TERREMOTO
David Godshall, principal of TERREMOTO, talks about their practice approaches landscape design.
©Terremoto
©Terremoto
FAME: When was Terremoto founded and what does your company specialize in?
DG: We started the office in 2013 and we are landscape architects, so we focus in the design of exterior spaces. Our current workload is a mix of residential, renegade public facing work and idiosyncratic commercial and institutional projects.
FAME: Did you always know that you would become a landscape architect?
DG: Nope! I didn’t even know it was a thing until I was in my early 20’s. My undergraduate degree was in Art History. After graduating, I was living in Los Angeles building retail stores and I kinda fell in love with gardening, and from there, I learned about landscape architecture and ultimately went to UC Berkeley to get my masters degree.
FAME: For any clients reading this, can you describe what a landscape architect does?
DG: Landscape architects design exterior environments: gardens, landscapes, parks, city streets and spaces, plazas, etc. We think conceptually and philosophically about what a place could / should be, balance the needs and wishes of our clients and the project users, draft technical drawings so the projects can get built and play a major part in overseeing the construction. We’re also involved in the ongoing stewardship of our projects, as maintenance is key in landscape making. We think about the human use of the project, but also take water, wildlife and natural forces into deep consideration.
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FAME: When is the best time for clients to bring a landscape architect on board a project and why?
DG: As early as possible! I selfishly think that landscape architects should be the ones to site or locate new buildings, as architects sometimes don’t understand the botanical importance of certain trees, how water flows, etc. When designers bring projects to us where the building is fully formed, we often pass on those projects, as we prefer the landscape to be considered simultaneous to the architecture when it’s first being designed.
FAME: What makes Terremoto special?
DG: Many things! But in short, we’re increasingly thinking deeply on how to be good stewards to the land and the environment in an industry that inherently isn’t so (construction). With that, we prioritize using local materials, demolishing as little as possible, planting mostly native plants, allowing our senses and intuition to guide us and really try to have the biggest impact through the smallest actions possible. To do more with less.
Our internal office structure is also different in that we intentionally avoid bureaucracy, keep the hierarchy within the office at an absolute minimum to remain efficient and coherent, give project designers a tremendous amount of autonomy and lastly, have a 40% profit sharing program in which we disburse company profit in a way that is wholly egalitarian at quarterly intervals. We’ve studied the structures of conventional design offices and have tried to create an internal office architecture that offers an alternate way of practice.
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FAME: What are three things clients should know before starting a landscape project?
DG: You should get to know your site, needs and land before hiring a landscape architect. We often get calls from eager people who have just purchased a house and want to make a lot of changes, and we usually tell them to call us back in six to twelve months.
Gardens are slow! They take time, and are different from architecture in that sense. When we’re “finished” with the garden, it’s just getting started, so ongoing stewardship and an open heart and mind is key if you want your garden to be awesome.
You should really think about balancing your needs with the needs of the other living creatures we share the earth with. Not to get too hippy dippy here, but even a loved garden is empty of human life maybe 90% of the time, therefore, designing a garden that is useful to birds, insects, lizards, etc is a pretty awesome way to frame your thinking!
FAME: What should a client look for when hiring a landscape architect (i.e. What traits should a landscape architect have)?
DG: I once heard a saying along the lines “Don’t hire a landscape architect who doesn’t have dirt on their boots,” which I think is pretty awesome. As in any client / designer relationship, you should like their style of communication and respond positively to their previous built work. Don’t hire a designer and then request they work in a style that is alien to them.
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FAME: Construction projects are a team effort with the architect, landscape architect and contractor working closely together. Do you have any ‘words of wisdom’ on this? Or what makes for ideal teamwork?
DG: We actually prefer when our collaborators stay in their lanes! Our least favorite thing is when we get micro-managed by architects or interior designers, it wastes time and sets up a problematic power hierarchy. Giving our collaborators respectful distance to just do their thing (and when they reciprocate that for us) is our favorite way to work and tends to lead to the strongest results, but not all designers know this or understand this. And I say this not to say we don’t like collaborating – we do! When there are moments of interface between the building and the landscape, energetic and respectful conversations with our collaborators can be awesome experiences! But good fences make good neighbors and all that.
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FAME: What are your thoughts on using native species for landscaping?
DG: Do it! But also, no need to be overly dogmatic or stigmatize non-native species, as long as they’re regionally appropriate and not invasive. We try to use about 70-80% native species in our projects these days.
FAME: What is your favorite type of project to take on?
DG: We’re interested in projects that have the potential to take us into new, radical, philosophical and environmental territory. We love doing things we’ve never done before – there’s an energy and expansiveness to working at the limit of your wisdom and understanding, and as an office that prioritizes evolution, we seek those sorts of projects out.
FAME: Give us a fun fact about yourself!
DG: I’m a boring 42 year old Dad who mostly likes hanging out with his kids. Is that fun? I am what I am :)
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