Speakers

James D. Burnett, FASLA
President, The Office of James Burnett


Kinder Baumgardner, RLAJim Burnett founded the Office of James Burnett (OJB) in 1989 and has dedicated his career to creating meaningful spaces that challenge the conventional boundaries of landscape architecture. To date, OJB has garnered over 80 state and national design awards. Taking a multi-disciplinary approach to his practice, Mr. Burnett often works closely with design teams of highly-regarded architects, planners, artists, and other professionals and a diverse range of clients. Throughout his work, there has been a particularly strong focus on designing landscapes that promote healthy living. Most recently, his work has focused on the transformation of American cities through the creation of active public spaces. Mr. Burnett’s work in this area restores connections between disparate sections within cities, providing open space with a purpose through innovative programming initiatives. The firm’s contribution to revitalizing communities has been recognized with the 2014 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Urban Open Space Award for Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, Texas, as well as the 2015 ULI Urban Open Space Award for Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Burnett worked with the Annenberg Foundation on the creation of the Sunnylands Center and Gardens in Rancho Mirage, California - a sustainable desert garden that won the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Honor Award in 2012. Other awards include the ASLA’s 2015 Firm Award and two other Honor Awards from ASLA for the Brochstein Pavilion at Rice University in Houston, Texas, and the Reid Residence in Houston, Texas. 

 

Brochstein Pavilion at Rice University. Photo by Hester+Hardaway