Landscape Forms, North America’s leading designer and manufacturer of premium site furniture, structure, LED lighting, and accessories, has teamed up with the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) to host 2024 Xtreme LA, a three-day design charrette that brings together leading young design professionals and landscape architecture students to share in an intense creative experience while fostering unique professional development opportunities.

This 10th iteration of the Xtreme LA challenge centers around identifying innovative design solutions that provide resiliency for the future of people and planet while also addressing reparative actions for past and current generations. The challenge is set in Morro Bay, California and offers participants the opportunity to exercise their creativity in proposing a potential reprogramming of the lands adjacent to the iconic landmark and sacred Indigenous site, Morro Rock. Combining elements of restorative land justice, the elevation of Indigenous culture and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, vulnerable habitat restoration, and climate resilient design, 2024 Xtreme LA brings to the forefront some of the most compelling opportunities and pressing challenges currently facing landscape architects.

From January 30 through February 1, two teams made up of equal numbers of best-in-class young design professionals from all over the country, and landscape architecture students from Cal Poly, will work under the guidance of prominent landscape architects to envision creative landscape and infrastructure solutions for Morro Bay, one of the country’s most innovative and challenging current landscape architecture projects.

This professional development program is intended to provide exposure and experience that will benefit both participants and the companies at which they work. Young professionals will be mentored by distinguished landscape architects and will, in turn, have the opportunity to mentor promising students preparing to enter the profession. By contributing passion, sharing expertise, and inspiring innovative solutions, participants are not only providing meaningful value and resilience to a region’s ecosystems, but they’re also helping secure a future for landscape architecture that prioritizes righting past wrongs, elevates the voices of Indigenous and other marginalized communities, and aims explicitly to challenge—rather than reproduce—the significant structural inequalities that underpin design and development.

At the event’s culmination on February 1, teams will make final presentations before an audience of local officials and stakeholders at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. 

About Landscape Forms

Landscape Forms is the industry leader in integrated collections of high-design site furniture, structures, accessories, and advanced LED lighting. Since its founding in 1969 Landscape Forms has earned a reputation for excellent design, high quality products and exceptional service. The company is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and our family of brands includes Loll Designs in Duluth, Minnesota; Summit Furniture in Monterey, California; and Kornegay Design located in Phoenix, Arizona.  It has sales representatives throughout North America, South America, the United Kingdom, Monaco, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Asia. Landscape Forms collaborates with renowned industrial designers and consultancies, landscape architects, and architects to design and develop integrated collections of products that address emerging needs and help create a sense of place. Additionally, the company has formed global marketing partnerships with select companies that share its commitment to design. Landscape Forms has an installed base of products around the world. Clients include municipalities, hospitality, residential, transit centers, corporate, college and health care campuses; and familiar brand leaders such as Harvard University, Linked In, New York Central Park Conservancy, Bryant Park, Google, Coca Cola, Oculus, U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), Nike, National Museum of African American History (Washington, D.C.), Barclays Center, Adidas, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Microsoft, and Uber. We’ve been named one of the Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & Production for 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 by Fortune Magazine, Michigan Manufacturer of the Year for 2020 by the Michigan Manufacturers Association, and by 269 Magazine as one of Southwest Michigan’s Wonderful Workplaces.​

About the Landscape Architecture Foundation

For more than 50 years, LAF has been identifying priorities and strengthening the discipline to meet weighty environmental, social, and economic challenges. They believe in the power of design to create a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable world. With $180,000 available annually, LAF is a leading source of scholarships for landscape architecture students. These awards recognize leadership, reward superior student performance, support access and diversity, and assist students with unmet financial need.