SWA Releases New Monograph “Selected Works of Landscape Architect John L. Wong: From Private To Public Ground From Small To Tall”
A new monograph looks back at John Wong’s award-winning, five-decade career with SWA — from designing Stanford University’s campus, to landscapes for the tallest buildings in the world. Documenting his career, “Selected Works of Landscape Architect John L. Wong: From Private To Public Ground From Small To Tall,” demonstrates Wong’s global impact and position as a steward of international public space.
Wong began his career in 1972 at SWA’s parent firm, joining for the summer program as he completed his undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1976, after completing his masters in Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Wong joined SWA — seeing the firm grow into the largest independent landscape architecture firm in the United States.
With a career running parallel to the expansion of landscape architecture as a global discipline, Wong’s monograph provides an intimate view into the landscape architect’s inspirations and approach to both public and private space, as told through immersive, colorful photography, sketches, and design collateral.
“It’s been a privilege to travel across the world with SWA and watch our profession grow in influence and scope. Today, landscape architecture is positioned to lead the AEC industry into the future, centering ideals of climate-adaptive and equity-focused design. For young professionals, we created this volume not as a history lesson but a blueprint, showing the true impact we can have through persistence, dedication to craft, and — most critically — the people we surround ourselves with.”
John L. Wong, FASLA, FAAR, PLA
Drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and ecosystems to which he has contributed, Wong’s body of work is international, with focal points in North America, the Middle East, and Asia, especially Japan, Korea, and China.
Among the hundreds of projects in Wong’s portfolio, highlights include a decades-long, ongoing collaboration with Stanford University, building on Frederick Law Olmsted and Leland Stanford’s vision. Over 30 years, Wong has transformed large parts of the campus — including key pedestrian malls and outdoor corridors — stitching together a cohesive landscape that has become instantly recognizable and synonymous with contemporary campus design.
Wong has worked alongside the world’s most influential architects to craft landscapes for 12 of the 100 tallest buildings in the world, including the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates – pictured on the book’s cover – the Shanghai Tower in China, as well as his ongoing work on the Chengdu Greenland Tower in China and the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, Wong’s expertise extends to civic projects, including landscape designs for Guthrie Green Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Ventura, California.
The book uncovers the four foundational elements that unite all projects: client, program, site, and budget. Threading these together, asking the right questions, and listening attentively along the way, is Wong’s formula for unlocking the “big idea” behind each project to succeed at its highest level of landscape design.
About John Wong
Born in Hong Kong in 1951, John L. Wong is a graduate of UC Berkeley (BLA 1974), Harvard University Graduate School of Design (MLA 1978), and the American Academy in Rome (Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture 1981).
Since joining SWA in 1976, John has directed an array of projects, from the design and crafting of small gardens to the large-scale planning and design of neighborhoods, towns, and new communities. Wong is the recipient of several awards, including Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, Best Tall Building Worldwide; Center for Active Design, Award of Excellence; WAN, Best Urban Design; among others.