Firm

img-content-firm-1 Situated in Walnut Creek and the Napa Valley are the offices of Robert Mowat Associates. For over 30 years, our firm has provided thoughtful and creative solutions to design challenges throughout the country. Our firm works on select projects of varying scale and type. Within a diversity of design work, we find a common goal: make each and every project succeed beyond the initial vision of our clients and respective users to achieve an environmentally special and emotionally meaningful place.

We deliver solutions that exceed our client’s expectations. A testament to our success is the number of repeat clients, awards and publications associated with our firm over many years.

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Robert Mowat Associates presents a thoughtful approach to each project, focusing on environmental transformation. We embrace a collaborative design atmosphere giving each project an individual fresh approach while respecting the requirements of our clients. Our original and dramatic designs create exciting spaces that impact the way people live, work and enjoy their lives.

CAREER AT RMA

JOB TITLE: Landscape Designer
JOB DESCRIPTION: Under supervision, plan development of land areas for commercial and residential projects; prepare site plans, master plans, design concept reports, working drawings, specifications, and other construction documents for land development; utilize computer-aided design tools or hand sketches to create designs and assist clients in visualizing proposed ideas and plans; combine engineering elements into a cohesive design; produce colored drawings and landscape designs for showing the overall site concept for our clients, including master plans with prepared plans, models, designs, charts, and other visual aids; utilize expertise in plants, site planning, and landscape architecture principles to convert 2D drawings into 3D computer models for proposed landscape designs; conduct research and develop comprehensive designs and cost estimates for various aspects of landscape architecture, including site planning, lighting, hardscape elements, irrigation systems, planting schemes, and detailed specifications for landscape structures; conduct research and analysis of environmental reports to understand site conditions, and utilize the findings to guide the development of planting plans, emphasizing the use of climate-adapted materials and native plants, research precipitation, temperature range, and soil conditions specific to each project to ensure the suitability of selected plant species; conduct on- site inspections to assure adherence to the final plan and create As-Built Plans after site observations.
JOB REQUIREMENT: Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture or Advanced Architectural Design.

Within the cultural context of each project site, Robert Mowat Associates brings together a synthesis of architecture, environmental sensitivity and creativity to achieve the goals of our clients.

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Our design process creates moving and unique environments, delivering our client’s ideas, schedule, budget and agency involvements to successful solutions. Our memorable spaces reflect a broader environmental, social and regional context.

We excel at listening and creating designs appropriate for each particular client’s needs and requirements. Robert Mowat Associates collaborates closely with our clients and their team. While acknowledging each site as unique, the firm acts as change makers designing with innovative forms and traditional materials. We bring concepts of sustainability and xeriscaping along with air and water quality solutions to our regional designs. Our projects are typically composed of bay friendly solutions utilizing recycled and local materials to create innovative forms for social spaces. California native plants, passive and active solar techniques along with water conservation solutions are used to meet our client’s varied design challenges.

Projects bring change to a place or community. We have developed a keen awareness of the interconnected nature of projects, environment and people. We focus on finding these connective elements that change brings to a place or community. Our firm graphically articulates these interconnected systems of people, place and site and brings them into a physical form.

Following a strong design philosophy for the future, our vision and traditions remain focused on creativity, consensus and transformation. We continue into the future providing design excellence for human experiences while never forgetting our environmental responsibility to each site.

We create landscape environments of planned beauty through our attention to detail, aesthetics, budget, schedule and the regional setting of each project.

Our firm is composed of talented and experienced designers chosen for their creativity, technical abilities and enthusiasm. We are dedicated to providing the most forward thinking solutions for our clients, being conscious of our important role and responsibility for environmental awareness in every design we complete.

Services include site selection, analysis, land planning, processing and entitlements along with the schematic and conceptualizing of transformative landscape solutions. Our firm is involved with the public presentation process achieving successful consensus and ensuring stakeholders are included in the final design concept creation. Our firm provides design drawings for all construction elements in the exterior environment. Our services typically include goal making, proforma and cost evaluations, bidding administration and construction observation.

We are dedicated to providing new technologies within the landscape for the conservation of water and the careful use of resources. Our storm water solutions for regional C-3 design are proven technological success stories in streetscape, community and commercial environments.

Robert Mowat Associates looks forward to meeting your design challenge, confident of our creativity and technical abilities and their human value in the magical environments we create.

Our staff is composed of talented, educated and experienced designers who have a deep respect and appreciation for both the built and natural environment.

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Robert Mowat ASLA

Principal

Robert Mowat ASLA has been a licensed and practicing landscape architect for over 30 years. He obtained degrees in both Landscape Architecture and Ornamental Horticulture from the California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. He has been an active member in the both the planning and landscape architectural fields serving as a municipal Historic Preservation Commissioner, Water Advisory Board member and a civic board member interviewer over the years. Robert Mowat has served as an L.A. exam grader and test question preparer for the State of California. He lectures and critiques as a visiting professional to university students throughout the state. In his free time, Robert enjoys his family, traveling, skiing and being a professional musician.

Nieve Nielsen

Associate

Nieve is a fun loving free spirt who approaches each landscape design project with a passion that matches her zest for life. She is originally from Colorado where she received her Bachelor of Science as well as her Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Colorado. Her design career experience ranges from residential projects to large nationally acclaimed parks. She loves to learn about each site she designs and gets the most satisfaction when she can tie the two things she finds most precious in life, the natural environment and its surrounding community. In her down time, Nieve loves to garden, dance, travel and spend time with her family.

Jia Zhong

Designer

Jia Zhong was born and raised in China, graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco with a landscape architechture degree. She is Interested in the craft of architecture, digital design and foreign cultures. She is excited by the process of developing conceptual sketches to detailed construction plans and seeing these to built reality. Jia is involved in projects from conceptual design development to construction documents. Additionally, she appreciates the freedom and process of creating with her hands, which she considers sketching and digital graphics to be her primary tools for communication. Jia is also passionate in her engagement with meeting people and discovering new cities. Jia is striving for lasting designs of value for the built environment and the human community.

Julia Plotkin

Designer

Hi, my name is Julia. I graduated with a Master Degree MA from Tel Aviv University, Israel. My specialty was theater design that included: graphic design, costume design, stage design, theater make up, fashion and styling. I have a great passion for beauty and style and also an extraordinary eye for the harmony and color. As a professional designer, I have experience working within the graphic design, fashion industry, shoe design, styling, image making and illustration fields. I am confident that the general principles of style are equally applicable to all design fields. In my free time, I create oil paintings and hand graphics. Aside from my professional life, I’m a desperate cook, never tired traveler and a mom to an amazing little girl.

Ashan Kushkaki

Structural Project Engineer

Ahsan Kushkaki has a B.S in civil engineering and is a licensed civil engineer in the State of California. He has more than two decades of extensive experience in structural engineering working on variety of residential and commercial buildings and site structures. He possesses a deep understanding of structural engineering and business. Ahsan is a strong problem solver skilled at identifying root causes. Ahsan enjoys hobbies that include reading engineering articles, listening to music, cooking, having good food and spending time with his family and friends which is his favorite both personally and professionally. Ahsan’s hobbies also include eating extra hot chili peppers. On January 1994, Ahsan plowed through the hottest offered fiery chili peppers at the Maharani Restaurant in San Francisco, in an annual chili pepper contest sponsored by World Hunger Project. He was the first prize winner among 11 contestants deemed by ten judges from all over the world.