Established in 1985 by Kenneth Lemm and Alec Michaelides, Land Plus Associates is an Atlanta based firm best known for innovative design and a keen attention to detail. Lemm and Michaelides stand out with powerful relationships with leading architects, interior designers, residential builders they’re an excellent example of the incredible results that come from creative collaboration! Read below to learn more about Landscape Architecture from one of the top firms in Atlanta!

Let’s get acquainted. Who are you and what’s your role at Land Plus?

Hello! We are Alec Michaelides, Design Principal, and Charlie Sears, Project Manager at Land Plus Associates.  Together, we lead our small practice to produce innovative and richly detailed site and landscape designs for projects of all sizes.

In your own words, what does a landscape architect do?

A landscape architect is first and foremost a problem solver.  Our clients bring us challenges, and our job is to develop creative solutions.  A good landscape architect will have a comprehensive understanding of all the disciplines involved in a project:  architecture, structural and civil engineering, plants, the trades, and will be able to effectively communicate across these disciplines, helping to build consensus and recognize opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked.

What 3 words describe your design aesthetic or philosophy of your company?

Design Aesthetic:  classic, timeless, elegant

LPA Philosophy:  creative, comprehensive, collaborative

What does a typical day look like for you?

As a Design Principal and a Project Manager, our day starts early.  We are in the office by 7:30am. The contractors and trades in the field executing our designs have questions, and we want to be available for them so that their days are productive. Once all the initial questions are answered, we pivot to design work. Alec finds he is most creative in the morning, so intensive design is scheduled for as early as possible. Charlie spends much of his time responding to client or contractor questions, following up on permits with municipalities, and managing staff and the production of our drawing sets, and collaborating with Alec as designs are developed.

Throw in a site visit or a new client consultation and before we know it, it’s 5:30pm and the office is technically “closed”. But like many design practices, you can typically find a few of us putting in the extra effort until later in the evening.

How many projects do you all take on at one time or throughout the year?

Our project list currently has over 100 projects that are active in some stage of the design process.  We pride ourselves on the diversity of our projects which range from large estates whose design lifecycle spans several years to small, intimate in-town courtyards that are designed and installed inside of a month.

Where do you find inspiration?

As landscape architects, our canvas is the built environment that surrounds us, and that is where we find our inspiration.  We live with our eyes wide open, and our projects constantly running in the back of our minds.  We are constantly observing, critiquing and absorbing the places we visit.  You never know when you will run across an interesting texture combination, drainage pattern, or hardscape detail.  We also find inspiration in beautiful books, publications, and online media.

We know you are involved with hardscapes, pools, gates as well as fine gardens. What are your favorite materials to work with at this time?

We seem to gravitate to the classic materials; bluestone, limestone, fieldstones, granite, crushed aggregates, mahogany.  The right detailing of these materials will always create spaces that evoke a sense of permanence and timelessness.

What are some current trends that you are seeing in residential landscape architecture?

In Atlanta, Cor-ten steel is starting to be seen more frequently.  This material provides an interesting texture and color contrast to the standard materials in our landscapes and when used appropriately it can be quite complementary.  Crushed stone paths and seating areas are also becoming popular.

Which trends are you ready to see make their way out, if any?

Specific to plant material… loropetalum, especially the purple leaf varieties which are garish and completely overused in the average homeowner’s landscape.  We see it all over town while driving and it inevitably becomes an overgrown mess.

What landscaping mistakes seem to be the most common or something that is your pet peeve that many homeowners do?

We see a lot of properties that are overplanted with too many species, too much clutter.  This segues perfectly into your next question.

What is your advice to homeowners on how to maximize the beauty of their property even if it is not a sprawling estate?

As Mies van der Rohe so aptly put it, “Less is more”.  Fussy plantings are distracting and should be used judiciously.  Rather, focus on appropriately placed evergreens to anchor the design, and fill in with drifts and massings that are easy for the eye to understand.  Complement the architecture of your home, don’t compete with it.

What are some challenges you face in your work?

I’m sure many landscape architecture practices are faced with the challenge of being the last design executed in the project.  Inevitably, there is some sort of value engineering compromise to our initial design that we need to address due to budget overruns during earlier stages of the project.  The challenge is to effectively tailor this revision to preserve the integrity of the design.

What is your advice for someone who is pursuing landscape architecture as a career?

If you are in school, focus and learn as much as you can.  Find a mentor that can guide you through the built environment, explaining how things are constructed and how materials are used.  Leverage social media by following firms or practices that interest you, paying attention to their details, renderings and style.

What’s one piece of advice from a past teacher or mentor that you have carried with you?

“Put in the extra effort.”  This goes for any stage of a career.  You will set yourself, and your practice apart.

What’s a favorite project that you have done to date?

AM:  For me, it was a 200 acre Estate located about 100 miles north of Atlanta.  This was a wonderful collaborative experience with residential designer William T. Baker and Suzanne Kasler Interiors.  I was given the opportunity to fully landscape about 13 acres of the site.  At that scale, I was able to take inspiration from English country manors and layer different gardens and experiences together along several axes and vistas.

CS:  Shortly after I joined Land Plus, we started a project with residential designer William T. Baker for a wonderful family in Sandy Springs, GA.  The site and the program were challenging along with the added regulatory constraints due to our proximity to the Chattahoochee River.  I put in the “extra effort” for this one to show Alec what I was capable of.  I studied the site on my own time, staying late to develop concepts early on, piecing the puzzle together in various ways.  My hard work paid off and the project is now one of the eight featured on our new website, English Regency.  We also just added a pool to the back yard, so stay tuned for updated photography once the plantings grow in!

When someone is building a home or remodeling an existing home, most will start to with a builder, an architect, and an interior designer. We know that a landscape architect should also be on that list, however, that’s not always the case. Why does a landscaping team play such a vital role in the execution of a project from the get-go?

Great question.  It all boils down to missed opportunities.  No other professional understands the varying aspects of the built environment as well as a good landscape architect.  If you choose to delay the involvement of a landscape architect in your project, there will be missed opportunities:  an improved view from a window, the expense of a retaining wall that could have been avoided, improved vehicular or pedestrian circulation.  The worst cases involve major compromises to a client’s desired program due to inadequate site study up front.  We have seen it happen, and it always could have been avoided.

When should clients bring a landscape architect into a project and why is that timing important?

If you step back and consider the traditional design process, everything starts with a loose sketch at a high level and evolves into the finished constructed element.  Your site design needs to follow the same trajectory in concert with the allied design disciplines.

As a team, we all need to begin with a comprehensive big picture, the Master Plan, and refine our elements together.  Invite the landscape architect to the table early to help set the stage.  We find that this can take pressure off of your architect and allow him or her to focus on what they do best.

Rapid Fire

Inspiring Instagram Accounts?

AM & CS:  @limestoneboxwoods

Podcast?

AM:  Dolly Parton’s America, Ted Talks

CS:  Sorry, but no time for podcasts with 2 little girls at home

Musician?

AM:  Chris Botti, Nora Jones

CS:  Sam Cooke, The Grateful Dead

Style Icons?

AM:  Suzanne Kasler

CS:  Sid Mashburn

Dream Vacation?

AM:  A week touring the English Countryside and the Cotswolds

CS:  A summer on Lake Como in Italy

Era of Design?

AM & CS: Now! The materials and construction methods allow us to do so much today.

Flower?

AM:  Peonies

CS:  Paniculata hydrangeas, for their longevity in the summer and classic style

Dream Project?

AM:  An estate project somewhere in Western Europe

CS:  A plantation project in quail country

Prized Possession?

AM:  My design practice

CS:  My family

Risk Worth Taking?

AM & CS:  Always put yourself out there

American City?

AM:  Charleston, SC

CS:  New York, the details are so rich if you pay attention

I can never have too much…

AM:  Time to take it all in

CS:  Time with family

Be sure to follow Land Plus Associates on Instagram (@landplusassociates) and check out their website here!