Kathryn Gustafson

 "Designing a landscape is about connecting the body, soul and mind to the land itself." - Kathryn Gustafson

Kathryn Gustafson 

Born 1951

Kathryn Gustafson is an American landscape architect, who has won awards and prizes including the Millennium Garden Design Competition. She is commonly known for her ability to create sculptural forms, using earth, grass, stone and water. Her works include the Gardens of the Imagination in Terrasson, France. 

The Jardins de L'Imaginaire is a public park and contemporary garden, which was designed in 1996, it uses 13 tableaux to present the myths and legends of the history of gardens. It uses simple natural elements; trees, flowers, water and stone to suggest the passage of mankind from nature to agriculture to the city. 

One of Kathryn's award-winning projects includes Westergasfabriek Culture Park in Amsterdam, designed in 2006. It is considered as a model of brownfield reclamation within a physically dense urban context and a complex set of stakeholders. The scheme establishes a delicate balance between contamination and accessibility, invention and interpretation, restoration and revelation. It is a vibrant cultural centre for the arts and a meeting place for surrounding communities. 

The masterplan for the 11.5-hectare site includes trails and gardens, an events field for 10,000 people, a playground, a waterfall, a bridge and an artificial lake that can be drained to accommodate large festivals. The design also took into account the pedestrian experience, incorporating bicycle trails and the vehicular needs of the arts organizations which are located in the historic building. The existing grounds were reverted to a green, recreational park, with local residents envisages as the main users, and the natural environmental qualities strengthened.