Landscape Architects New Orleans, LA
B2B Landscape Architecture Services for New Orleans’ Development Community
Evergreen Design Group is a licensed landscape architecture firm serving architects, civil engineers, land developers, and design-build contractors in New Orleans and throughout the Greater New Orleans metro — including Jefferson Parish, St. Tammany Parish, St. Bernard Parish, and the West Bank. Since 2005, we have delivered land planning, landscape architecture, and irrigation design for commercial, multi-family, mixed-use, and industrial projects across the Gulf South, with a licensed team that understands the layered regulatory environment, subsidence challenges, and coastal resilience demands that define development practice in New Orleans.
Our practice is exclusively B2B. We work as a coordinated subconsultant and project partner to development and design teams — not homeowners — and our deliverables are structured for permit submittal, technical review, and direct integration with your civil and architectural scope. We do not subcontract your landscape architecture, land planning New Orleans, or irrigation design New Orleans scope to third parties.
Evergreen Design Group holds active Louisiana licensure (SC COA #412) and maintains active registrations in 43 states. All landscape architectural services for New Orleans projects are performed under our Louisiana licensure.
Landscape Architecture Firm New Orleans
Evergreen Design Group is a landscape architecture firm in New Orleans operating at both a local and national scale. We hold active licensure in 43 states, including active Louisiana licensure — and our team brings direct project experience navigating the City of New Orleans’ regulatory framework, the Historic District Landmarks Commission and Vieux Carré Commission review processes, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans stormwater requirements, FEMA Base Flood Elevation compliance, and the subsidence and soil conditions that shape every project in this market.
As a landscape architecture firm serving New Orleans developers, civil engineers, and architects, we bring jurisdiction-specific knowledge of the regulatory environment that distinguishes New Orleans from virtually every other development market in the country. The city sits largely below sea level, is crossed by drainage canals and pump stations, sits within an active hurricane zone, and contains some of the most carefully regulated historic districts in the United States. Landscape architecture practice here requires specific, earned experience — not generic Gulf Coast familiarity.
Our New Orleans landscape architecture practice is exclusively B2B. Our clients are architects, civil engineers, land developers, and design-build contractors who need landscape architects in New Orleans who understand entitlement timelines, deliver construction-ready documentation, and integrate cleanly into their project teams.
Designing for New Orleans’ Environmental and Regulatory Realities
Floodplain Compliance and FEMA Elevation Requirements
Nearly all development in New Orleans involves FEMA flood zone considerations, and many projects require coordination with the City’s floodplain administrator and the Louisiana Division of Administration’s Office of Community Development. Site grading, drainage design, and landscape infrastructure must be developed with Base Flood Elevation requirements as a baseline constraint. Our land planning and landscape documentation is coordinated directly with civil engineering deliverables to ensure a consistent, compliant approach across all project disciplines.
The Sewerage and Water Board and Stormwater Management
The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans regulates on-site stormwater management for new development and significant redevelopment projects. New Orleans’ Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance includes green infrastructure requirements for many project types — including bioretention, permeable paving, and on-site detention — that must be reflected in landscape and civil documentation. We design with those requirements as a starting point, not a retrofit.
Subsidence and Soil Instability
New Orleans’ soils — primarily organic clays, fill, and alluvial deposits — are among the most compressible in North America. Subsidence is a documented, ongoing condition across much of the city, and it affects hardscape performance, drainage infrastructure, and the long-term health of planted areas. Our specifications account for differential settlement, and we coordinate with geotechnical and civil engineers on foundation and subgrade strategies that inform landscape and hardscape detailing.
Historic District Design Constraints
A significant portion of New Orleans’ development activity occurs in or adjacent to locally and nationally designated historic districts — including the Central Business District, the Garden District, Uptown, Mid-City, and Faubourg Marigny, among others. The HDLC and the Vieux Carré Commission review exterior design elements including landscape and hardscape for projects within their jurisdictions. We are familiar with those review processes and design to their standards as a routine part of project delivery in those areas.
Hurricane Resilience and Wind Exposure
New Orleans’ position on the Gulf Coast means that hurricane wind loading, storm surge risk, and saltwater intrusion are live design considerations for projects throughout the metro — and particularly for projects in Jefferson Parish, St. Bernard Parish, and the West Bank. We specify wind-resistant site elements, select species with demonstrated storm resilience, and coordinate with structural engineers on canopies, shade structures, and amenity elements where wind loading governs design.
Heat, Humidity, and Long-Term Plant Performance
New Orleans’ subtropical climate places real demands on plant material. Long, hot, humid summers, combined with periodic flooding and freeze events in winter, narrow the palette of species that will reliably perform over the life of a project. We design with proven regional species, coordinate with local nurseries on availability and acclimation, and specify installation timing that gives plant material the best opportunity to establish before peak summer heat and humidity arrive
Landscape Architecture Services We Provide in New Orleans
Every service is performed in-house by our licensed professionals with no subcontracting of scope.
Site organization and land use planning for development projects across Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, and surrounding parishes. Our land planning New Orleans services integrate directly with your civil engineer’s site layout, working within the City of New Orleans’ regulatory framework — including coordination with the City Planning Commission, the Department of Safety and Permits, and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans — to support entitlement, zoning compliance, and agency plan review.
Early land planning coordination is critical in New Orleans because FEMA BFE compliance, SWBNO green infrastructure requirements, historic district setbacks, and HDLC review standards create interdependencies between landscape architecture and civil engineering decisions that must be resolved at the site planning stage, not after the civil plan set is substantially developed.
Planting design in New Orleans requires a deep understanding of the city’s subtropical climate, variable soil conditions, and the native and adaptive species that perform here over time. We specify flood-tolerant, salt-tolerant, and storm-resilient plant material appropriate for New Orleans’ USDA Hardiness Zone 9a conditions, while meeting the City’s landscape ordinance requirements and supporting the long-term performance of the site.
For projects in or adjacent to historic districts, we work within the design guidelines established by the Historic District Landmarks Commission and the Vieux Carré Commission where applicable.
Tree surveys, preservation plans, and disposition documentation to support permitting and site plan approval across the Greater New Orleans area. The City of New Orleans enforces a tree protection ordinance that requires detailed documentation of existing trees and a clear disposition strategy — preservation, relocation, or removal with mitigation — before development approvals are issued. We provide that documentation as a standard component of the entitlement package, formatted to support City of New Orleans review.
Amenity area design for multi-family, mixed-use, and master-planned communities — including courtyards, pool surrounds, outdoor gathering spaces, and recreational areas designed for New Orleans’ outdoor living culture and subtropical climate. We understand how amenity packages influence lease-up velocity and long-term asset value for multi-family developers operating in the New Orleans market, and we design to those performance standards.
New Orleans’ combination of high humidity, frequent rainfall, subsidence risk, and occasional freeze events creates one of the most demanding hardscape environments in the country. We specify paving systems, retaining walls, site furnishings, and structural elements with those conditions in mind — selecting materials and detailing approaches that perform over time and complement the regional architectural character of the neighborhoods where our clients are building.
New Orleans’ rainfall averages over 60 inches annually, but reliable irrigation remains essential for site establishment and sustained landscape performance on commercial and multi-family sites. Our irrigation design New Orleans team produces smart controller specifications, appropriate zone layouts, flow and pressure calculations, backflow prevention documentation, and system specifications that account for Louisiana’s seasonal precipitation patterns, high-humidity conditions, and applicable Sewerage and Water Board requirements. For coastal and near-coastal sites, we specify components rated for salt-air exposure.
Markets and Project Types We Serve in New Orleans
Our New Orleans and Greater New Orleans practice spans a range of development types across the metro’s diverse markets and parishes:
- Multi-family and residential community development — apartment communities, townhome developments, and master-planned neighborhoods in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, and Plaquemines Parishes, including infill redevelopment projects in established New Orleans neighborhoods and greenfield development in the suburban parishes
- Commercial and mixed-use development — office projects, retail centers, hospitality developments, and mixed-use projects requiring landscape, hardscape, and irrigation design that satisfies City of New Orleans zoning requirements and, where applicable, historic district design review standards
- Industrial and port-adjacent facilities — functional, low-maintenance landscape and land planning solutions for warehouse, logistics, and industrial sites in the Port of New Orleans service area, the New Orleans East industrial corridor, and Jefferson Parish’s industrial submarkets
- Civic and institutional projects — landscape architecture support for public sector, healthcare, educational, and institutional clients navigating the City of New Orleans’ and Louisiana’s state-level design and permitting requirements
We serve projects throughout the Greater New Orleans metro, including Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, and surrounding parishes. Geography within the metro is not a constraint — we follow the project.
Why Development Teams in New Orleans Work With Evergreen Design Group
Licensed in Louisiana — In-House, No Subcontracting
Evergreen Design Group holds active Louisiana licensure (SC COA #412). All landscape architectural services for New Orleans projects are performed under our Louisiana licensure by our licensed professionals — no subcontracting of scope. That means consistent quality, clear accountability, and a single point of coordination for your civil and architectural team throughout the project.
21 Years of National Practice, Gulf South Experience
Founded in 2005 and licensed in 43 states, we bring a depth of practice experience that most regional firms cannot match. Our work throughout the Gulf South — across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas — means we understand the regional context that shapes New Orleans development, and we bring that institutional knowledge to every engagement in the metro.
HDLC, SWBNO, FEMA, and City Planning Commission Fluency
Floodplain compliance and SWBNO stormwater requirements are baseline constraints in our New Orleans design process. HDLC and Vieux Carré Commission review standards are incorporated from the initial design stage on eligible projects. We develop landscape and land planning documentation with BFE requirements, on-site detention obligations, and green infrastructure standards fully integrated, and we coordinate directly with civil engineers throughout the process to ensure a consistent, compliant approach across all project disciplines.
Single-Source Delivery
Coordinating separate landscape, irrigation, and land planning consultants across a single project creates schedule risk, documentation gaps, and coordination overhead that development teams in New Orleans — where entitlement timelines are already complex — cannot afford. Evergreen Design Group delivers all three service lines under one contract, one point of contact, and one quality standard. That integration matters on projects where the HDLC, the City Planning Commission, the SWBNO, and FEMA all have a stake in the outcome.
Built for B2B Project Teams
We work exclusively with architects, civil engineers, land developers, and design-build contractors. Our documentation, communication protocols, and coordination cadence are structured around multi-discipline project teams. When your civil engineer needs drainage and grading coordination, or your architect needs landscape documentation formatted for a specific parish’s plan review process, we deliver.
Frequently Asked Questions — Landscape Architecture in New Orleans, LA
No. We are a B2B firm exclusively. Our clients are architects, civil engineers, land developers, and design-build contractors. We do not engage on individual residential homeowner projects.
Yes. Evergreen Design Group holds active Louisiana licensure (SC COA #412) and maintains active registrations in 43 states. All landscape architectural services for New Orleans projects are performed under our Louisiana licensure.
Land planning New Orleans scope involves developing site plans, open space configurations, buffer yard layouts, stormwater green infrastructure siting, and streetscape frameworks that satisfy the City of New Orleans’ Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and City Planning Commission review standards. It must also address FEMA BFE compliance, SWBNO on-site detention requirements, and HDLC or Vieux Carré Commission design standards where applicable — all coordinated with your civil engineer from the initial site layout stage. Our land planning New Orleans services are performed in-house with no subcontracting of scope.
Scope varies by project type and phase. Common deliverables include landscape and planting plans, irrigation design, hardscape plans, tree disposition surveys, land planning exhibits, and stormwater green infrastructure documentation coordinated with civil engineering. We scope each engagement based on the project’s specific site conditions, regulatory requirements, and entitlement strategy.
Yes. We are familiar with the HDLC and Vieux Carré Commission review processes and regularly design to their standards for projects in New Orleans’ locally and nationally designated historic districts. Compliance with historic district design guidelines is a standard part of how we approach eligible projects in the metro.
Floodplain compliance and SWBNO stormwater requirements are baseline constraints in our New Orleans design process. We develop landscape and land planning documentation with BFE requirements, on-site detention obligations, and green infrastructure standards fully integrated, and we coordinate directly with civil engineers throughout the process to ensure a consistent, compliant approach across all project disciplines.
Yes. Civil-landscape coordination on grading, drainage, and stormwater management is a routine part of how we engage on New Orleans projects. We provide documentation formatted for civil coordination and participate in multi-discipline review processes as required by the project team and the relevant reviewing agencies.
We serve projects throughout the Greater New Orleans metro, including Orleans Parish, Jefferson Parish, St. Tammany Parish, St. Bernard Parish, Plaquemines Parish, and the West Bank. We follow the project — geography within the metro is not a constraint.
Yes. Tree disposition documentation — including existing tree surveys, preservation strategies, and removal and mitigation plans — is a standard service we provide as part of the entitlement and site plan approval process for applicable projects in Orleans and surrounding parishes.
Yes — that is one of our most common engagement structures across the metro. We integrate into your project team and deliver the full landscape architecture scope as a subconsultant, coordinating directly with your project manager and other disciplines throughout the design and entitlement process.
Start a Conversation About Your New Orleans Project
If you’re a civil engineer, land developer, architect, or design-build contractor with a project in New Orleans or the Greater New Orleans metro, Evergreen Design Group’s landscape architects in New Orleans are ready to discuss your project scope, schedule, and team structure.
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