Ron Lutsko Jr.
Founding Principal
Since establishing the firm in 1981, Ron has worked on residential, commercial, civic, and institutional landscape designs across the world. He has also served on numerous boards and advisory committees throughout California and has written and lectured on the artful integration of plants, people, and ecology within the fabric of the constructed landscape.
An abiding interest in ecological systems, sustainability, architecture, and conceptual art supports Ron’s design philosophy. In his view, these threads of concern secure garden making within the lineage of land art. Contemporary aesthetics unite with ecological principles in service of deepening people’s connection to the detailed beauty and complexity of the natural environment.
Ron also operates a small, family run olive farm and olive oil company, as well as plant nursery, in the Capay Valley. The nursery serves as a vehicle for bringing native California species and other rare, climate-appropriate plants into cultivation and as a unique resource for Lutsko Associates projects. Apart from work, Ron is an active outdoorsman who has traveled extensively to experience and learn from unfamiliar landscapes and the cultures tied to them.
Education
UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA, MA Landscape Architecture | 1990
UC Davis, Davis CA, BS Landscape Architecture | 1980
UC Davis, Davis CA, BS Environmental Horticulture | 1977
Professional Experience
Principal, Lutsko Associates, San Francisco CA | 1981 – present
Teaching Experience
Lecturer: Planting Design Studios at U.C. Davis | 1980 – 1985
Lecturer: Plant Identification, Planting Design Studio, Native Plants in the Landscape, Horticulture, and General Design Studio at U.C. Berkeley | 1984 – 1994