Long after the COVID-19 pandemic is gone, its influence on school and hotel designs will be seen across New England.
Traverse Landscape Architects LLC, a small but growing firm based in Providence, has seen its portion of business related to K-12 schools and hospitality facilities increase dramatically in the past several years.
Schools, for example, including public and private new construction and additions, now represent about 60% of its business, according to Kris Bradner, a principal with the firm.
Traverse was hired to work on the site design and master planning for the state’s largest public school project, the new East Providence High School.
The pandemic has influenced design choices, inspiring the landscape architects to create new outdoor classrooms and designs that bring the outdoors into the building footprint, such as through courtyards.
“There has always been a trend, especially in the work we do in Massachusetts, for outdoor learning,” Bradner said, “taking advantage of nearby wetlands for an outdoor classroom or creating a courtyard space that is great for outdoor learning that has shade or amenities. Those were trends that were already happening. With COVID, it’s become more so.”
The firm, which was established in 2011, conducts full site planning, as well as landscape architecture. In the past several years, it has grown from five full-time employees to 11, reflecting the growth in residential, hospitality and education sector clients.
Hospitality, and specifically hotels and restaurants creating more outdoor space, has been another growth sector. The company recently completed the landscape planning for the new Hammetts Hotel in Newport, which opened last year.
While the firm does not disclose sales revenue, it has seen annual growth exceeding 10% in the last four years, with the exception of 2020, which was down slightly, according to Bradner.
This year, the firm is projecting a smaller amount of growth.
Most of its contracts come through long-term relationships with people, according to Bradner. The residential market, led by Ashley Iannuccilli Cullion, a principal with the firm, has seen 70% growth in the last few years, Bradner said.
Residential work includes design for new construction along the coast, as well as significant renovations. That portion of the business swelled as more people from other locations, including New York and Massachusetts, bought properties in Rhode Island, according to Iannuccilli Cullion.
“People have really honed in on the fact that during COVID, your landscape, your home, is your safe space, your oasis,” she said. “That’s been very exciting for us.”
OWNERS: Kris Bradner, Ashley Iannuccilli Cullion, Arthur Eddy
LOCATION: 150 Chestnut St., Fourth Floor, Providence
EMPLOYEES: 11
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Landscape architecture
YEAR FOUNDED: 2011
ANNUAL SALES: WND
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
