Ten Eyck Landscape Architects and Christine Ten Eyck, a 1981 graduate of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Texas Tech and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, have received the 2026 National Design Award for Landscape Architecture from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, one of the nation’s highest honors in the design field.
Ten Eyck, founder of the Austin-based firm Ten Eyck Landscape Architects, is widely recognized for reshaping how landscapes in the American Southwest are designed – creating resilient public spaces that reflect ecological realities while serving the communities around them.
The honor is part of the museum’s annual National Design Awards program, which recognizes designers whose work demonstrates innovation, leadership and a broad cultural impact. Established in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the awards highlight the ways design shapes everyday life in the United States.
For nearly three decades, Ten Eyck and her 14-person firm have focused on ecologically restorative landscapes that balance environmental sensitivity with social inclusion, often working in historically underserved communities. The firm is particularly known for finding and enhancing the beauty of rugged desert environments while addressing the challenges of water scarcity.
“Our projects are always underfunded in terms of maintenance, so our philosophy is tied to sustaining them,” Ten Eyck said in an interview with the American Society of Landscape Architects earlier this month. “We help enrich the regional landscape into an immersive experience.”
One of the firm’s most widely recognized projects is its work at the University of Texas at El Paso, where landscapes designed by Ten Eyck Landscape Architects became among the first to receive certification through the Sustainable SITES Initiative, a program that sets rigorous sustainability standards for outdoor spaces. Earlier projects at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University have also served as models for campus landscapes that conserve water while fostering habitat and biodiversity.
Organizers of the National Design Awards say the awards program aims to spotlight the power of design to address social and environmental challenges while enriching public life. Each year, winners across 10 categories are selected by a multidisciplinary jury of practitioners, educators and leaders from a range of design fields.
“At Cooper Hewitt, we celebrate design not only for its impact and innovation, but also for its role as a civic force – one that reflects shared values rooted in the common good, fuels creativity and shapes everyday life,” said Maria Nicanor, director of the Cooper Hewitt.
“The National Design Awards demonstrate the potential and possibilities of American design,” said Aric Chen, chair of the 2026 awards jury, in an announcement. The program, he said, shines a spotlight on designers and communities whose work reflects the “pluralistic richness of America at its best.”
CONTACT: Leehu Loon, Professor and Chair, Department of Landscape Architecture, Texas Tech University at {806} 834-5215 or Leehu.Loon@ttu.edu
0413NM26 | PHOTOS: (clockwise from top, left) San Antonio Botanical Garden (Bill Timmerman); ITESM Mexico City Campus (Mauricio Milenko); Kingsbury Commons (Casey Dunn); and Arizona State University Polytechnic (Bill Timmerman)