Welcome to Our Designs Landscape Architects
Bienvenue à Nos conceptions Architectes paysagistes
Research
Our Designs researches the history of a site, conducts site inventories, examines human factors – healthand environment – influences for site use, writes and presents on Landscape, Environmental and Therapeutic designs. Our Designs also researches and writes reports for crime preventionthrough environment design (CPTED).
Recherche
Our Designs étudie l’histoire d’un site, réalise des inventaires de sites, examine les facteurs humains (santé et environnement) qui influencent l’utilisation du site, rédige et présente des rapports sur les conceptions paysagères, environnementales et thérapeutiques. Our Designs effectue également des recherches et rédige des rapports sur la prévention de la criminalité par la conception de l’environnement (CPTED).
Site Planning
Our Design’s process is to create site plans initially working closely with the client to understand the client’s wishes and requirements. Site planning is derived from surveys and interviews. Site planning is through illustration, schematic diagrams, manually sketched in 3D or prepared in 2D CAD. Site planning is typically human-centered unless the work is environmental design or larger scale planning.
Planification du site
Notre processus de conception consiste à créer des plans de site en travaillant d’abord en étroite collaboration avec le client pour comprendre ses souhaits et ses exigences. La planification du site est issue d’enquêtes et d’entretiens. La planification du site se fait par le biais d’illustrations, de schémas, d’esquisses manuelles en 3D ou de préparations en CAO 2D. La planification du site est généralement centrée sur l’humain, à moins que le travail ne soit une conception environnementale ou une planification à plus grande échelle.
Landscape Architecture Design
Our Designs are typically detailed and of a high quality with problem-seeking and problem-solving worked through the entire design process.
Conception d’architecture paysagère
Nos conceptions sont généralement détaillées et de haute qualité, avec une recherche et une résolution de problèmes intégrées tout au long du processus de conception.
Donna Rodman, MBCSLA, CSLA
Donna Rodman, is the founding principal of Our Designs Inc. (Est. 1992, name changed in 2010 to Our Designs Landscape Architects & Associates Inc.) In 2020 mid-Covid, company converted to a sole proprietorship called Our Designs (Donna Marie Rodman o/a Our Designs Landscape Architects). A Diploma in Nursing (The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.), a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Geography (The University of British Columbia), a Certificate in Building (British Columbia Institute of Technology), and a Master in Landscape Architecture (The University of British Columbia), all contribute to her ability to provide design and consulting services for her clients.
Donna has worked primarily in the private sector and has managed projects from both the consultant and applied design practitioner perspective. She has received awards for her professional participation within the life sciences scientific research community, her volunteer work with children, and the presentation of fresh and innovative design concepts centering mostly on people-plant and people-environment interfaces. Among the many interests and goals she has, she still places improving life for all people including people with disabilities as one of her key contributions.
Our Designs’ customers are owners with unique design needs, architects, landscape architects, private corporations, public institutions, and government agencies. Customers benefit from increased public access to their businesses, programmes, and environments; good public relations; and the creation of caring and thoughtfully conceived environments.
Donna’s fresh, out of box thinking has been noted by architects, landscape architects, and private clients. Clients consistently note that Donna designs sustainable, equitable and green habitats. Lately she has been designing at the human centered scale to the planning scale, creating green habitat environments between diverse land uses. She has a passion for designing in the blue edge that is: wetlands and streamside corridors and presents or writes about her research for using aquatic species to improve water quality. Donna also believes strongly in bringing history (heritage landscapes that are timeless) and the future (landscapes as catalysts of change) together in design. She is respectful of the environmental knowing and cultural history of First Nations and Indigenous peoples. The hallmark of her work is focused on people and nature respectfully interfaced and affecting each other. Donna believes that nature has unique, healing properties and provides an ideal environment for learning about and teaching about our planet and our living habitat systems. Beauty, natural living systems, human subsystems, restoring habitats, and supporting science are key words for Donna Rodman.
The majority of Donna’s access experience has been gained by working with Architects who specialized in designing for people with disabilities. Acting as an universal design consultant, she has worked collaboratively with private clients and their Architects to restore garden environments within single and multifamily housing units that require accessible play spaces, private gardens, courtyards, and amenities for parents in wheelchairs who have children. She has worked diligently with Architects in facility programming for accessibility of public institutions and healthcare facilities; and she has participated in advisory and committee groups to set down guidelines for accessible housing criteria for builders and developers.
Letters of reference can be provided upon request.
Donna Rodman est la directrice fondatrice de Our Designs Inc. (fondée en 1992, renommée en 2010 en Our Designs Landscape Architects & Associates Inc.). En 2020, au milieu de la pandémie de Covid, l’entreprise s’est transformée en une entreprise individuelle appelée Our Designs (Donna Marie Rodman o/a Our Designs Landscape Architects). Un diplôme en soins infirmiers (Université de la Colombie-Britannique, Vancouver, C.-B.), un baccalauréat ès arts en géographie urbaine (Université de la Colombie-Britannique), un certificat en bâtiment (British Columbia Institute of Technology) et une maîtrise en architecture paysagère (Université de la Colombie-Britannique) contribuent tous à sa capacité à fournir des services de conception et de conseil à ses clients.
Donna a principalement travaillé dans le secteur privé et a géré des projets du point de vue du consultant et du praticien en conception appliquée. Elle a reçu des prix pour sa participation professionnelle au sein de la communauté de recherche scientifique en sciences de la vie, son travail bénévole auprès des enfants et la présentation de concepts de conception nouveaux et innovants centrés principalement sur les interfaces homme-plante et homme-environnement. Parmi ses nombreux intérêts et objectifs, elle considère toujours l’amélioration de la vie
Most Relevant Projects
G.R.E.A.T. Space Shoe Box Adventure
MOTTO: A Gathering. Reconciliation. Ecological. Agora. Theatre. Space 2014
Great Space Design Project – G.R.E.A.T.: Working with the children, teachers, and school administrators for the design and construction of a play space through drawings and 3D models. Coordinating learning experience for ocean and forest ecologies, school edible project, and Echoes, by Michel Goulet, Canada. Bringing together 4 elements of air, fire, earth and water within a BC native plant and green heart that will flow to a larger outer play area. Key words: natural, outdoor learning and engagement.
Norgate Community Elementary School population represents the ethnic diversity of Vancouver’s Lower Mainland. 65% of the student population is First Nations. Norgate strives to be an institutional support within the community with complete academic, before school, after school and early childhood programming. What would fully support the whole community that includes Norgate, is an interactive space, integral to the school’s learning and greater community engagement environment.
It was identified that the underused, inner courtyard, literally in the centre of the school, could embody the community essence of the school while creating a physical space of collaboration, reflection, imaginative play and nature-based learning. This project’s aim is to move the design process further so that the courtyard is developed as “A Gathering. Reconciliation. Ecological. Agora. Theatre. Space.”
Church Staircase
Replacement of a wooden staircase with a concrete, universally designed stair system. Unique features of running conduits for watering gardens and future lighting. Handrails designed to replicate the early architect’s vision of window detailing (1966) Project completed 2014.
Wetland Reconstruction and Restoration
$4 Million Construction Budget
For the wetland project, Our Designs Inc. is working with Vector Engineering to design 3 ponds with various depths and aquatic shelves. The principal has analyzed plant material and root systems, planting heights, water velocities and brings together various sciences and plant responses into the design. Our Designs prepared landscape plans, sections, details, quantity take off calculations and is working closely with the Biologists and Arborists from Pottinger Gaherty and the Civil Engineers with Vector Engineering Services. The design of the wetland involved taking an invasive species inventory and preparing a mapping of the ESA, dividing it into 12 habitat zones. The plant list includes aquatics and the selection of B.C. Native shrubs, conifers and deciduous trees. The plants where selected to provide shade as quickly as possible to further irradicate the shade intolerant Himalayan Blackberry on the site.
The Commercial site next to the wetland was also dressed with B.C. Native shrubs and trees. The water courses on 3 sides of the project provide fish and wildlife habitats.
Phone: +1 778 229-7525
Email: oceanspirit437@gmail.com
Where to find us:
As of May 19 2021, we have one office near Nelson, British Columbia, otherwise Our Designs will be working from a remote office.
Thank you for contacting Our Designs Landscape Architects.
Merci Beaucoup!
