Bay Tree Design, inc.
Bay Tree Design is a Berkeley, California-based landscape architecture firm founded in 2007 that designs nature-based outdoor environments for children and communities, serving primarily Bay Area public sector clients including school districts, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bay Tree Design, inc. does
Bay Tree Design, Inc. is a Berkeley, California-based landscape architecture firm founded in 2007 that specializes in designing outdoor environments for children and communities. The firm delivers landscape architecture, schoolyard design for educational institutions from preschool through higher education, climate resiliency planning, community engagement facilitation, residential landscape design, parks and recreation design, and community farm design. Its differentiator is a niche focus on children's outdoor environments, combining landscape architecture with child development knowledge, outdoor education backgrounds, and Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) credentials. The firm is supported by an internal research library on climate-resilient plants and sustainable materials, and an expanding practice in phytoremediation and nature-based play spaces.
The firm operates as a project-based professional services practice, generating revenue through consulting fees tied to project phases from concept through construction and administration. GTM is sales-led, relying on RFP responses for public sector work and direct engagement for private clients, with growth driven primarily by repeat clients and referrals. The customer base is concentrated in Bay Area public sector clients — most notably a district-wide planning engagement for 29 San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) schools, plus Oakland USD, Stanford, UCSF, CSU Maritime, East Bay Regional Park District, and multiple East Bay municipalities — alongside select private clients such as Google. The team is approximately five members, led by Co-Founder and Principal Lisa Howard and Founding Principal Sharon Gamson Danks, the author of "Asphalt to Ecosystems."
Bay Tree Design holds multiple California certifications (WBE, LSB, Micro-SB, Green Business, SLEB) and has earned industry recognition including the 2012 ASLA Professional Award, 2019 Fast Company World Changing Ideas Award, 2022 AIA East Bay Beyond Award, and 2023 Leroy E. Greene Award of Excellence. The firm is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investment, and partners with Green Schoolyards America, Trust for Public Land, the International School Grounds Alliance, Center for Ecoliteracy, CAW Architects, and Eden Housing to expand project delivery and policy influence.
Bay Tree Design, inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bay Tree Design, inc.
- Legal name
- Bay Tree Design, inc.
- Website
- https://baytreedesign.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Bay Tree Design is a Berkeley, California-based landscape architecture firm founded in 2007 that designs nature-based outdoor environments for children and communities, serving primarily Bay Area public sector clients including school districts, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bay Tree Design, inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Landscape Architecture Services
- NAICS
- Landscape Architectural Services (54132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Residential Landscape Design (HSAIABAA), Arborist Consulting, Tree Risk Assessments & Appraisals (HSAIADAJ)
Keywords
Where Bay Tree Design, inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bay Tree Design, inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Landscape Architecture Design Services: Project-based professional services for landscape architecture design, master planning, and implementation guidance for educational, communal, and residential clients. Revenue is generated through consulting fees tied to project phases from concept through construction and settlement.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Bay Tree Design, inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bay Tree Design provides professional landscape architecture services focused on creating nature-based outdoor spaces for children and communities. Offerings span site design, master planning, schoolyard design for all educational levels, climate resiliency planning, community engagement facilitation, residential landscape design, parks and recreation design, and community farm design. The firm also develops policy publications and design guidelines for educational and municipal clients.
Product overview
Bay Tree Design is a landscape architecture firm offering a comprehensive suite of design and planning services focused on creating nature-based outdoor spaces for children and communities. The firm provides landscape architecture services, schoolyard design for all educational levels, climate resiliency planning, community engagement facilitation, residential landscape design, parks and recreation design, and community farm design. Additionally, they develop policy publications and design guidelines. The company operates as a single-service practice rather than a platform with modules, offering professional design services across educational, communal, residential, and civic project types.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Landscape Architecture Services Professional landscape architecture design services focused on creating outdoor spaces for children and communities to connect with nature, including site design, master planning, and community engagement for educational, communal, and residential clients.
- Schoolyard Design Design of educational outdoor learning environments for preschools, K-5 schools, 6-12 schools, and higher education campuses, including nature play spaces, outdoor classrooms, edible gardens, and sensory gardens for school districts and educational institutions.
- Climate Resiliency Planning Strategic planning services focused on climate resilient design, including vegetation analysis, fire-scaping, phytoremediation, and sustainable material selection for public and institutional clients.
- Community Engagement Facilitation and engagement processes to involve communities in planning and design, including workshops, consensus building, and collaborative design development for school districts, municipalities, and nonprofits.
- Residential Landscape Design Custom residential landscape design services including outdoor rooms, native plant palettes, urban farms, and modern country garden designs for private homeowners.
- Parks & Recreation Design Design services for parks, camps, community centers, and trailhead facilities, including universal access playgrounds, nature play areas, and park renovation projects for municipalities and nonprofit organizations.
- Community Farm Design Design of urban and educational farms including agricultural production facilities, community gardens, children's gardens, and Ohlone reflection gardens for nonprofits and educational institutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Carbon sequestration increased by 24 metric tons per year through reforestation planning
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Bay Tree Design, inc.
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bay Tree Design, inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Bay Tree Design, inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Eden HousingcoreBay Tree Design is working with Eden Housing as part of a collaborative team on the Point Reyes Station Neighborhood & Community Hub project, revitalizing former Coast Guard Housing into an affordable net-zero neighborhood.
- Community Land Trust of West Marin (CLAM)coreCollaborating with CLAM on the Point Reyes Station community hub project, supporting their community facilitation process through bi-lingual community meetings.
- CAW ArchitectsmajorOngoing collaboration with CAW Architects on SFUSD schoolyard projects including Visitacion Valley Middle School and the SFUSD Outdoor Learning Catalog.
- Lotus WatermajorPartnership with Lotus Water Engineering on the Resilient San Carlos Master Planning project, combining landscape architecture with water infrastructure expertise.
- Green Schoolyards AmericamajorLong-standing collaboration on publications and projects including Resilient San Carlos, OUSD Living Schoolyard Guidelines, and California Tree Palette for Schoolyard Forests.
- East Bay Regional Park DistrictmajorCollaboration on phytoremediation research creating comprehensive reports on green infrastructure best practices to improve air quality within the district's sensitive landscapes.
- Siegel & Strain ArchitectsmajorCollaboration on Camp Bothin Welcome Center project with Girl Scouts of Northern California, developing an elegant landscape composition.
- Hibser Yamauchi ArchitectsmajorPartnership on Allen Elementary School project creating an entirely new campus in San Bruno for Pre-K through elementary students.
- Center for EcoliteracycoreCollaboration on OUSD The Center project, the heart of Oakland Unified School District's 'Rethinking School Lunch' Master Plan including central kitchen, education center, and urban farm.
- International School Grounds AlliancemajorLisa Howard serves on the Executive Committee. Firm contributes to International School Grounds Month Activity Guide and Risk in Play & Learning Risk Declaration publications.
- Trust for Public LandcoreOngoing collaboration on green schoolyard programs including OUSD Living Schoolyard Guidelines co-authored with Green Schoolyards America.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bay Tree Design, inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- OLIN: National landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with institutional and campus projects. Overlaps with Bay Tree on educational and public-realm work but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.
- Sasaki Associates: Integrated planning, landscape architecture, and urban design firm with significant campus and public-sector work. Larger incumbent competing for many of the same institutional RFPs.
- SWA Group: Major landscape architecture, urban design, and planning practice with West Coast presence; competes for large institutional, educational, and waterfront commissions where Bay Tree also bids.
- Studio-MLA: Landscape architecture practice with emphasis on ecology, urban resilience, and community-focused public space. Overlaps with Bay Tree on climate-adaptive and community-driven projects but at broader geographic scale.
- SCAPE Landscape Architecture: Landscape architecture and urban ecology firm with strong climate resilience, waterfront, and public realm portfolio. Closely comparable on climate-resilient design methodology and public-sector positioning.
- James Corner Field Operations: Large, nationally recognized landscape architecture and urban design firm with portfolio of public realm, parks, and campus projects. Competes for similar institutional clients but operates at very different scale.
Direct peers
- CMG Landscape Architecture: San Francisco-based landscape architecture practice working across urban, residential, and institutional clients in Northern California. Comparable Bay Area peer with similar project scale and public/private mix.
- Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture: Small, award-winning Bay Area landscape architecture firm with a similar size, ethos, and focus on residential, institutional, and ecological projects. Direct comparable in scale, geography, and service mix.
- PWP Landscape Architecture: Berkeley-headquartered landscape architecture firm with a long track record of public realm, parks, and institutional work in the Bay Area. Directly comparable services, geography, and client types.
Others
- Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that funds and develops green schoolyards and urban parks, and an active Bay Tree partner on OUSD Living Schoolyard Guidelines and other projects. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but shapes the same buyer landscape.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bay Tree Design, inc. social profiles
Digital presenceBay Tree Design, inc. compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Bay Tree Design, inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bay Tree Design, inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Bay Tree Design, inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bay Tree Design, inc. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bay Tree Design, inc.
What does Bay Tree Design, inc. do?
Bay Tree Design provides professional landscape architecture services focused on creating nature-based outdoor spaces for children and communities. Offerings span site design, master planning, schoolyard design for all educational levels, climate resiliency planning, community engagement facilitation, residential landscape design, parks and recreation design, and community farm design. The firm also develops policy publications and design guidelines for educational and municipal clients.
Is Bay Tree Design, inc. a public or private company?
Bay Tree Design, inc. is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bay Tree Design, inc. founded?
Bay Tree Design, inc. was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Bay Tree Design, inc. based?
Bay Tree Design, inc. is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bay Tree Design, inc. make money?
One revenue line is on record: landscape Architecture Design Services.
Who are Bay Tree Design, inc.'s main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are OLIN, Sasaki Associates, SWA Group, Studio-MLA, SCAPE Landscape Architecture and James Corner Field Operations. Direct peers are CMG Landscape Architecture, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture and PWP Landscape Architecture. Trust for Public Land is listed as an others.
Does Bay Tree Design, inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bay Tree Design, inc..
What industry is Bay Tree Design, inc. in?
Bay Tree Design, inc.'s product category is Landscape Architecture Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAC, Landscape Architecture & Site Design, with a secondary code of HSAIABAA, Residential Landscape Design. Its NAICS code is 54132.