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Architecture Research Office (ARO) and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW) on Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Architecture and Design Exchange
September 30, 2025 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Event Series Event Series (See All)
Image by Nick Hubbard

Part of the Architecture Matters Series, Presented by McLaughlin Insurance
Tuesday, September 30, 5:30 – 7:00 PM

AD EX, 325 N. St. Paul Street, Suite 150
FREE for AIA Members, FREE for Students, $10 General Admission
In-Person Event, 1.0 LU | HSW

Our current cultural moment calls on design professionals to embrace a model of collaboration that leads to stronger, more impactful projects – projects that center the needs and missions of both clients and the communities they serve. As the urgency of climate change and social inequality intensifies, architects and landscape architects are increasingly leading efforts with lasting consequences. With this responsibility comes the imperative to move beyond form-making and spectacle in favor of a team-oriented approach that connects architecture to its natural and cultural contexts in a holistic way. From this kind of deep collaboration, true resilience and sustainability can emerge.

Architecture Research Office (ARO) and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW) have partnered on projects such as the Rothko Chapel, Rice University, and the Olana State Historic Site, among others, and have developed a collaborative model that prioritizes public experience, centers cultural narratives, responds to environmental conditions, and supports the missions of cultural nonprofits. In these examples, ARO led the planning for the Rothko Chapel, and NBW for Olana. Each firm then played a key role in hiring and guiding the other as the projects progressed. This reciprocal, open-handed approach to leadership exemplifies true collaboration between architecture and landscape architecture in service of mission-driven design.

Purchase copies of the latest publications “Architecture. Research. Office” by ARO and “The Land is Full” by NBW and get them signed at this event! Discounts are available on both books using the links below:

25% off “Architecture. Research. Office” using the code aro25
20% off “The Land is Full” using the code LAND20

Our Panelists

Thomas L. Woltz, FASLA, CLARB

Senior Principal and Owner, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW)

Adam Yarinsky, FAIA

Principal and Co-Founder, Architecture Research Office (ARO)

About this Course

In response to today’s cultural, environmental, and social challenges, design professionals are increasingly called to adopt a collaborative, mission-driven approach to practice. This program explores how interdisciplinary partnerships—particularly between architects and landscape architects—can generate more resilient, meaningful, and contextually responsive outcomes for both clients and communities. Through a review of projects by Architecture Research Office (ARO) and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects (NBW)—including the Rothko Chapel, Rice University, and the Olana State Historic Site—participants will examine a working model of collaboration rooted in shared leadership, environmental sensitivity, and cultural awareness. The program will highlight how a reciprocal and integrative design process supports public engagement, advances institutional missions, and promotes long-term sustainability.

Learning Objectives:

  • Participants will be able to identify the cultural and environmental challenges facing the built environment today and explain why these conditions require a shift in traditional architectural roles and expectations.
  • Participants will be able to describe how a team-based design approach that responds to environmental context contributes to project resilience, sustainability, and the integration of architecture and landscape architecture.
  • Participants will evaluate the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between architects, landscape architects, and other creative disciplines, in delivering outcomes that better serve both client goals and community needs.
  • Participants will analyze real-world case studies to demonstrate how collaborative design processes result in measurable improvements in project quality, sustainability, and mission alignment.

1.0 LU | HSW

Presenting Sponsor

Happy Hour Sponsor