Hammel Green & Abrahamson (HGA) is a nationally awarded studio within an interdisciplinary firm. Our team combines thirty years of experience in the healthcare, private, public, arts and culture sectors with leadership in sustainable site development and contemporary design collaboration. Two of our principals are part of the first group of landscape architects in the nation to earn the SITES Accredited Professional (SITES AP) credential through Green Building Certification Inc., solidifying our leadership in sustainable landscape design and development.
We believe that great design can not only complete a built environment, but also transform it. Based on keen insight of our clients' needs and thorough site research, our expert teams create landscapes with stories - past and present - that foster a sense of unique place through ecological and social narratives.
Whether we are planning a jewel-box rooftop garden or a sprawling corporate campus, our landscape architects include clients and users as partners in the planning process. Our designers search for insight into what makes a site special to the client, how it will be used and how it can be planned for long-term sustainability.
Landscape architecture melds art and science to inspire healing, enhance culture, foster community or minimize environmental impact.
Software Used:
Adobe Suite, Revit, AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhino, Lumion, Enscape, MS Suite
Minneapolis, MN | Rochester, MN | Milwaukee, WI | Madison, WI | Boston, MA | Alexandria, VA | Washington, D.C. |
Sacramento, CA | San Jose, CA | San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA | San Diego, CA

 

Minnesota State Capitol Grounds Restoration, Saint Paul, Minnesota

The plan to restore the Capitol Grounds was based upon historical research that respected the building's historic importance while returning the site back to the grandeur the architect Cass Gilbert originally envisioned. During the research for this project, the design team located a historic letter from Gilbert to the building's committee Chairman. In the 1905 letter he remarked, "The whole planting is a matter of design not of whim and must relate to the architecture or it will be worse than useless and a waste of money." We used this to guide the re-envisioned plans for the grounds around the Capitol with the mission to simultaneously preserve and protect a national landmark, while making it a modern complex for all to enjoy and cherish.
With these goals, the design team implemented several design directives. The first directive stemmed from the goal of removing parking and vehicle access from the immediate building perimeter to improve aesthetic and security/functional issues. The second directive was to improve the visitor's experience. These two directives led to the creation of two new outdoor spaces on the Capitol Mall - the Aurora Promenade and a new civic gathering space at the foot of the grand south stair, the Capitol Plaza. This design move created a new outdoor gathering space known as the NE Quad, through the removal of what was a parking lot. This green space offers a lawn bordered by walks and benches, and celebrations.

Minnesota Military Family Tribute - Gold Star Table & Story Stones, Saint Paul, Minnesota

In 2009, a vision came about for a tribute honoring the sacrifices of every Minnesota military family - past, present, and future. To this end, a design competition was established for a fitting tribute on the State Capitol Mall. The tribute recognizes the tremendous sacrifices and continual support of families to military personnel through three elements: Family Walkway, Story Stones and Gold Star Table. The Family Walkway symbolizes a sweeping gesture of gratitude to all Minnesota's military families and creates a feeling of home. Uniting the tribute, an all?(C)e of Maples lines the arched walkway, providing shade. After seasonal changes, the spring bursts to life with beds of red poppies, daylilies, and roses announcing the entrance to the tribute as a tie to the memory of our veterans and as a means of reminding us to Remember Everyone Deployed (R.E.D.).
The walkway connects the tribute's two other elements: Story Stones and Gold Star Table. To foster a sense of ownership, each county is represented on the east side of the walkway by one large stone, possessing the character of their landscape and representing their home. Communication ranging from the Civil War to the present between service members and their families are engraved onto these Story Stones. Visitors are welcome to express gratitude for our Gold Star Families through thought, word or deed.

Minnesota Medal of Honor Memorial, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Located at the main entrance to the Capitol Mall, on direct axis with the State Capitol, the memorial incorporates the previously existing Promise of Youth sculpture, providing a means of reflection and contemplation. Its central location anchors the other veteran's memorials and tributes on Capitol Mall while offering powerful views to the Capitol. The memorial utilizes this layout as its main form driver and creates direct spatial and spiritual ties to the adjacent World War II Memorial and the Court of Honor to the north. The memorial is comprised of three main elements: Garden of Contemplation, Court of Reflection and a water feature supporting the Promise of Youth sculpture. At the south end of the memorial is the Garden of Contemplation. A bosque of eight columnar maple trees stand soldier-like in a crushed stabilized granite surface welcoming visitors to this honorable place. From the garden, visitors proceed north into the Court of Reflection. To the west, the thirteen golden bronze stars found on the Medal of Honor ribbon signify the original colonies; to the east the name of the memorial is expressed by carved letters. This threshold is the physical embodiment of the moment of choice with which each Medal of Honor recipient is faced and chooses to take heroic action. Vertical granite walls display the memorials shared values: Courage, Sacrifice, Patriotism, Citizenship, Integrity, and Commitment. The Court of Reflection provides an approach to and an opportunity to engage with the revitalized Promise of Youth sculpture.


Walker Art Center Wurtele Upper Garden, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The project is the re-imagination of the museum's upper garden; providing flexible, impromptu programming to accommodate large-scale public events. The design reinforces the Walker's status as an artistic, social, and virtual hub and serves as a national model of civic engagement through the integration of the landscape with the built environment.
Working in concert with the international design firm Inside|Outside and HGA's design architect Joan Soranno, FAIA; the design effort for the campus and new building addition led to the creation of a visitor-friendly and welcoming experience. The new addition is now the epicenter of the Walker Art Center's 19-acre campus. The updated upper garden is comprised of 12 varying plant material volumes, that are arranged across the canvas of the 6.5-acre southern portion of the campus. These volumes are expressed by masses of shrubs, ornamental grasses, formal geometric bosques of trees or a crisp, faceted plane of lawn holding a beautiful sculpture. The majestic bosque of Autumn Blaze Maples comprised by Volume 7, is situated in the garden on a 14-foot artificial earthen mound, created by geofoam over the parking garage below. This new landform offers wondrous views to the Minneapolis downtown skyline and provides the seating for events such as the annual fundraiser, Rock the Garden. A sinuous, zigzagging accessible walk of raked black concrete allows visitors to wander through the garden.