Ruderal, a design firm founded by Sarah Cowles MLA ’05, with landscape architect Ben Hackenberger MLA ’20, was featured in the April Issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine.

The article, written by Jessica Bridger MLA ’09, describes the context of Ruderal’s studio and field practice in the country of Georgia, from gardens and master planning to the planting plan for the Tbilisi Urban Forest: “As Cowles adventures further into the wild, wild west of Georgia’s landscape-driven international development, Ruderal gets deeper in the reality on the ground, in all its tourism-driven, developer-funded, NGO-engaged mix of terrible and glorious. Many designers avoid this unglamorous, common reality of actual development and global practice, losing the world to stay in the confines of the safe, and dream of idealized projects. In contrast, Cowles is out on the range, getting things done.”

Ruderal was founded by Cowles in 2019 to support and train a new generation of landscape architects in the Caucasus. Based in Tbilisi, the firm pursues a wide range of projects in the Black Sea region and Central Asia as well as in Europe and the United States.

Follow RUDERAL: @_ruderal_

Follow Ben Hackenberger: @bhackenberger