LA DAYS
Join us for an exploration of contemporary landscape architecture practice during LA DAYS, the annual spring lecture series hosted by Colorado State University’s Landscape Architecture Program and the CSU Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Discover insights from renowned professionals into designing and nurturing built and natural environments. From gardens and streetscapes to city parks and urban design, learn how landscape architects strengthen communities and improve human and environmental health.
April 9th
Chris Grubbs
Architectural Illustrator
April 9th | STADM Room 1205, 6 p.m.
Christopher Grubbs is a nationally recognized architectural illustrator whose work bridges design, storytelling, and the art of seeing. Trained as an architect, Grubbs has built a distinguished career translating complex landscapes, cities, and unbuilt environments into evocative hand-drawn images that communicate both vision and experience.
Over the past three decades, he has collaborated with leading design teams on major projects including the National September 11 Memorial in New York, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., the Walt Disney Family Museum, and numerous large-scale urban master plans across the United States and Asia. His work extends beyond representation, often contributing to design thinking through drawing as an exploratory and narrative tool.
Grubbs is the recipient of the 2005 Hugh Ferriss Memorial Prize, the highest honor awarded by the American Society of Architectural Illustrators and has received numerous Awards of Excellence for his work.
His extensive body of drawings including a significant series documenting post-Katrina New Orleans is held in major collections such as the Library of Congress and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Through lectures, workshops, and teaching, Grubbs continues to inspire students and professionals to use drawing as a critical tool for observation, imagination, and design inquiry.
April 13th
Michael Dellis
Design Partner, PWP Landscape Architecture, Inc. Berkeley, CA
April 13th | STADM, Room 1204, 6 p.m.
Michael Dellis is a Design Partner at PWP Landscape Architecture, Inc., where he leads the design of complex, large-scale landscapes across the globe. His work spans a wide range of project types, including civic spaces, cultural landscapes, corporate campuses, transportation hubs, and major urban master plans.
With a background in fine arts, art history, and theater, Dellis brings a distinct artistic sensibility to landscape architecture, with a particular focus on the relationship between art, human experience, and landscape form. His approach emphasizes the creation of meaningful civic environments that operate across scales from intimate human interactions to expansive urban systems.
Dellis has contributed to some of the most internationally recognized contemporary landscape projects, including the National September 11 Memorial in New York, Salesforce Park in San Francisco, Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore, and Barangaroo in Sydney.
Educated at Cornell University, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture with honors. In addition to his professional work, Dellis has served on international design juries and has received multiple awards recognizing excellence in design.
April 16th
Eric Groft, FASLA
Owner & Principal, Oehme, van Sweden | OvS, Washington, DC
April 16th | BHSCI, Room 131, 6 p.m.
Eric D. Groft, FASLA, is CEO and Director of Oehme, van Sweden (OvS), one of the most influential landscape architecture firms in the United States and pioneers of the “New American Garden” design movement. With more than three decades of experience, Groft has led the design of a wide range of residential, institutional, and civic landscapes, recognized for their ecological sensitivity, horticultural richness, and strong connection to place.
His work spans projects across the United States and internationally, including botanical gardens, cultural institutions, urban landscapes, and waterfront environments. Groft is widely regarded as a leader in environmental and wetland restoration, shoreline stabilization, and the integration of sustainable design practices into expressive and enduring landscapes.
A passionate advocate for the evolving legacy of the New American Garden, Groft’s work emphasizes regionalism, seasonality, and the dynamic relationship between plants, people, and built form. Through his lectures and professional leadership, he continues to shape contemporary landscape architecture practice and inspire future designers.
He holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts in geography and environmental science from Shippensburg University, and he is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
April 23rd
James A. Lord, FASLA
Founding Partner, Surfacedesign, Inc., San Francisco, CA
April 23rd | STADM, Room 1205, 6 p.m.
James A. Lord is a landscape architect and founder of Surface Design, an award-winning practice recognized for its innovative and highly crafted contemporary landscapes. With a focus on the intersection of art, ecology, and construction, Lord’s work explores how materiality, form, and process can shape meaningful outdoor environments.
Through Surface Design, he has led a wide range of projects from residential gardens to institutional and public landscapes, each characterized by a refined attention to detail and a strong conceptual foundation. His work often emphasizes the expressive potential of constructed surfaces, integrating planting, grading, and material systems into cohesive spatial experiences.
In addition to his professional practice, Lord is an active voice in design discourse, frequently lecturing and sharing his process-driven approach to landscape architecture. His work has been widely published and recognized for advancing contemporary landscape design through both craft and experimentation.
