Christine Ten Eyck

Landscape Architect with Davis College Roots Wins National Design Honor
Davis College NewsCenter

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...

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What is your current role or what industry do you work in? 

I am president and founder of Ten Eyck Landscape Architects Inc.

Why did you choose the Davis College? 

I majored in landscape architecture and that was the College it was in, though not called Davis College when I went to school.

What impact does your work have and who benefits from it?

Our work connects urban dwellers with nature and one another through the outdoor spaces we create whether a college campus, urban park, hotel, hospital, or botanical garden. When people go to the spaces we create, they feel restored and energized and connected. We help people feel pride in their unique place in the world by celebrating their geography: using native materials and drought tolerant planting unique to their region, and saving precious resources like water by doing so.

How did your department help with the skills you use in your career today?

I had great training and wonderful professors! To name a few: Neal Rassman (history of landscape architecture, design), Dr. Kitchens (parks and recreation), Dr. Robert Reed (horticulture), Dr. Ernie Fish (aerial photography) , Kay Hutmacher (design), Dr. Marvin J. Dvoracek (surveying) among others.  It was a well-rounded education that helped greatly for my first job and onward!

What advice would you give to students currently in the department?

Be sure you love landscape architecture – not only is your enthusiasm contagious to your clients but also it the profession is a lot of work! – so it helps to love it and believe in the power of what we do! Be open to many different options for a career: you can work for a city planning department, teach at a university, work at a landscape architecture firm, own your own business, be a residential garden designer, or work for a developer.  Landscape architecture is very much a people business – they are your clients, collaborators, colleagues, and contractors – so hone up on your people skills. Try and travel and see other places in the world.