architecture 
& landscape

With an approach that bridges the boundaries of landscape, architecture, community placemaking, and ecology - Emily has contributed to notable projects around the world as a principal, project manager, designer, and always as a collaborative member of interdisciplinary teams. Her design work spans world-class resorts and iconic public spaces to single family houses, leading projects from initial client intros to constructed reality.

The Las Vegas Strip Park

Client: MGM Resorts International
Designer for !melk Landscape Architecture
2018

Emily played a key role in bringing native ecology and tranquility to the Las Vegas Strip through the design of its first public park. Her involvement through !melk spanned from the initial design phase through construction administration, culminating in the park's grand opening.

The park's design thoughtfully tackles the challenges of the desert climate, featuring innovative elements such as clusters 60-foot steel shade structures (designed by Emily) and recycled water features. Its xeriscape consists of more than 250 trees and 7,000 individual plants featured in dramatic botanic displays, with most of the trees hand-selected by Emily.

The Park acts as a 14-acre town square near the T-Mobile Arena with many food and beverage offerings, as well as a staging area for large civic events and community meetups, creating opportunities for flexible programming and public art.  

Emily running through the completed park!

Corner Townhouse

Brooklyn, New York
Emily as Bau Land - Landscape architect
Young Projects - Architecture
2015

A traditional Brooklyn townhouse was reconfigured to maximize lifestyle and open space with a gut renovation and addition. The hovering addition creates a series of distinct outdoor spaces across four levels of the house. Each of the landscape areas has a separate identity, going from the parking entry, and shaded green courtyard to the native meadow and multi-use patio on the rooftop. Three intensive green roofs showcase native plants and serve as a magnet for pollinators.

Working with Young Projects through the process, Emily contributed to the entire design.

The Barn

Client: Fulcrum Properties
Sacramento, CA
Designer w/ !melk Landscape architecture
2016

The Barn, situated along the Sacramento River within a new mixed-use neighborhood developed by Fulcrum Properties, stands as a landmark F&B destination and community activator.

It’s all-timber structure, crafted entirely from Douglas fir pine, features a distinctive undulating roof that not only captures the eye but also creates a welcoming canopy for concerts, food, and beverage events. This timber architectural marvel with a 60ft open span serves as a vibrant hub for community gatherings, exemplifying how innovative design can foster dynamic spaces for entertainment and placemaking. Emily was a partial but ongoing contributor to the project from concept through construction.

Resort Hotel at WDW

Orlando Florida
Project Manager w/ Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
2019

No company does hospitality and experience like this one. Emily has worked with them a couple times, most notably leading a design team at Bjarke Ingels Group on the vision and concept design for a large new resort hotel. Located on a keystone property on the main grounds near the park gate, it was a part of the founder’s original 1965 vision.

The design of the resort referenced legacy narratives while having a distinctly contemporary character. Through the process, a myriad of design alternatives were analyzed and presented, and the final developed to the detail of room layouts.

Songjiang Park

Shanghai, China
Emily Project Manager for !melk landscape architecture
Vinoly Architects - Architecture
2018

The Caoheijing Songjiang Industrial Park in Shanghai, China, is a large commercial and retail industrial park designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects and !melk Landscape Architecture. It features a bar concept that organizes 5 million square feet of buildings along a 1,500-meter central avenue parallel to Shanghai’s highway G60. The park is covered by a 55,000-square-meter trellised photovoltaic roof.

Spread across 220,700 sq meters, the park seamlessly integrates land and water, with recreational and educational activities while functioning as a waste filtration system.

Hance Park Masterplan

Phoenix, Nevada
Project manager for !melk who was Design Lead
2014

Hired by the City and Park community group, this 2-year master-planning effort for a 32-acre park in Downtown Phoenix reimagines the existing lawn over a highway into a vibrant and activated community space. Public engagement and stakeholders guided the development of a public-private financing plan and aligned people on a design featuring sculptural elements, native planting, and diverse programming while addressing transportation, heat mitigation, and public safety needs.

The first phase of the design’s construction was completed in 2021.

Extensive community engagement shaped the design. It was done by meeting people where they were through:

Small stakeholder meetings, Canvassing, a Presence at Community Events, and dedicated large Public Design Workshops

61 Ninth Ave

Meatpacking District, New York City
Client: Vornado Realty
Emily Project manager for !melk Landscape Architecture
Rafael Vinoly - Architecture
2016

A 150k SF Class A office and retail building in the heart of the Meatpacking district, this building is designed to give each floor access to outdoor green space, along with a large rooftop amenity space. Emily worked alongside Vinoly Architects to imagine a seamless indoor-outdoor connection that draws from the neighborhoods’ industrial past.

Construction was completed in 2019 and the building and it’s retail spaces have become one of the anchors of that area of the city.

WeWork Headquarters

Lord & Taylor Building, NYC
Emily Landscape Design for Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
2018

Once the home of Lord & Taylor, this landmark building designed by Starrett & van Vleck was purchased by WeWork for it’s headquarters and work spaces. As Chief Architect for the company, BIG, restored and refreshed what made this building a masterpiece, its display windows, delicate materiality, and expansive rooftop.

Emily worked on the design of the rooftop, anchored by a new overbuild structure with flexible programming catered to events. The rooftop design featured a variety of spaces for both social and personal use, complimenting WeWork’s approach to work environments.

Events & Partnerships

Brand & UX Design

Interiors & Products

Strategy & Development