Frequently asked questions
About Studio AKA
What is Studio AKA, and where are you located?
Studio AKA is a landscape architecture studio based in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC. We work across DC, Maryland, Virginia, and select additional locations in the Northeast as far as Maine. Our projects have taken us from rowhouse backyards on Capitol Hill to a Kalorama residence to properties in Reston, Vienna, and Falls Church, Virginia, plus public school landscapes and hospitality spaces in between. Whatever the setting, our work always comes back to the same things: really seeing a site and understanding our Client, planning thoughtfully and playfully, and staying involved all the way through construction, because the story of the people who'll live in that space is what we're really designing for.
Is Studio AKA a licensed landscape architecture firm?
Yes. Our founder, Dani Alexander, is a professional member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and licensed to practice landscape architecture in multiple jurisdictions.
What makes Studio AKA different from other landscape architecture firms in the DC area?
It comes down to two things: the team behind the work and the way we think about design. We are passionate about all of the people involved - the Clients, the Architect and Engineers we collaborate with, the stakeholders that might interact with the space. Our team-first attitude helps us to solve problems while checking ego at the door. Our projects show curiosity and creativity in our detailing and a passion for leaving a positive ecological imprint on each site we touch.
Do you only design residential landscapes?
Our residential work spans everything from rowhouse backyards to single-family homes to larger estate properties across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. We also design institutional landscapes, including public school sites, and hospitality spaces as well. If you're not sure whether your project fits, just ask, and we'll let you know.
Getting Started & Our Process
-
We ask that all prospective clients fill out our Client Intake Survey, so we can get a sense of your goals. Often this is followed up by a phone call, over which we review your needs and schedule a site visit. That usually means walking your site (or visiting your office, for institutional and commercial projects) so we can see the space with our own eyes, hear what you're hoping to create, and get a feel for the practical realities: grading, sun, soil, what's already there, and your budget and timeline. By the end of that conversation, we can tell you whether we're a good fit and what a design process might look like for you, and we email a proposal for review.
-
Fees vary by project scope, site conditions, and schedule, but most residential projects fall into a design fee range set as a percentage of overall project value. After we review your project information, we will provide a proposal with the estimate. If you're not ready for a full design engagement, our Strategic Visioning Consultation is a lower-commitment way to start, which includes a 90-minute on-site consultation with a licensed landscape architect, followed by a written report.
-
We start with site analysis, deeply understanding the feasibility of your project. Then, we move into vision planning and site design (concept plans that get refined together based on your feedback), and then move into construction documentation, with project coordination and construction observation carrying the design through to completion.
-
Most of the time, yes. Any project involving grading changes, drainage work, retaining walls, or permitting typically requires an accurate topographic survey to design safely and get approved. Without one, plans are based on assumptions that can lead to costly surprises during construction. Smaller, purely cosmetic projects on relatively flat, well-understood sites may not need one, but we'll tell you during your initial site visit whether your project requires it.
-
Yes. As a licensed firm, we prepare the drawings and documentation needed for permitting. We can also handle the submission process for you.
-
We can work with a contractor you've already selected, or connect you with a trusted build partner. We value great relationships and always seek to work as a team.
-
Timelines depend on project size and complexity, but most residential projects move through site analysis and concept design, design development, and construction documentation before construction begins. We'll give you a project-specific timeline after our initial site visit. Our simplest projects sometimes take about 6 months, while more complex projects can take a year or more.
Is Your Project a Good Fit?
-
We work across a range of residential project sizes and budgets, from smaller urban spaces to full-property landscape vision plans. While we can phase work, we still consider the property as a whole and so most of our projects are full redesigns as opposed to small renovations.
-
Studio AKA is based in the Washington, DC area and serves residential clients throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia. When the project is right, we go the distance, and have built work as far north as Maine and as far west as West Virginia.
-
We can, and we've done quite a bit of it. Several of our Capitol Hill and Georgetown projects sit inside DC historic districts, and we've worked on historic properties in Maryland and Virginia too, where new fencing, walkways, and grading all have to meet local preservation standards on top of simply looking right. We build those review requirements into the design from the very beginning, rather than bumping into them later.
Common Site Challenges We Solve Across the DMV
-
Absolutely, and it's one of the most common reasons people find us in the first place, whether it's a tucked-away rowhouse yard in DC or a wooded acre out in Maryland or Virginia. Steep or sloped lots, erosion, standing water, aging or undersized retaining walls, we see all of it regularly, and we build stormwater management into the design from day one.
-
Sometimes, yes. If you're weighing a property with a drainage concern, a steep slope, or another site issue that's giving you pause, reach out. We can often share a consulting opinion on whether the problem is fixable and roughly what that would take.
-
We are experts in native plants. Clients are often hoping for a yard that feels considered and alive without asking for constant upkeep, and native plants can be your most powerful asset in achieving that.
-
Definitely. Play areas, sport courts, clear sightlines for keeping an eye on little ones, and surfaces that can take a beating all come up often in our residential work. We try to design them so they feel like a natural part of the landscape, rather than a separate "kid zone" tacked onto an otherwise grown-up yard.
Landscape Architecture in DC
-
A landscape architect is a licensed professional trained in site planning, grading and drainage, planting design, and construction detailing, and is qualified to navigate permitting, code compliance, and technical site conditions that a designer or contractor alone may not be equipped or legally able to handle. Landscape designers can often handle small, simpler projects without the same technical or regulatory training, while contractors execute construction but don't typically provide independent design services.
-
Not every backyard project requires a licensed landscape architect, but if your project involves grading, drainage, retaining walls, permitting, or significant hardscape, working with a landscape architect helps avoid costly mistakes and ensures the design is buildable and code-compliant. For smaller cosmetic updates, a landscape designer may be sufficient.
-
Stormwater management is really just thinking ahead about where rainwater goes once it hits your property, instead of letting it decide for itself. Grading, drainage lines, permeable materials, and rain gardens all play a part in keeping water from pooling against a foundation, eroding a slope, or overwhelming an aging retaining wall. It matters especially here because so many DC-area lots deal with clay soil, older infrastructure, or steep grading, which is exactly why we build stormwater thinking into a design from day one rather than adding it in afterward.
-
Often, yes, though it depends on the specifics: retaining walls above a certain height, decks, additions to impervious surface, and any exterior changes within a historic district typically require some form of review or permit, and the exact rules shift depending on which jurisdiction you're in. The reassuring part: this is exactly the kind of thing we sort out with you as part of the design process, not something you need to have figured out before you reach out. We also have great civil engineering partners who often are the team members who spearhead this part of the project.
Public-Sector, Government & Teaming Partners
-
Yes. Studio AKA holds a DC CBE certification and is registered as an ED-WOSB. We receive 12 preference points on CBE-required projects.
-
Studio AKA subcontracts with many architecture and contracting firms to serve the DC Department of General Services, with a focus on DC Public Schools. We're continually expanding our roster of public projects across the region.
-
Our portfolio includes institutional and public-sector landscape work, including site and landscape design for several DGS DCPS projects. References and detailed past performance documentation are available on request for active pursuits. Dani Alexander has also worked on several high profile institutional landscapes for the Houston Arboretum, American Museum of Natural History in New York, and Harvard University.
-
Of course! We're actively building relationships with peer architecture and design firms across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia markets and welcome inquiries from firms interested in teaming on upcoming public-sector and private pursuits.