Landscape Architecture

F&V has a history in developing five-year parks and recreation plans, master plans for park development, non-motorized master plans, and specific design park and trail development plans that are integral in developing successful grant applications to various local and state funding agencies.

We utilize 3D rendering software that makes it easy to convey how your projects will translate into real-life situations and experiences. This design tool allows unlimited angle/view manipulation to bring your vision to a whole new level.

One of the cornerstones of F&V when creating a great public space is to build around the principles of universal design, which goes above and beyond basic requirements under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). All environments should be designed to meet the needs of any person with diverse abilities who wishes to use it. If an outdoor environment is accessible, convenient, and a pleasure to use, everyone in the community benefits.

We recognize that the value of pathways and trails extends far beyond linking together destinations on a map. More than getting people from point A to point B, they’re about the experience and the journey along the way. They also have the capacity to connect people and become a process of community building.

People want to live in communities in which they play, explore, and enjoy. Well-designed parks create inviting environments that get people to interact with one another and be more involved with their community. By creating public spaces that assist in increasing psychological and physical well-being, we are also helping to increase your community’s quality of life as they grow and change.

Softscaping is often the core of landscape architecture. It is the plants, grass, trees, shrubs, flowers, soil, and other elements that provide color, texture, form, and help define a space. It is the living animated part of a landscape that needs to be durable and maintainable in the often-harsh roadside environment.

Years of experience have taught us that communication can be the difference between a good project and a great project. We also believe that good communication starts with active listening. Excellent communication among the F&V team, the client, and residents/community members is critical to making a project successful. We have been successful in developing community surveys, facilitating public meetings and informal workshops to keep the community involved, helping form public-private partnerships, and keeping everyone involved informed and engaged.

We see sustainability as one of the most important opportunities for both the future of the world around us and for our business. “Green” isn’t a label or a certification; it’s a state of mind that, to us, means a project that is created through environmentally and socially conscious means. The field of “green technology” encompasses a continuously evolving group of methods, materials, and techniques for everything from developing new municipal infrastructure to generating energy to non-toxic cleaning products.
Deciding to incorporate green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs) into a project is not always a quick and simple answer. It must be an informed process based on a comparison of the costs and values associated with these practices with those of more conventional infrastructure systems. Whether your community is contemplating including BMPs in a municipal or public works project or in a private development project, the “value engineering” strategy may be useful in evaluating your options.