Founded in 1989 by James Burnett, FASLA in Houston and led today by Burnett and his partners in five offices across the country, OJB values the human condition and the importance of community. The work affirms the public realm as our shared responsibility and a place for discovery, engagement, and change.

Transforming public spaces is central to our mission. The work weaves together ecology and play, celebrates discovery and delight in the landscape, and allows people to connect to the natural world in new ways. Our evidence-based approach to design respects natural ecologies and is an active learning model that continually informs our work. We strive for dynamic community input and feedback, and to express the special genus of each place.

OJB has been recognized with more than one hundred significant national and international awards for projects, including three ULI Open Space Awards, a global competition of the best public spaces. OJB is the recipient of the 2020 national design award in landscape architecture from the Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum as well as the 2015 firm award from the American Society of Landscape Architecture.

From campuses to workplaces, from the streetscape to the roofscape, we continually seek ways to connect people with nature. We know that well-being is intimately tied to our relationship with the natural world, and we must balance access to our public landscapes with their ability to be sustained. We explore the boundaries between architecture and landscape, infrastructure, and beauty, to create highly performing landscapes that meet our desire to gather together, find solace and respite, and support health and happiness.

The success of landscapes – environmentally, socially, and economically – are inextricably entwined. The exploration of this intersection is at the heart of our mission.

OJB has been recognized with over one hundred significant national and international awards for projects, including three ULI Open Space Awards, a global competition of the best public spaces. The firm is the 2020 recipient of the National Design Award for Landscape Architecture from Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum. OJB was awarded The Landscape Architecture Firm Award in 2015, the highest honor that the American Society of Landscape Architects may bestow on a landscape architecture firm. James Burnett, FASLA was awarded the Design Medal by the ASLA in 2016, its highest individual honor for exceptional work produced at a sustained level.

OJB Landscape Architecture is a collective landscape and urban planning practice inspired to create beauty and find unexpected moments in the natural world. Founded in 1989 by James Burnett, FASLA in Houston and led today by Burnett and his partners in five offices across the country, OJB values the human condition and the importance of community. The work affirms the public realm as our shared responsibility and a place for discovery, engagement, and change. We share a core belief that there is a sound way to connect and preserve ecosystems and that a resilient future is essential for our health and well-being.

Diversity, equity, engagement, and inclusion are not new topics at OJB. Our practice has continuously examined firm policies and goals to align with positive social values. We confirm our commitment to equitable practice with our attainment of a Just 2.0 label, a program launched by The International Future Living Institute.  Learn more about the label and our social justice and equity practices here.