Brenda Snyder grew up in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood and established a passion for the design of outside space long before knowing of the field of landscape architecture. She planted seeds, drafted designs for raised beds and constructed a flagstone pathway for her backyard as an early adolescent. By the time she reached her late teens she’d envisioned her future profession as a landscape architect.

She is a licensed landscape architect (#1505) and holds degrees in landscape architecture, urban design and regenerative systems. Through her education and work she’s explored the world as much as possible - observing the patterns, textures, materials, dimensions and plant species of other regions. This exposure has created a rich design repository to draw from. She has worked for several prominent design firms within the Puget Sound Basin, gaining experience in a wide range of project types including community-driven design, public gardens, playgrounds, affordable housing, commercial and industrial landscapes, as well as institutional master plans. She frequently visits past projects sites to gain a better understanding of design choices and site evolution, as a way to continuously improve her practice.

Education:

2012 Master of Science, IMAT Program
Partnership program between Asia Pacific University (Beppu, Japan) and Trier University of Applied Sciences Umwelt Campus (Birkenfeld, Germany)
International Urban Design Workshop - Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Zero Waste Class Project - Lanzhou, China
Thesis study: zero-waste transit-oriented development

2010 Master of Urban Design
University of California, Berkeley
Study abroad: International Urban Design Workshop - Karatsu, Japan
Thesis study: Urban Adaptation to Sea-level Rise

2005 Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
University of Washington
Study abroad: Italian Landscape Studies - Rome, Italy
Sustainable Design - Groningen, The Netherlands
Capstone Project: Fred Hutch Cancer Patient Rooftop Healing Garden

Prior Firms:
Nakano Associates (Seattle)
Perkins & Will (Seattle)
Barghausen Consulting Engineers (Kent)
Barker Landscape Architects (Seattle)
Burt Hill (Pittsburgh & Dubai)