PUSH studio never set out to realize myriad projects of poignant social weight, but the interdisciplinary Washington, DC firm is an apt author for singular cultural landmarks and landscapes. From a centennial monument for Zeta Phi Beta sorority at Howard University to the plaza where a recently dedicated Harriet Tubman sculpture in Cambridge, Maryland was installed, the firm understands how creating a place evokes memory.
Founding partner and design director Glenn LaRue Smith attributes this to PUSH’s synthesis of architecture and landscape design. “From the beginning, we wanted to carve out a space that was unique to both,” he says.
The yin to LaRue Smith’s yang, founding partner and studio director Vinson J. Hustvedt-Camacho, applies his architecture background to stoke ongoing dialogue. “We go back and forth between building and landscape, and it’s an easy conversation because it’s about design intention and space forming,” he says. “That’s a thread that weaves through PUSH.” Today, the practice is guided by three principles: reveal, inspire, and shape. “Once we shifted into a more focused cultural landscape area, it was easy,” LaRue Smith adds. “We bring that philosophy to every design.”
The Stafford Armed Services Memorial in Virginia
LaRue Smith is also the founder of the Black Landscape Architects Network (BlackLAN), an organization supporting Black students and professionals through scholarships and mentorships. BlackLAN, which was incorporated as a nonprofit in 2020, has collaborated with the American Society of Landscape Architects on symposia as well as accountability efforts following the murder of George Floyd.
2020 also coincided with widespread scrutiny of monuments nationwide. Again, PUSH stood out for its commitment to the preservation of Black American history. “We realized we have been doing this. We should put it up front and talk about it more openly,” Hustvedt-Camacho says. “There’s a bit more comfort in being uncomfortable in having these types of discussions.”
PUSH will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2023, rounding out a decade of projects that immortalize the past and also cast a more learned eye toward the future. “It is a kind of stewardship we have,” Hustvedt-Camacho adds. “We hope that the cultural landscape is that bullhorn and that we continue to have the conversation.”
This is part of an ongoing interview series curated by the Hospitality Diversity Action Council (HDAC).
