Terrain Studio

What Terrain Studio does

Terrain Studio is a full-service landscape architecture, urban design, and planning consultancy founded in 2011 and headquartered in Oakland, California. The firm delivers professional design services across nine practice categories — Educational, Mixed-Use, Natural Systems, Parks, Planning + Urbanism, Public Realm, Residential, Tourism, and Workplace — to public-sector clients (cities, park conservancies, transit authorities, urban development agencies), private real-estate developers, and educational institutions. Projects range in scale from private gardens to city-wide master plans, with named commissions including the 44-hectare ONE PARK – OCT Happy Xiang Lake in Nanchang, the Heart of the Park at Hermann Park (Houston; 6 million annual visitors), the 89-hectare Bay Community in Shanghai, and the 250-acre Envision Smart Energy Campus in Nanjing.

The firm is led by two principals, Scott Slaney (FASLA, former Managing Principal of SWA Group's Houston and Shanghai studios) and founder Minhui Li (ASLA, LEED GA, former Associate at SWA Group), supported by a small team of registered landscape architects, designers, and a controller. Terrain Studio relies on standard digital collaboration, design visualization, and animation tooling to coordinate across geographies; the firm does not offer proprietary technology products, software platforms, or AI-based capabilities, and holds no patents or trademarks. Design methodology centers on "experiential landscape" and "land-based planning" approaches, with the firm's and principals' work recognized by 40+ professional design awards from ASLA, ULI, APA, USGBC, and others.

Revenue is generated exclusively through project-based professional-services fees on awarded engagements, obtained through direct client relationships, competitive bidding, and design competitions. Terrain Studio operates three offices — Oakland (Bay Area headquarters), Houston Midtown, and Shanghai — and serves as either prime consultant or collaborative design-team member on each engagement. Pricing is negotiated on a project-by-project basis and is not publicly disclosed. The firm is privately held and founder-owned, with no venture capital, private equity, parent company, or subsidiary structure indicated in the available source material.

Name

Terrain Studio

Legal name

Terrain Studio

Website

https://terrain-studio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Terrain Studio is a privately held, founder-led landscape architecture and urban design firm founded in 2011, operating from Oakland, Houston, and Shanghai to serve public-sector agencies, private developers, and educational institutions across the United States and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture services
• Urban design planning
• Master planning services
• Public realm design
• Site planning consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Landscape Architecture Services: Full-service landscape architectural design services from programming and conceptual design through construction documents, permitting, bidding, and construction phase services. Revenue is project-based, earned through consulting fees on awarded projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Terrain Studio is a full-service landscape architecture, urbanism, and planning firm that provides professional design services from programming and conceptual design through construction documents, permitting, bidding, and construction phase services. The firm delivers landscape architecture, planning, and urban design work as either prime consultant or collaborative design team member across nine service categories including educational campuses, mixed-use developments, natural systems, parks, planning and urbanism, public realm, residential, tourism, and workplace projects.

Product overview

Terrain Studio is a full-service landscape architecture, urbanism, and planning firm offering design services across nine categories: Educational, Mixed-Use, Natural Systems, Parks, Planning + Urbanism, Public Realm, Residential, Tourism, and Workplace. The firm provides end-to-end services from programming and conceptual design through construction phase observation, serving as either prime consultant or collaborative team member. Projects range from private gardens to large-scale urban environments, with the portfolio spanning parks, corporate campuses, waterfront developments, educational campuses, residential communities, and transit-oriented developments. No distinct software product or platform is offered; the company provides professional design services rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parks Services Design and planning of urban parks, public plazas, waterfront spaces, and recreational landscapes at various scales for cities, park conservancies, and public agencies.
• Planning + Urbanism Services Comprehensive planning, urban design, master planning, and strategic planning for districts, corridors, and urban communities for government, developer, and institutional clients.
• Public Realm Services Design of streetscapes, pedestrian environments, transit amenities, and public infrastructure improvements for urban districts, including Bus Rapid Transit integration.
• Mixed-Use Development Services Landscape architecture and master planning for mixed-use developments combining commercial, residential, hospitality, and public spaces for private developers and investors.
• Natural Systems Services Ecological planning, wetland restoration, habitat creation, and sustainable landscape design working with natural systems and environmental engineering for public and private clients.
• Tourism Services Master planning and landscape design for resort communities, eco-tourism destinations, and hospitality properties for private developers and tourism investors.
• Residential Services Landscape design for private residences, residential communities, and high-end residential developments for private clients and developers.
• Educational Services Campus master planning, landscape architecture, and design services for educational institutions including universities, colleges, K-12 schools, and specialized research facilities.
• Workplace Services Corporate campus design, workplace landscapes, and commercial property landscape architecture for corporations and private developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ professional design awards at local, state, national, and international levels
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered historical/former and project-level.

• SWA Grouphistorical/formerStrategic or Co-development PartnerScott Slaney joined Terrain Studio in January 2014 after serving as Managing Principal of SWA Group Houston and Shanghai. The collaboration between Slaney and Minhui Li began in 2001 while both were at SWA Group. Prior to founding Terrain Studio in 2011, Minhui Li was also an Associate with SWA Group in Houston and Sausalito.
• Slaney Santana Grouphistorical/formerStrategic or Co-development PartnerScott Slaney previously co-founded and operated Slaney Santana Group before joining Terrain Studio. Lisa Slaney was also a Principal at Slaney Santana Group before repatriating to the Bay Area and joining Terrain Studio in February 2014.
• Nikken Sekkeiproject-levelTechnology or IntegrationNikken Sekkei served as Design Architects for the Longfor Lightyear Shapingba Transit Oriented Development Center project in Chongqing, China. Terrain Studio provided landscape conceptual design, schematic design, design development, and construction phase services.
• Laguarda Low Architectsproject-levelStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaguarda Low Architects served as consultants on the ONE PARK - OCT Happy Xiang Lake Master Plan project in Nanchang, China. Terrain Studio led landscape conceptual master planning and schematic design.
• CommArts / Stantecproject-levelStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommArts / Stantec provided branding, architectural streetscape elements, and transit stations design for The Boulevard Project (Post Oak Boulevard reconstruction) in Uptown Houston. Scott Slaney was involved in initial conceptual design while with another firm.
• KPF Exhibition Center Design Architectsproject-levelStrategic or Co-development PartnerKPF Exhibition Center Design Architects served as design architects for The Cloud Forest Plaza project in Wuhan, China. Terrain Studio served as Prime Design Consultant providing full design services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SWA Group: SWA Group is a premier landscape architecture, urban design and planning firm with offices across the US and Asia. Both Terrain Studio principals (Scott Slaney and Minhui Li) were formerly at SWA before founding or joining Terrain, making it the most directly comparable peer in scale, services, and project types.
• James Corner Field Operations: James Corner Field Operations is a leading landscape architecture and urban design firm known for transformative public realm projects (e.g., New York High Line). Comparable to Terrain as a design-led practice working at the intersection of landscape architecture, urbanism, and large-scale public and private commissions.
• Sasaki Associates: Sasaki is a multi-disciplinary design practice with deep landscape architecture, urban planning, and master planning capabilities. Highly comparable to Terrain in delivering large-scale master plans, campus design, and integrated urban design for both US and international clients.
• OLIN: OLIN is a landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with offices in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles. Directly comparable to Terrain in service mix, premium positioning, and portfolio of high-profile public realm, park, and campus projects.
• Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects: Nelson Byrd Woltz is a Virginia-based landscape architecture firm specializing in gardens, parks, and large-scale landscape master plans with cultural and ecological depth. Comparable to Terrain as a boutique design-led practice pursuing award-winning public and institutional commissions.
• Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture: Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture is a San Francisco Bay Area-based studio recognized for award-winning residential, institutional, and public realm design. Highly comparable as a Bay Area boutique practice with similar principal-led model and emphasis on design excellence.
• Hood Design Studio: Hood Design Studio is an Oakland-based landscape architecture and urban design practice led by Walter Hood. Directly comparable as a Bay Area-based, design-driven studio working on public realm, park, and cultural landscape projects with strong national profile.
• OJB Landscape Architecture: OJB is a landscape architecture and urban design firm with offices in San Diego, Houston, and other US cities. Comparable to Terrain in scale, multi-office presence, and portfolio of public realm, park, and mixed-use development projects across the southern US.

Broad incumbents

• LandDesign: LandDesign is a large multi-disciplinary design firm offering landscape architecture, civil engineering, urban design, and planning. Comparable to Terrain as a competitor in landscape architecture and master planning, but with significantly greater scale, geographic reach, and integrated engineering capabilities.
• Snøhetta: Snøhetta is a globally recognized multi-disciplinary design practice with strong landscape architecture, urban design, and master planning capabilities. Comparable to Terrain in pursuit of large-scale cultural and public landscape commissions, though operating at much larger scale and broader service breadth.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/terrain_studio
• Facebookfacebook.com/terrainstudio.landscape.architecture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/terrain-studio-inc-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Terrain Studio