Andrea Cochran, winner of the 2014 National Design Award in Landscape Architecture, believes that her field has the power to alter perceptions and ultimately initiate a deeper respect for the environment. The works of her San Francisco–based firm, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture, invite users to forge new relationships with their surroundings. By juxtaposing ordered architectural forms with the permeable, mutable materials of landscape, they draw attention to important moments in nature and highlight changes over time. Among the firm’s awarding-winning recent projects are the tranquil outdoor spaces that are part of the Windhover Contemplative Center (2015) at Stanford University and the vibrant, interactive environment of the Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square (2012) in Pittsburgh.

As AAR’s Mercedes T. Bass Landscape Architect in Residence, Cochran discussed her interest in creating landscapes that make visible the ephemeral and transitory elements of our natural world in a lecture titled “Immersive Landscapes” at AAR in October.