What “Design” Means...
Design is where understanding becomes intention.
We translate diagnostic data into site-specific blueprints that guide how water moves, how roots establish, and how carbon and nutrients cycle through the landscape. Every design begins with how the land already functions and works forward from there.
Rather than imposing a template, we design systems that align with natural patterns, respond to real constraints, and improve their own performance over time. Each contour, planting strategy, and intervention serves a functional role in a living system.
Most Companies
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Problem
Designs prioritize appearance over function. - Reliance on irrigation and ongoing inputs.
- Static plans disconnected from soil biology.
- Engineering that resists natural flow.
Tierra Buena
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Our Approach
Designs for function first.
Informed by hydrology, biology, and terrain.
Built from diagnostic data, not assumptions.
Works with the land’s existing patterns.
Design Solutions Built for Function
Every site has a different story, and every design responds to that story.
Our design work focuses on restoring ecological function while supporting real-world use. Whether the goal is improved soil health, water resilience, biodiversity, or education, designs are grounded in diagnostics and shaped by how systems interact over time.
See below for quick estimates on our design plans.
We design closed-loop systems that retain nutrients, store carbon in stable forms, and convert organic waste into functional inputs. The goal is efficiency through biological cycling, not external dependency.
Designs anticipate variability. We account for drought, intense rainfall, and long-term climate shifts by building redundancy and flexibility into soil, water, and plant systems.
Design integrates ecological function with human use. Paths, structures, and access points are designed alongside water and vegetation systems so infrastructure supports, rather than disrupts, ecosystem processes.
Designs slow, spread, and sink water into the landscape. Using topography and flow patterns, we reduce erosion, improve infiltration, and transform runoff into stored ecological value.
Designs increase functional diversity across plants, microbes, and wildlife. Habitat strategies support pollinators, beneficial insects, birds, and soil organisms through intentional structure and species selection.
We design competitive systems that favor desired species rather than relying on constant removal. By restoring soil conditions and plant communities, invasive pressure is reduced naturally over time.
We design landscapes that moderate temperature, manage wind, and improve microclimates through vegetation, soil moisture, and landform placement. These systems reduce energy demands naturally.
Design does not end at installation. We build monitoring points and adaptive pathways into plans so systems can evolve with seasons, management, and data feedback.
Designs can serve as learning tools and community assets. We create landscapes that demonstrate ecological function, support education, and reconnect people to the land through visibility and engagement.
We design systems that rebuild soil structure, biology, and nutrient cycling. Plans address compaction, aggregation, root architecture, and microbial function to restore soil as a living engine, not just a growing medium.
Some sites defy categories. If a challenge crosses disciplines, scales, or expectations, we design from first principles to meet it.
Every Blueprint Tells a Story
Each design begins with what the land revealed through diagnostics.
We map how water wants to move, where roots will thrive, and how nutrients can cycle efficiently. The result is a living blueprint that connects soil biology, landscape form, and long-term performance into a coherent system.
Why it matters
Design determines whether land requires constant intervention or begins to manage itself.
When ecological function is built into the design, landscapes capture water, store carbon, cycle nutrients, and recover from stress more effectively. Good design reduces maintenance, increases resilience, and aligns ecological health with economic reality.
Converts soil data into real-world solutions.
Reduces long-term maintenance costs.
Increases drought and flood resilience.
Aligns ecological health with economic performance.
Creates systems that improve year after year.
Contact usYour design is the
blueprint.
Move from understanding to implementation. Start today with our diagnostic steps.
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