STUDIO
Big ideas rooted in place and rigor.
We are a landscape architecture and urban design practice driven by bold thinking and the possibilities of place. We look to a site’s ecology, history, and people as the starting point for something distinctive, expressive, and a little unexpected.
Beauty is central to that ambition. Through planting, material, light, and movement, we create landscapes that draw people in and reward a closer look. Immersive environments that stir curiosity, connect everyday life with nature, and make you want to stay.
Technical rigor gives those ideas substance. We care as much about what happens beneath your feet as what catches your eye. Healthy soil, thoughtful drainage, and precise detailing carry the design through construction and allow it to grow richer over time.
Collaboration makes the work possible and the ideas stronger. We bring curiosity, candor, and a clear design vision to our partnerships with clients, communities, and project teams, staying engaged from the first ambitious sketch to the decisions that bring it into the world.
Rachel Wilkins, RLA
Founder, LOCUS Landscape Architecture and Urban Design
Rachel Wilkins is a New York–licensed landscape architect and urban designer with nearly 14 years of experience designing and delivering complex landscapes. Her career spans OJB Landscape Architecture, SWA Group, and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), bridging conceptual design, technical development, and construction across a broad range of scales and project types.
Most recently at BIG, Rachel served as lead landscape and urban designer for the Northwest Battery Park City Resiliency Project in Lower Manhattan. She led the landscape scope of this multidisciplinary coastal infrastructure initiative, integrating public space and planting design with complex structural and flood-protection systems through design development, technical detailing, and agency and consultant coordination.
Previously, Rachel spent nearly a decade at OJB and SWA in Houston, working across parks, streetscapes, mixed-use developments, residential landscapes, and institutional and corporate campuses. Her experience includes Levy Park, Brackenridge Park, and Alief Neighborhood Center and Park, among other projects throughout Texas and beyond.
With a background in architecture, Rachel approaches landscape through the connections between architecture, infrastructure, and ecology. She is committed to carrying strong ideas through the realities of detailing and construction.
Let’s Collaborate
LOCUS welcomes new project opportunities and creative partnerships. We collaborate with architects, designers, clients, and communities to shape thoughtful landscapes—from an early idea to the details that bring it to life.
Have a site, a question, or a potential collaboration in mind? Tell us what you’re working on. We’d love to explore what we can create together.