Alena Gagnon

As individuals we are impassioned by the American West. As a firm we are its students, and its stewards. What compels us about the West? The panoramas. The severity. The scarcity. The pragmatic people. It's emphatic, but subtle. It's rugged, but delicate. Enormous in complexity and nuance, the Western landscape has been the crucible of our firm's values, and of our expertise. DHM was founded over four decades ago in Denver. One of our earliest projects was the master plan for Genesee, a residential development committed to the preservation of its views, open space, and unique foothills ecosystem. Since then, we have opened offices in Carbondale and Durango, Colorado, and Bozeman, Montana. From an original focus on the front range, our geographic base has expanded throughout the Great Basin and beyond. The scope of our work now includes planning and design for resort and residential communities, historic properties, civic spaces, local and National Parks, tribal lands, legacy ranches and high-end residences. Given the nature of the West, a great deal of this work addresses very large sites. Much of that has been conducted in the region's monumental National Parks, where we have been restoring degraded environments and enhancing visitor experiences since our earliest days. The ethos of the National Parks, and the conservation and design principles we have practiced in them, translate to every project we take on. We are designers, and we are environmentalists. What we do is both art and science. We pursue the synergies between human patterns and natural systems. On every DHM project, landscape architects and ecologists work shoulder-to-shoulder. This blurring of boundaries and collaboration across disciplines has been our practice since we began. What has our long and intimate connection with the West taught us? To cherish the region's environment. To honor its cultural heritage. To know that both are fragile. To speak plainly. And to listen.