“In my experience, trust is a big part of a successful process: trust among the team, with the client, and with the community of users who will experience and live in the place.”
Todd Mead brings to O|CB a distinguished portfolio as a landscape architect and urban designer. As Principal and practice leader at Civitas, Todd was responsible for the master planning and site design of ONE City Plaza in Greenville, South Carolina, Amgen’s Longmont, Colorado Campus, and the San Diego River Park Master Plan. More recently at PWP Landscape Architecture, he managed the development of the LinkedIn Campus in Mountain View, CA and collaborated on the design of Constitution Gardens on the National Mall in Washington, DC. At O|CB he is currently Principal-in-Charge for the revitalization of the Charles Moore-Dan Kiley designed Kresge College Campus at UC Santa Cruz, in collaboration with Studio Gang Architects, and is overseeing the Phase 1 design implementation of O|CB’s Santa Clara Valley Medical Center 70 acre Master Plan.
Get to know Todd with us!
What do you enjoy most about landscape architecture?
I enjoy creating places that people will love and appreciate while solving design puzzles and working with others in the creative process. I also find satisfaction in the personal relationships developed over time with clients and collaborators. In my experience trust is a big part of a successful process: trust among the team, with the client, and with the community of users who will experience and live in the place. Many of the projects in which I have been involved were long term, and I established strong relationships with the people involved, from city managers to corporate leaders to university planners.
A highlight of your career?
Bringing tears of joy to a college trustee was a pretty special experience!
How do you view the impact of landscape architecture?
At Civitas I had the opportunity to work with founder Mark Johnson in economically and socially challenged places like North St. Louis, where little opportunity or beauty existed. I was drawn to O|CB’s similar mission to engage in the public realm and not shy away from the tough questions that face us today: the environmental impacts of human development and achieving greater equity through democratic space. My goal continues to be to work on projects that can be a foundation for change toward making healthier and more sustainable, socially just, and vibrant places.
What kind of a team are you building at O|CB?
We are striving to be a team that is agile and horizontally organized to emphasize collaboration and fluidity between urban design and landscape architecture. I aspire to motivate others with a light touch, creating room for them to lead and to grow, and to nurture people who have drive and a passion for design.
It’s no secret you’re an avid cyclist and skier. How many bicycles do you own and what’s your favorite?
Enough for all surfaces and all circumstances…
