Kathryn Gustafson

Kathryn Gustafson (born 1951) is an American landscape architect and artist. Her work includes the Gardens of the Imagination in Terrasson, France; a city square in Évry France; and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, London. She has won awards and prizes including the Millennium Garden Design Competition. She is known for her ability to sculpt land and manipulate space and geometry in aspiration.

Early life

Gustafson was born and grew up in Yakima, Washington, the daughter of a surgeon, Jack and mother Mary Gustafson. The basis of her designs comes from her memories of past settings. The region around Yakima is a desert-like plateau surrounded by mountains.

Education

At the age of 18, Gustafson attended the University of Washington in Seattle, where she studied applied arts for about a year. She then moved to New York to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating from the Fashion Institute, Gustafson moved to Paris to be a fashion designer. Gustafson turned to landscape design. She was educated at the Ecole Nationale Superieure du Paysage in Versailles, where she graduated in 1979.

Firms

Gustafson Guthrie Nichol

Gustafson Guthrie Nichol was established in Seattle and founded by Gustafson, Jennifer Guthrie, and Shannon Nichol.

Gustafson Porter

Gustafson Porter, founded by Gustafson and Neil Porter in 1997, is situated in London. The firm receives international projects in the UK, Asia, Europe and Middle East.

Selected works

Shell Petroleum

The landscape for Shell Petroleum Headquarters was completed in 1992.

Rights of Man Square

Rights of Man Square, based in the city of Évry, France, was completed in 1991.

Other projects

1. LeMay Museum

2. L'Oreal Factory

3. Corixa Headquarters

4. Lurie Garden

5. University of Michigan: Museum of Art

6. Washington Canal Park

7. Lakeshore Residence

8. Esso Headquarters

9. Diana Memorial Fountain

10. Garden of Forgiveness

Selected awards

1. National Heritage of the 20th Century (2007)

2. Finalist: Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards for Landscape Design (2005)

3. Remarkable Garden (2004)

4. Design Merit Award (2003)

5. Chrysler Design Award (2001)

6. Honorary Fellow (1999)

7. Jane Drew Prize (1998)

8. Architectural Medal Decoration (1993)

9.Royal Designer for Industry U.K (RDI: 2005)

10. American Society of Landscape Architects: Gold Medal (2008)

External links

• Official website
• Gustafson Porter
• Gustafson Kathryn Awards
• Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Projects
• Kathryn Gustafson: Art of Landscape
• Landscape Architect Kathryn Gustafson, Going With the Flow
• Article with detail of her career

References

• Diedrich, Lisa. "Kathryn Gustafson - Phantasie and Form." Topos journal. Issue 21, 1997.
• Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd.
• Levy, Leah (1998). Kathryn Gustafson: Sculpting the Land. Spacemaker Press. Washington, DC.
• Waldheim, Charles (2001). Constructed Ground: The Millennium Garden Design Competition. University of Illinois Press.