About

"Design is more than mere decoration. It elevates the human spirit." – Glen Schmidt, FASLA, Founding Partner

Creating Signature Spaces

Founded in 1983 Schmidt Design Group is a comprehensive landscape architecture and planning firm dedicated to balancing artistic design with environmental sensitivity. For more than four decades, we have worked with clients and communities of all sizes, scales, and budgets throughout California and beyond to craft spaces that are beautiful, sustainable, and economically viable.

We are a client-centered, service-oriented small business dedicated to creating signature spaces that reflect the character and vision of the communities in which we work. The firm is headquartered in San Diego, California with an office in Fairfield, CA. We currently hold SBE certification in the State of California.

Areas of Expertise
  • Parks and Open Space
  • Urban In–Fill/Mixed–Use Developments
  • Campus Planning and Design
  • Healthcare/Healing Gardens
  • Commercial and Industrial Sites
  • Design-Build Collaborations
  • Office and Retail Environments
  • Multi-Family and Single-Family Residential
  • Public School Facilities
  • Low Impact Design and Stormwater Management
  • Affordable Housing
  • Museums and Interpretive Facilities

Some of Our Distinguished Awards

To date, Schmidt Design Group, Inc. has been honored with over 200 awards for design and technical excellence. Over the past 40 years, Schmidt Design Group has worked countless hours alongside clients and communities to craft spaces that have been recognized as providing an enduring and environmentally responsible legacy.

19
Orchid Awards
45
American Society of Landscape Architects
49
American Public Works Association
16
California Park and Recreation Society
6
National Awards
77
Other Awards

“We use design as a conduit for storytelling, expressing the essence of the communities in which we work.” – JT Barr, President & Managing Partner

Meet our Team

Sustainability

Schmidt Design Group has a historic and passionate commitment to environmental sensitivity. The entire staff unites under a the philosophy Positive Change by Design, with the end goal of making a lasting positive environmental, social, and economical impact on the communities in which we work.

Sustainability

A Word From Our Clients

Schmidt Design Group cherishes and appreciates our clients.  They are why we exist and they know their business better than anyone.  Our clients help define who we are as a firm – their diversity reflects ours and their commitment to sustainability and innovation continue to be one of our greatest sources of inspiration.

  • "Schmidt Design Group has designed some of the City's most memorable parks. From their work on public parks like Civita Park in Mission Valley to their work on private projects like the gardens at Stone Brewing in Escondido and Point Loma, their team's iconic and environmentally friendly designs have made San Diego better for all of us."

    - Todd Gloria | Mayor City of San Diego

  • "I'm jealous of just how tangible the benefit of their work is: go to any SDG designed park on a weekend and listen to the laughter, children shrieking, pitter patter of little feet, and all the noises of a bustling park- it's an ongoing round of applause for a job well done!"

    - Pete Shearer | Senior Director Hines - San Diego

  • "Schmidt Design Group has been a great success story for the District, understanding the client's needs and working together to create a wonderful landscape design that meets the needs of the community and the District staff."

    - Frank Shuman | Planner, Estimator, and Inspector San Diego Unified School District

  • "Maple Street Pedestrian Plaza was not an ordinary home run. It was a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning in the seventh and deciding game of the World Series—positively dramatic and, quite frankly, more than I had expected."

    - Ed Gallo | Former City Council Member City of Escondido

  • "Schmidt Design Group's designs create a beautiful backdrop for our homes and open spaces that are welcoming, creative, and engaging. They are exceptional at layering the context of a place with feedback from neighbors and site constraints to help us envision places that knit into the fabric of the surrounding built and natural environments."

    - Ryan Green | Division President Lennar Homes

  • "In my 20+ years of working in real estate development, I have never worked with a more talented group of people than the team at Schmidt Design Group. Their ability to create places that are truly special and timeless is without equal. I look forward to another 20 years working together!"

    - Mark Radelow | Senior Vice President Sudberry Properties