1 510 883 9988
info@platstudio.net
For new project opportunities and media inquiries, please contact:
Fred Liao
Design Director

info@platstudio.net
Phone & Msg: +1 510 630 8219
WeChat: fredliao38
LINE: fredliao0308


We are always looking for new talent to join our team. Please find further information here.
510 630 8219
510 883 9988
©PLAT Studio Inc., 2022
2550 Ninth Street, Suite 113A
Berkeley, California
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