Mount Vernon is a 500-acre estate 16 miles south of Washington, D.C. on a bluff above the Potomac River. Historians, archaeologists, botanists and horticulturists have painstaking worked to preserve 50 acres of gardens and 20 structures as they existed in 1799, the last year of George Washington’s life. Initiated by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, owners of the property since 1853, the estate underwent $85 million in capital improvements, including a visitor orientation center, a museum and education center. AECOM’s role was to work with Mount Vernon and the architect to create an integrated site plan and landscape architectural design in which both new buildings “lie lightly on the land,” or, in the case of the museum/education center, under it. The project was designed with an 18th Century American plant palette, creating an ecologically and historically sensitive landscape.
AIA Baltimore Grand Design Award; Honor Award, ASLA Potomac/Maryland Chapters.

Planned by Congress to commemorate the Bicentennial, the National Garden occupies three acres adjacent to the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory on the National Mall. Every design element speaks to conservation, ecological and environmental issues. Educational programs and interpretive exhibits round out the garden’s message of sustainable design.
The garden—including a National Rose Garden, Lawn Terrace, Water Garden and a Regional Garden of native plants—is underpinned by native stone, local building materials and a comprehensive water conservation system.
AECOM provided overall design responsibility, leading a team of consultants through a design collaboration focused on linking garden and architecture in contextually responsive, efficient and environmentally-responsible ways. Water conserving techniques, native plant and hardscape materials are integral to the garden’s design. Plantings are pointed toward drought-tolerant native species that require minimal irrigation.