Kelly Ann Hults LEED AP

Biscayne Beach Club, Miami, Fla.

Biscayne Beach is a 399-unit luxury condominium tower being developed in Miami's East Edgewater neighborhood. When it is finished in 2016, the 51-story high-rise will be Miami's first man-made beach club directly fronting the waters of Biscayne Bay. Witkin Hults Design Group incorporated two large beach entry pools into the project that serve as an oasis within the large expanse of sandy beach. Other amenities include fountains with built-in pool showers and an interactive water feature. Biscayne Bay also has a fire element, and a labyrinth maze leading to a pedestrian promenade, a sixth-floor 80-foot pool and "chill" lounge seating. There is also a dog park and tennis courts surrounded by a tiered rooftop lawn.

Sandals Whitehouse, Whitehouse, Jamaica

The W Hotel, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Q&A

1. What was the pivotal or motivating factor(s) that made you choose a career in landscape architecture?
You might say I am an "accidental landscape designer." I was working toward a bachelor's degree in interior design, but only a few courses were offered each term. I looked into what else might be interesting in the architectural design department and was intrigued by landscape architecture. It was only offered as a graduate program, but I was permitted to pursue undergrad and graduate degrees simultaneously. I found that I loved the scale of wide-open spaces. Once I experienced designing on such a broad canvas, designing for interiors felt too limiting.

2. What in particular do you attribute your success to?
I have a wonderful relationship of mutual respect and shared perspectives with Andy Witkin, who founded our firm. Early on, Andy was an amazing mentor who taught me how to balance the creative and business sides of our profession"?uand have fun. He offered me a partnership in 2007 and it changed my career. We have a talented, tight-knit design team who bring a smile on my face every time I walk in the door. Our enjoyment and satisfaction in what we do transfers to our clients who are very loyal to us because they know we sincerely care about them.

3. What career advice would you give to a recently graduated landscape architectural student?
After college, I quickly learned that the "real world" of design is very different than in school studios. You need to balance a lot of balls at the same time. Fortunately, when I started here in 1998, we were a fairly small firm with highly diversified clients. I was immediately thrown into large commercial, single-family communities and exciting international resort projects. I was able to design hardscapes and landscapes, do renderings, estimate budgets and perform construction administration tasks even though I was a new associate. My advice to a recent graduate is to find a small to midsized firm with a culture of mentoring newcomers and a varied project base. That way, you get hands-on experience in all the interesting areas our profession offers.