Since 1997, the National Building Museum’s Spotlight on Design lecture series has showcased luminaries in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, and design. This series presents a unique window into the creative journey and cultural influences of visionary practitioners, illuminating the powerful role of design in shaping the built environment. This upcoming lecture features Gullivar Shepard of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA).

Gullivar Shepard, Partner at MVVA, will present structuring ideas for city-building that have emerged from the firm’s expanded practice in landscape architecture. Founded in 1982, MVVA has grown its work from gardens to city-building. MVVA has endeavored to expand the reach of landscape architecture through successful collaborations with diverse practitioners, specialists in material and construction, and its long-term partnerships with complex client groups. 

Program Schedule 

6 pm | Doors open  
6:30 pm | Program starts
7:30 to 8:30 pm | Light reception

This program has applied for 1 HSW LA/CES (ASLA) and 1 HSW CEU (AIA). 

About Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) 

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), a landscape architecture firm founded in 1982, has grown its work from gardens to city-building. MVVA has endeavored to expand the reach of landscape architecture through successful collaborations with diverse practitioners, specialists in material and construction, and its long-term partnerships with complex client groups.

The firm’s projects have received numerous honors, including the ASLA Design Medal from the American Society of Landscape Architects; the Brendan Gill Prize from the Municipal Art Society of New York City; Progressive Architecture Awards; and awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Park Service, and the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada. 

About Gullivar Shepard 

Gullivar is recognized for his skill in navigating programmatic requirements, regulatory and jurisdictional hurdles, and problematic site conditions to create rich public spaces. With a background in architecture, his expertise ranges from the fine details of building landscapes to planning and managing the firm’s large, complex urban projects. These qualities bring an expanded interdisciplinary perspective to MVVA’s leadership. Since he joined the firm in 1999, he has applied his integrated design approach to challenges such as ecological restoration, flood control, transportation planning, and choreographing connections to parks and waterfronts.

Gullivar received a Master of Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, where he was awarded the Araldo A. Cossutta Annual Prize for Design Excellence. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.

Spotlight on Design is presented by the Anthony and Keiko Greenberg Foundation.  
Additional support provided by The American Institute of Architects. 

Image courtesy Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.