2026 Texas ASLA Merit Award
Raíces

Title: Raíces 

The Raíces arboretum creates a living framework where San Antonio’s ecology, education, and stormwater cycles beat in sync. Rooted in the city’s ecoregional identity, the arboretum reveals the deep relationships between land, water, and community. The design transforms a fragmented residual landscape into an interconnected ecological network that restores native plant communities, strengthens riparian corridors, and provides a resilient foundation for biodiversity to thrive. With an approach that places ecology at the center of its design, the arboretum becomes a sanctuary for species as well as an accessible educational opportunity for the broader community, inviting visitors to learn from the functions and ecosystem services that shape the region.

The Raíces arboretum is grounded in ecological restoration, community education, and sustainable stormwater design. By revealing San Antonio’s hidden hydrology and elevating the native ecoregion, the project creates a rooted network where biodiversity expands, knowledge develops, and the community experiences nature as an essential public resource. The overall design demonstrates how intentional ecological thinking can regenerate derelict land, strengthen regional identity, and set a strong example for climate resilient public spaces.

Throughout the site, the project emphasizes ecological resilience in a way that is both functional and experiential. Restored native plant communities reflect the character of the Blackland Prairie ecoregion, while habitat corridors and riparian buffers reconnect pathways for pollinators, birds, and aquatic species. Visitors are encouraged to engage with these systems through interpretive trails, outdoor classrooms, and demonstration gardens that position the arboretum as a living source of shared ecological knowledge.

All in all, Raíces presents a landscape where natural systems become active storytellers. By bringing together ecology, education, and hydrology, the project creates a place where the pulse of life in San Antonio is both experienced and understood, thus inspiring long-term environmental stewardship.

The Raíces arboretum is grounded in ecological restoration, community education, and sustainable stormwater design. By revealing San Antonio’s hidden hydrology and elevating the native ecoregion, the project creates a rooted network where biodiversity expands, knowledge develops, and the community experiences nature as an essential public resource. The overall design demonstrates how intentional ecological thinking can
regenerate derelict land, strengthen regional identity, and set a strong example for climate resilient public spaces.