Laurie Olin (born 1938,

Marshfield, Wisconsin Marshfield is a city in Wood County, Wisconsin, Wood and Marathon County, Wisconsin, Marathon counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,929 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census; of this, 18,119 were in Wood County a ...

) is an 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 manage ...

. He has worked on

landscape design Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practiced by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice, landscape design bridges the space between landscape architecture and garde ...

projects at diverse scales, from private residential gardens to public parks and corporate/museum campus plans.

Early life

Olin grew up in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, and earned his degree in Architecture from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, where he was mentored under

Richard Haag Richard Haag (October 23, 1923 – May 9, 2018) was an American landscape architect who was known for his role in Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington and on the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. Richard Haag's modernist and minimalist ...

Career

After graduating he worked for offices in Seattle, New York City, and London. In 1976 he became a professor for the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, where he offered courses on the design of environments. In 1986 he became head chair of the landscape architecture program at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. After serving as chair at Harvard, Olin returned to University of Pennsylvania where he continues to be Practice Professor of Landscape Architecture.

Founding OLIN

Olin is the founding partner of the landscape architecture and urban design firm

OLIN Olin may refer to: People Organizations * OLIN, American landscape architecture firm * Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis * Olin College, an undergraduate engineering college in Massachusetts * Olin Corporation, a chem ...

, formerly Olin Partnership. The firm received the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape Design in 2008, and in 2010 was on the winning team in the competition to design the new

United States Embassy in London The Embassy of the United States of America in London is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the United Kingdom. Its office is located in Nine Elms and is the largest List of diplomatic missions of the United States, American embassy ...

with architects KieranTimberlake.

Writing

Olin has written widely on the history and theory of architecture and landscape, receiving the Bradford Williams medal for best writing on Landscape Architecture. Olin co-authored ''La Foce: A Garden and Landscape in Tuscany'', which includes a historical essay, along with photographs, sketches, and a critical analysis of the early 20th-century garden in Italy. ''Across the Open Field'' (2000), is both a memoir and series of essays on the evolution of the English landscape. He is also the author of ''Transforming the Commonplace'' (1996) and ''Vizcaya: An American Villa and Its Makers'' (2006, with

Witold Rybczynski Witold Rybczynski (born 1 March 1943) is a Canadian American architect, professor and writer. He is currently the Martin and Margy Meyerson Professor Emeritus of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania. Early life Rybczynski was born in E ...

), on

James Deering James Deering (November 12, 1859 – September 21, 1925) was an American executive in the management of his family's Deering Harvester Company and later International Harvester, as well as a socialite and an antiquities collector. He built h ...

's mansion in

Coconut Grove, Florida Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as "The Grove", is an affluent and the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by North Prospect Drive to the south, LeJeune ...

Awards and honors

Olin is a

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

, an

American Academy of Rome American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Fellow, a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

, the 1999 Wyck-Strickland Award recipient. Olin won the Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture in 1972, was the recipient of the 1998 Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and was recently inducted into the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

. Olin was a speaker in the Spotlight on Design Lecture Series at the

National Building Museum The National Building Museum is a museum of architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning in Northwest Washington, D.C., U.S. It was created by an act of Congress in 1980, and is a private non-profit institution. Located at ...

in 2003. In 1994 he was elected into the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Frederick Styles Agate, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, an ...

. In 2013 he was presented with the prestigious National Medal of Arts by President

Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. Ob ...

. Awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, it is the highest honor given to artists by the US Government.

Notable projects

Europe

Bishopsgate Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate's name is traditionally attributed to Earconwald, who was Bishop of London in the 7th century. It was first built in Roman times and marked the beginning o ...

, London, England * Brancusi Ensemble,

Târgu Jiu Târgu Jiu (, is the capital city, capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathian Mountains, Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu (river), Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the ...

, Romania *

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (, also known as the Holocaust Memorial German: ''Holocaust-Mahnmal''), is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust committed by Nazi Germany, designed by architect Peter Eisenman an ...

, Berlin, Germany (with architect

Peter Eisenman Peter David Eisenman (born August 11, 1932) is an American architect, writer, and professor. Considered one of the New York Five, Eisenman is known for his high modernist and deconstructive designs, as well as for his authorship of several archi ...

) *

Westferry Circus Westferry Circus is a road interchange and public space in Canary Wharf estate in London, and contains a two-level road interchange. There are two roundabouts, one above the other. It was designed by Laurie Olin. In this context, a circus, from ...

, London, England

United States

Apple Park Apple Park, also known as Apple Campus 2, is the corporate headquarters of Apple Inc., located in Cupertino, California, United States. It was opened to employees in April 2017, while construction was still underway. It replaced Apple Campus as ...

, Cupertino, California * Director Park, Portland, Oregon *

1 Memorial Drive 1 Memorial Drive serves as the headquarters complex of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Situated within Penn Valley Park, the complex lies across from the Liberty Memorial on the former site of St. Mary's Hospital—where Jo Zach Mill ...

, campus of the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City *

ARCO Arco may refer to: Places * Arco, Trentino, a town in Trentino, Italy * Arco, Idaho, in the United States * Arco, Minnesota, a city in the United States * ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California, home of the Sacramento Kings Companies * ARCO (b ...

corporate headquarters, La Palma, California *

Battery Park City Battery Park City is a mainly residential planned community and neighborhood on the west side of the southern tip of the island of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by the Hudson River on the west, the Hudson River shoreline on the nor ...

, Manhattan, New York *

Bryant Park Bryant Park is a , privately managed public park in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan. It is located between Fifth Avenue and Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) and between 40th Street (Manhattan), 40th and 42 ...

, Manhattan, New York *

Columbus Circle Columbus Circle is a traffic circle and heavily trafficked intersection in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eighth Avenue, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway, ...

, Manhattan, New York *

Getty Center The Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California, United States, is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust. The $1.3 billion center opened to the public on December 16, 1997, and is well known for its architecture, garde ...

Brentwood, Los Angeles Brentwood is a suburban neighborhood in the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. History General Modern development began after the establishment of the Pacific Branch of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers and Sailors in the ...

, California *

Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project Hudson Yards is a real estate development in the Hudson Yards neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, between the Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods. It is located on the waterfront of the Hudson River. Related Companies and Oxfor ...

, Manhattan, New York * Mill River Park & Greenway, Stamford, Connecticut *

Pacific Park Pacific Park is an oceanfront amusement park located in Santa Monica, California. The park, located on the Santa Monica Pier, looks directly out on the Pacific Ocean, in the direction of Santa Catalina Island. It is the only amusement park di ...

, open space around development, Brooklyn, New York * Pershing Square, Los Angeles, California * Robert F. Wagner Park, New York *

, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Campus Development Plan) *

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, victorious commander-in-chief of the Continen ...

, Washington, DC *

Toledo Museum of Art The Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio. It houses a collection of more than 30,000 objects. With 45 galleries, it covers 280,000 square feet and is currently in th ...

, Toledo, Ohio *

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden The National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden is the most recent addition to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is located in the National Mall between the National Gallery's West Building and the Smithsonian ...

, Washington, DC * LDS Conference Center roof ambient, part of

The Gardens at Temple Square Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City is surrounded by urban gardens and parks which cover approximately within Temple Square, the Conference Center, and the area surrounding headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LD ...

, Salt Lake City, Utah

Awards

* ''ASLA Merit Award'', ARCO Research Center, 1984 * ''Progressive Architecture Magazine Design Award'', Battery Park City, 1985 * ''Urban Landscape Institute Award for Excellence for Public Projects'', Bryant Park, 1996 * ''ASLA Landmark Award'', Battery Park City, 2003 * ''ASLA Design Honor Award'', the J. Paul Getty Center, 2003 * ''ASLA Award of Excellence'', The Heart of the Park at

Hermann Park Hermann Park is a urban park in Houston, Texas, situated at the southern end of the Houston Museum District, Museum District. The park is located to the immediate north end of the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Texas Medical Center and Brays Ba ...

, 2005 * ''Mid-Atlantic Construction Magazine Park/Landscape Award of Merit'', the Washington Monument, 2005 * ''AIA Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design'', the University of British Columbia, 2006 * ''ASLA Landscape Architecture Firm Award'' (awarded to OLIN firm), 2006 * ''ASLA General Design Award of Honor'', Columbus Circle, 2006 * ''

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) is a not-for-profit, national organization that has represented architects and architecture for over 100 years, in existence since 1907. The RAIC is the leading voice for excellence in the built ...

Urban Design Award'', the University of British Columbia, 2006 * ''ASLA General Design Award Of Honor'', the Washington Monument, 2008 * ''Cooper-Hewitt

National Design Award The American National Design Awards, founded in 2000, are various awards funded and bestowed by the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. There are seven official design categories, and three additional awards when applicable. Any supplement ...

'' (awarded to OLIN firm), 2008 * ''Urban Land Institute Award of Excellence'', Comcast Building (awarded to OLIN firm), 2009 * ''Building Institute's Bybee Prize'', 2010 * ''ASLA Landmark Award'', Bryant Park (awarded to OLIN firm), 2010 * ''ASLA Medal'', 2011 * ''

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

'', 2012 * ''

Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture The Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Architecture recognizes individuals for distinguished contributions to the field of architecture. The Medal in Architecture has been jointly awarded each year by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticell ...

'', 2013 * ''

Vincent Scully Prize The Vincent Scully Prize was established in 1999 to recognize exemplary practice, scholarship or criticism in architecture, historic preservation and urban design. Created by the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., the award first honore ...

'', 2017

Publications

*''France Sketchbooks,'' 2020. Edited by Laurie Olin an
Pablo Mandel
*''Be Seated'', 2018. *''OLIN: Placemaking'', 2008. * ''Vizcaya: An American Villa and its Members'', with

, 2007. *''La Foce: A Garden and Landscape in Tuscany'', with Benedetta Origo ''et al.'', 2001. *''Across the Open Field: Essays Drawn from English Landscapes'', 2000. * ''Transforming the Common Place: Selections from Laurie Olin's Sketchbook'', 1996. * ''Breath on the Mirror: Seattle's Skid Road Community'', 1973.

References

*Dowdell, Jennifer. "Washington Monument, Security Built In: An Underground Center Nixed as Construction begins on Olin Partnership's Design" ''Landscape Architecture'' 2004. *Dvořák, Petula. "Washington Monument Subtly Fortified" ''Washington Post'' 2005. *Goodridge, Elisabeth
"Landscape Redesigned at Washington Monument
''Deseret News'' 2 April 2006 A.02 *Smith, Sandy. "Laurie Olin: Q and A" ''The Penn Current''. December 13, 2001.
"Concept"
Battery Park City Authority, viewed October 29, 2006.
"Getty Center"
Getty Center Trust. 2003, viewed October 31, 2006.
OLIN
viewed October 28, 2006.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation Online
viewed November 1, 2006.

External links

Official OLIN design studio website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olin, Laurie American landscape architects 1938 births Living people American landscape and garden designers Architects from Alaska Architects from Pennsylvania Architects from Wisconsin Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters United States National Medal of Arts recipients Harvard University faculty University of Pennsylvania faculty People from Marshfield, Wisconsin University of Washington College of Built Environments alumni 20th-century American architects 21st-century American architects