{"id":241920,"date":"2026-03-16T10:44:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T14:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=241920"},"modified":"2026-03-16T11:33:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T15:33:56","slug":"applying-a-landscape-architects-design-eye-at-every-scale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/03\/applying-a-landscape-architects-design-eye-at-every-scale\/","title":{"rendered":"Applying a Landscape Architect\u2019s \u2018Design Eye\u2019 at Every Scale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jagger Javenes \u201918 (CAHNR<\/a>) has had an artistic bent since childhood, which has guided his career as a landscape architect.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing outside, traveling, and expressing my creativity have always been passions of mine,\u201d Javenes says. \u201cSo between the artistic expression, the ability to connect with nature, and the exposure to new places and cultures, Landscape Architecture was a perfect fit for me.”<\/p>\n

Javenes was looking for a college experience that contrasted with his small town upbringing. \u201cI knew I wanted to go to a big school, and I knew I was looking for landscape architecture,\u201d he explains. \u201cAnd knowing that UConn was going to provide me with a great education \u2013 plus its reputation as the \u2018Basketball Capital of the World,\u2019 I was all in.\u201d<\/p>\n

But despite the size of the University, the landscape architecture program offered more of an intimate experience with small studio classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I was initially expecting that large classroom experience, there was something special about the intimate setting of the program,\u201d Javenes recalls. I loved that it was one-on-one with the teachers. Myself and the other students always felt like we got the attention we needed, and feedback was always provided.\u201d<\/p>\n

This experience also prepared Javenes for collaborative, team-based work that closely mirrors his role today as Vice President at EDSA, a global planning, landscape architecture, and urban design firm with offices around the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the program at UConn was smaller, I became comfortable working in close-knit teams,\u201d Javenes says. \u201cEven while we each focused on our own projects, the studio culture fostered strong relationships. When I joined a larger firm like EDSA and began working within smaller project teams, the experience felt familiar and natural.\u201d<\/p>\n

One summer while studying at UConn, Javenes recalls joining a group of classmates on an architectural study trip through Europe led by Peter Miniutti, now emeritus faculty. The experience proved formative, helping set the trajectory for his future career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t just sightseeing,\u201d Javenes says. \u201cWe spent a lot of time sketching and creating analysis diagrams to understand what made these cities work – from hardscape and paving to the smallest details. We were deeply invested in what made these places tick, and that mindset has stayed with me ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based in EDSA\u2019s Dallas office, Javenes works across the Mountain West region of the U.S. while also supporting international clients. His team is currently involved in several notable projects, including the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, as well as a new golf course and residential development in Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile many people don\u2019t realize it, our work is deeply focused on environmentally responsible planning and preserving existing ecosystems,\u201d shares Javenes. \u201cFor example, with golf course planning, there\u2019s an opportunity to design in a way that\u2019s incredibly sensitive to the environment. We enjoy creating communities where amenities are thoughtfully connected and work in harmony with the landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to his domestic work, Javenes has collaborated with international clients in China and on large-scale developments in the Middle East, often referred to as \u2018giga projects.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty much any of the major giga projects out there, we\u2019ve been involved with in some capacity,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re incredibly design-driven and demanding in the best way. It\u2019s exciting to work on projects at that scale, where you can really stretch your design thinking and push creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n

While these projects vary widely in scale and context, Javenes credits UConn\u2019s design-focused landscape architecture program with preparing him to succeed across diverse environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat strong emphasis on pure design put me in a great position,\u201d Javenes says. \u201cUnderstanding what makes design successful gave me a foundation that translated seamlessly to working at a firm like EDSA, and I know others that went through the program feel the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This work relates to CAHNR\u2019s Strategic Vision area focused on <\/em>Fostering Sustainable Landscapes at the Urban-Rural Interface<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow\u00a0<\/em>UConn CAHNR<\/em><\/a>\u00a0on social media<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I knew I was looking for landscape architecture [and] knowing that UConn was going to provide me with a great education \u2013 plus its reputation as the Basketball Capital of the World, I was all in’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":241925,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,2224,2303,156,2712,2235],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2140],"class_list":["post-241920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-cahnr","category-plant-science-landscape-architecture","category-profile","category-student-success","category-today-homepage"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-09 20:37:42","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241920"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":242429,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241920\/revisions\/242429"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/241925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241920"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=241920"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=241920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}