Ken Smith (born 1953) is an internationally acclaimed American

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...

Biography

Kenneth W. Smith was born in

Waukee, Iowa Waukee is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,940 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. It is part of the Des Moines – West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2017, Apple Inc. chose Waukee as the ...

, and attended

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture in 1976. After graduation, he apprenticed with sculptor Paul Shao, and worked for the Iowa Conservation Commission in Parks and Recreation Planning. He attended the

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...

, and received his Master in Landscape Architecture in 1986. After working in the office of Peter Walker and

Martha Schwartz Martha Schwartz (born November 21, 1950) is an American landscape architect and educator. Schwartz is the founding principal of Martha Schwartz Partners, an architecture firm based in London, New York City, and Shanghai. She is also Professor in ...

, he opened his own office
Ken Smith Workshop
in New York City in 1992. Smith is active as an educator, teaching as an adjunct professor at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

from 1992 to 1996, and as a visiting design critic at the

from 1997 to the present. In 2012, Smith was honored as a Fellow of the

American Society of Landscape Architects The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is a professional association for landscape architects in the United States. The ASLA's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education, and fellowship ...

. In addition, Smith is also a board member of the

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines". The league dates from 1881, when Cass Gilbert organized meetings at the Salmagundi Club for ...

and is active in advocating preservation of modern works of landscape architecture. Smith was the recipient of the 2011 Christian Petersen Design Award presented by the Iowa State University College of Design. He is well known for his work on the Roof Garden of New York's Museum of Modern Art, which consists of white gravel, recycled black rubber, crushed glass, sculptural stones and artificial boxwood plants in a camouflage pattern. Smith was a member of the

THINK Team The THINK Team was a team that consisted of architects, landscape architects, engineers, interactive designers and others who developed several designs for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's "Innovative Design Study" that was created in ...

in the World Trade Center competition in 2002. Smith was awarded a major commission for

Orange County Great Park The Great Park is a public park located in Irvine, California, with a focus on sports, agriculture, and the arts. It is a non-aviation reuse of the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro. The Orange County park comprises 28.8 ...

, a urban park on the decommissioned El Toro Marine Base in

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Ken is the responsible for the Landscape for

World One World One is a , 76 floor skyscraper in Mumbai, India. As of 2022, it is the tallest completed building in India, though the currently under construction Piramal Aranya Arav at and the topped out Palais Royale at are both taller. It is on t ...

project, Mumbai, India.

References

External links

Iowa State University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ken 1953 births Living people American landscape architects Iowa State University alumni Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni Harvard University staff City College of New York faculty People from Waukee, Iowa