What SMI Landscape Architecture does

SMI Landscape Architecture is a boutique landscape architecture firm founded in 1982 and headquartered at 140 Royal Palm Way in Palm Beach, Florida. The firm provides professional landscape architecture services covering garden design, landscape restoration and preservation, civic and commercial master planning, botanical garden and parks design, and preservation work on historically significant properties. It serves two principal client segments: high-net-worth private residential clients with luxury estates and historic properties, and government and municipal entities requiring civic public-space design.

The firm operates with a multidisciplinary team of approximately five staff spanning garden designers, landscape architects, site planners, construction managers, and project managers, which enables principal-led quality control from design through implementation and maintenance. SMI's design approach blends a botanical-garden curation philosophy with a classical formal-garden framework, producing context-sensitive solutions across tropical, historical, and classical styles. The firm has accumulated more than a dozen industry awards between 2010 and 2021, including the Arthur Ross Award (2010), the Addison Mizner Medal (2014 and 2019), and the ASLA Florida Chapter Award of Honor (2017).

SMI operates a custom project-based professional services revenue model with bespoke engagements for private residences, estates, and civic spaces across Florida, the U.S. Northeast and Southeast, and the Bahamas. Customer acquisition is driven by reputation, portfolio visibility via its website, industry awards, and institutional partnerships with the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach and the Garden Club of Palm Beach, alongside repeat collaborations with architects including Fairfax & Sammons, Jacqueline Albarran, and Rafael Portuondo. The firm is privately held, founder-aligned, with no disclosed funding, M&A, or public-market activity.

Name

SMI Landscape Architecture

Legal name

SMI Landscape Architecture

Website

https://smilandscapearchitecture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SMI Landscape Architecture is a boutique landscape architectural design firm founded in 1982 in Palm Beach, Florida, serving high-net-worth private residential clients and government entities with bespoke garden design, restoration, and civic master planning across the US and Bahamas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Architectural Services (54131)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD), Residential Landscape Design (HSAIABAA), Landscape Construction Project Management & General Contracting (HSAIABAK)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture
• Master planning
• Site planning
• Estate garden design
• Construction documentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Palm Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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: Professional services revenue from landscape architectural design, master planning, garden design, landscape preservation and restoration, botanical gardens/parks, and civic and commercial master planning. Projects are custom, bespoke engagements typically billed on a project basis with total quality control over design, implementation and maintenance of detailed design solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SMI Landscape Architecture provides landscape architecture design and master planning services for private estates, botanical gardens, and civic/institutional clients. The firm delivers master planning, site planning, construction documentation, construction observation, and project management on a project-by-project basis. Its work combines botanical-garden horticulture with classical formal garden design principles.

Product overview

SMI Landscape Architecture is a landscape architectural design firm founded in 1982, offering a comprehensive suite of services including garden design, landscape restoration, civic master planning, botanical gardens/parks design, commercial master planning, and landscape preservation. The firm specializes in master planning, garden design, landscape preservation and restoration, botanical gardens/parks, and civic and commercial master planning projects. Their portfolio spans historic gardens, residential gardens (southern and northern), and urban gardens across locations including Palm Beach, Coral Gables, Chadds Ford, Saratoga Springs, and Westchester. The philosophy incorporates a 'botanical garden' approach fused with historic and classical formal garden design framework, creating exotic and thoughtful design solutions. Projects range from private residences to public spaces, with services delivered through garden designers, landscape architects, site planners, construction managers, and project managers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Landscape Architecture Design Comprehensive landscape architecture design service that integrates botanical-garden horticulture with classical formal garden composition for private estates, botanical gardens, and civic/institutional clients.
• Master Planning Long-range master planning service that produces site-wide landscape and development plans guiding the phased improvement of estates, botanical gardens, and civic properties.
• Site Planning Detailed site planning service addressing layout, circulation, grading, and functional organization of landscape elements within a property.
• Construction Documentation Production of planting plans, irrigation plans, grading plans, lighting plans, and construction details used by contractors for bidding and execution of landscape work.
• Construction Observation On-site construction observation service providing oversight during landscape installation to verify conformance with design documents and maintain quality control.
• Project Management Coordination of scope, schedule, consultants, and contractors across the design and construction phases to deliver landscape projects on time and to specification.

Quantifiable outcome

• Garden featured on cover of Garden Design Magazine and won many awards for Everglades Island project
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Preservation Foundation of Palm BeachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMI partnered with the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach to develop and complete projects within the Town of Palm Beach, including Town Hall Square Renovation, Pans Garden Botanic Garden, and Bradley Park.
• Garden Club of Palm BeachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMI partnered with the Garden Club of Palm Beach to develop and complete civic projects within the Town, contributing to historical preservation and beautification efforts.
• Rafael Portuondo (Architect)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMI collaborated with architect Rafael Portuondo on the Miami Estate project in Coral Gables. The collaboration between SMI, the client, and the architect was described as enjoyable and fruitful.
• Jacqueline Albarran (Architect)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMI worked with Palm Beach architect Jacqueline Albarran on the El Lido project. The firm has worked with her successfully many times, developing clear vision for properties.
• Fairfax & SammonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMI collaborated with the architectural firm Fairfax & Sammons on the Il Cortile project on Everglades Island. Having worked with the firm before, SMI was quick to coordinate and concepts for house and garden moved forward together.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sasaki Associates: Sasaki Associates is an established interdisciplinary firm with a long-standing landscape architecture practice spanning campuses, civic master plans, and high-end projects, broadly comparable to SMI's master planning work.
• WATG (Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo): WATG is a global design practice with landscape architecture capability across luxury hospitality, residential, and resort commissions, overlapping with SMI's HNW and classical garden work though at much larger scale and with broader portfolio scope.
• SWA Group: SWA Group is one of the largest landscape architecture and urban design practices in the U.S., serving as a broad incumbent whose high-end and civic work overlaps with SMI's portfolio but at very different scale.

Direct peers

• OLIN: OLIN is a Philadelphia- and New York-based landscape architecture and urban design firm working on high-profile civic, cultural, and luxury residential commissions, comparable to SMI in design intensity and prestige client base.
• Reed Hilderbrand: Reed Hilderbrand is a Cambridge-based landscape architecture firm with a comparable focus on historic landscapes, university and civic campuses, and high-end residential commissions, overlapping directly with SMI's restoration and classical design niche.
• Andropogon Associates: Andropogon Associates is a Philadelphia-based landscape architecture and ecological design firm emphasizing ecological responsibility and high-quality design, sharing SMI's design-driven boutique profile and emphasis on environmental stewardship.
• Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates is a design-led landscape architecture firm with strong presence in parks, civic master planning, and high-end residential work, sharing SMI's emphasis on design quality over volume.
• James Corner Field Operations: James Corner Field Operations is a design-led landscape and urban design firm with civic and high-end commissions, comparable to SMI in design philosophy though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Hoerr Schaudt: Hoerr Schaudt is a boutique landscape architecture firm in Chicago focused on gardens, estates, and cultural landscapes, providing a comparable boutique HNW and cultural-practice benchmark to SMI.
• Oehme van Sweden: Oehme van Sweden is a high-end landscape architecture firm known for residential estates, civic gardens, and historically-sensitive design, making it one of the closest direct comparables to SMI's boutique HNW and civic practice.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smi-landscape-architecture

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 SMI Landscape Architecture