In this Profile, we are sitting down with Becky Zimmermann, CEO of Design Workshop, to discuss what it is like to lead one of the most well-known landscape architecture firms.
WLA | What is the most rewarding part of your role as CEO of Design Workshop?
I don’t get up in the morning to lead; I get up in the morning to make a difference. The most rewarding part of working in the firm falls into three buckets:
- Create meaningful impact by investing in people and the and the positive outcomes our projects bring to communities, cities and regions.
- Maintain a culture of integrity over shortcuts.
- Provide inspiration through leadership, particularly young professional women, by demonstrating that leadership is about making a difference rather than holding a title.
WLA | As the industry moves toward 2030, how is Design Workshop evolving to address the immediate pressures of climate change and biodiversity loss?
We have long been at the forefront of environmental stewardship, and as we have offices spanning the U.S., we are evolving our research. We are deep into diagnosing how climate change and resilience differ across the nation, from California to North Carolina. There is a greater need to undertake comprehensive planning for resilience, sea level rise, wildfires, drought, and floods. Design Workshop is using AI modelling in the design process and understanding accelerated scenario planning. We have an internal innovation hub,DIGILab, which is developing tools and apps to assist with generative modelling, including a recently developed app for predictive wind modelling, as none like this were available.
AI is advancing exponentially, and we will continue to learn how best to integrate and improve it in our design process.
WLA | Has the transition to a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) model changed the firm’s design culture?
We have seen that it has strengthened the culture and amplified who we are and the firm’s values. I have overheard people use the analogy of driving a car: you drive a car your own more carefully than a rental car, and the same could be said of being an owner of an ESOP firm. One of many benefits of an ESOP is that no one has to worry about ownership succession or the financial burden of buyouts.
WLA | Design Workshop is known for its collaborative, human-centric designs. How are you integrating AI into your projects without losing the human focus?
AI hasn’t impacted our human-centric focus; our team members bring their heart to the work. AI has made both operations and design more efficient, giving us more time to focus on the project and support decision-making. It is not replacing decision-making or the design coming from people. Place still remains at the centre of every project.
Through the use of AI, we feel it is giving us more time to add insight and focus to aspects of the project. It expands possibilities and, in some ways, supports decision-making when we design for people.
WLA | In recent years, landscape architects have often become the lead consultant. How is Design Workshop dealing with this shift?
It hasn’t been a big shift for Design Workshop to be the lead, as we are often asked to bring vision to a project and clients trust us to take the lead as we are talking about people, the public realm and placemaking from day one.
We like being the lead consultant because it allows us to take a more holistic approach and thrive on the complexity of the project. Being the lead allows us to be bolder in our thinking and motivate the rest of the team to be more innovative.
Thank you to Becky for taking the time to answer our questions about landscape architecture and provide insights into Design Workshop.