Kiesel Design

Mike is a registered landscape architect with more than 25 years of experience spread over the western states of California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. He is an assistant professor of practice in landscape architecture at Washington State University. His practice career spans the design typologies of commercial, mixed-use and urban design including green stormwater infrastructure; hospitality and resort design; civic, cultural and institutional projects such as educational and medical facilities, museums as well as regional and local parks and open space design; and many housing and community development projects, both affordable and market rate. Creating community and a sense of place at a local scale, through excellent design using the processes of community engagement is a passion of his.

As a professor of landscape architecture, his teaching focuses on all design phases (conceptual, design development, construction documentation and construction administration). He particularly enjoys inspiring his young students by introducing foundational drawing and helping them to observe and document our built environment. Mike also teaches design studios, site engineering, storm water management, and the construction technology and documentation series. He advises the student chapter of NAMLA (National Association of Minorities in Landscape Architecture) and as part of meeting the university’s land grant mission, he co-directs the school’s Rural Communities Design Initiative (RCDI), a university/community partnership with a passion and concern for using the design of the built and natural environment to improve the quality of life for underrepresented populations and compromised landscapes in the Pacific Northwest.