Io LandArch: Culture, Nature, Place
About Us
Io LandArch is a woman-owned landscape architecture and urban design studio licensed in Utah and Idaho with our headquarters in Ogden, Utah.
We work with individuals and communities on projects which weave history, culture, and ecology together to create super-natural places – places that are imbued with a sense of connection, context, and meaning.
Together with our clients, we craft places that speak to our souls, places that feel like home, places that are engaging, inclusive, and vibrant, places that are each unique and special.
This current moment presents unique difficulties for growing and maintaining sustainable, meaningful, and vibrant places. We work closely with individuals and communities to identify their specific challenges when it comes to landscape architecture and urban design.
These challenges often include: Urban sprawl and blight; Gentrification and inequity; Generification, loss of character, and boring places; Poor physical & mental health; Social isolation and lack of engagement.
We believe that, at their root, these problems stem from a lack of meaning and a loss of connection to place and community.
Working together with our clients, we can address these difficulties. By weaving history, culture, and ecology together, we can craft environments and places that are not only beautiful, but also deeply meaningful.
Responding to these Challenges: Connection, Context & Meaning
At Io LandArch, we work with cities, developers, non-profits, and property owners to plan and design for public spaces (development planning, urban design, streetcapes, plazas, and parks) that foster a unique sense of place.
We help communities shape their own unique narratives through community-based design strategies, while encouraging connection through shared history. We prioritize meaningful site responses to integrate natural systems and the environment.
We help homeowners prioritize what matters most to them in their homes and gardens, collaborating with them to craft spaces that not only fit their unique design aesthetic, but also function seamlessly to support their lifestyles.
We weave culture and nature to create super-natural places. The places we craft are not only functional, beautiful, prosperous, and sustainable, but are imbued with connection, context, and meaning.
Meet the Core Team
Shalae A. Larsen
PLA. ASLA, Principal, Landscape Architect
Shalae weaves culture and nature to create meaningful and sustainable places. With over two decades of experience as a landscape architect, her expertise encompasses the adaptive re-use of historic sites, trail design, and an extensive knowledge of native plants.
Holding a master’s degree in architecture and a Historic Preservation Certificate in addition to her landscape architectural training, Shalae is uniquely qualified to design integrated sites that encompass history, culture, architecture, and ecology. Her resulting design work creates a strong sense of context and experience, strongly rooted in the context of the Intermountain West.
As Io LandArch’s principal-in-charge, Shalae’s leadership has empowered communities across Utah to reinvigorate and safeguard places and spaces which resonate with a vibrant sense of communal identity.
Lauren Colunga
PLA, SITES® AP, ASLA, Studio Manager, Landscape Architect
Lauren connects people with nature by designing landscapes that celebrate nature, encourage community, and promote resiliency. With a B.A. in botany, a Business Foundations Certificate, and a master’s in landscape architecture, her skills encompass all phases of design and construction. From pedestrian plazas to educational landscapes to reports on historic districts, Lauren has a keen eye for detail that helps keep beautiful projects on track and on budget.
Having lived 14 years overseas as a military spouse, her portfolio includes K-12 landscape design, project management, residential estate design, visual impact analysis, community master planning, and environmental compliance assessment. Her current passion is managing teams to create landscapes that inspire people to live their best lives.
Mackenzie Yeager
Project Manager, Landscape Designer
Mackenzie (Mack) strives to create places that connect people to the nature around them. Her experience in site analysis and community engagement fuels her passion for equitable design, sustainability, and creative placemaking. She enjoys observing how people and wildlife instinctively and habitually interact with their built environment, believing that good design allows a place to evolve naturally.
With a Masters in Landscape Architecture and Minor in Horticulture from Kansas State University, as well as short-term studies that have brought her to South Korea and Germany, Mack has worked on a variety of project types, ranging from civic to commercial to residential. She brings an enthusiasm for learning and growth, and is in the process of obtaining both her Landscape Architecture license and her SITES certification. As a project manager at Io, Mack takes the lead on delivering high-quality work, guiding projects from concept through construction.
Niccole Smith
PLA, Landscape Architect, Residential Project Manager
Niccole is a licensed landscape architect and northern Utah native. She earned her BLA from Utah State University with an emphasis on horticulture. Niccole has enjoyed beautifying spaces and the study of plants her whole life, so landscape architecture was a natural career choice.
Niccole has practiced professional landscape design in Utah for over 10 years, 7 of those at her own landscape design firm, Primula Horticulture & Design. Her experience ranges from designing tiny residential gardens to expansive commercial and housing developments. Niccole prides herself on attention to detail, creating plans that are just as functional as they are beautiful, and caring deeply about each clients’ wants and needs.
Emma Bevevino
Marketing Director, Communications Specialist
Emma’s backgrounds in English, urban studies, and marketing converge into a cohesive passion for strategic and impactful project storytelling and A/E/C marketing. Fascinated with the process and consequences of design, Emma cares deeply about landscape architecture, public space, and the stories behind places—from both design and marketing angles.
At Princeton University, her studies culminated in an award-winning thesis on American playground design. Her masters in Digital Marketing complements this experience, adding marketing expertise and know-how to her enthusiasm for sensitive and contextual design.
Ann Knighton
Office Manager, Accounting and Contracts
Ann brings expertise in managing accounting and internal systems. She handles billing, accounting, contracts, and beyond.
Collaborating Specialists
Susan Crook
Co-Founder & Historical Landscape Architect
Susan was an original co-founder of Io LandArch who is now officially retired, but continues to advise Io LandArch on significant historic projects. Susan has worked in the public and private sectors in landscape architecture and planning, and has served on the boards and staff of a number of non-profits. She is a licensed landscape architect who is passionate about conservation, sustainable design, and the preservation and responsible use of historic and cultural resources.
Jake McIntire
Arts Planner & Community Outreach
Jake is a designer, entrepreneur, strategist, and creative problem solver working at the intersections of business, art, design, and urban theory. He holds an MFA in Collaborative Design with an emphasis in Social Entrepreneurship and Urban Theory from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Jake has dedicated himself to exploring urban transformation and he believes that art is a powerful resource for creating better cities.
Rhonda Lauritzen
Community Storyteller
Rhonda is a professional biographer specializing in placemaking, oral history, and personal stories. She is the founder of Evalogue.Life, a presenter, and author.
In addition, Lauritzen has served as a public relations director and senior VP at the Ogden-Weber Technical College. Before that, she was CEO of her family’s business, which inspired her first book, Every Essential Element, which began her personal journey into storytelling.
Lindsay Lloyd
Historic Preservation & Historic Landscape Specialist
Lindsay specializes in historic preservation and historic landscapes projects. Her lifelong passion for horticulture and historic architecture led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture at Utah State University and a master’s degree in architectural conservation from the University of Edinburgh. Her master’s thesis highlighted the significance of LDS tabernacles and outlined a preservation plan for them. Lindsay believes that beautiful spaces inspire people to live meaningful and fulfilling lives, and that historically sensitive design provides context, meaning, and a sense of connection to communities.
Cimarron Chacon
Trails Specialist
A veteran in the Trails Industry, Cimarron has been influencing policy, design, and opportunity for recreation since 1998. Trained as a Landscape Architect, she began her career with the BLM in Utah. As her passion for mountain biking increased she moved into the private sector and worked on natural surface trail planning and design around the country. She now owns & operates GRO, a trails and race consulting and promotion company.