We work with passion, love, and precision to build environmentally and socially sensitive public places.

Founder
Maria A. Villalobos H.
​
Villalobos is Associate Professor and Director of the Master in Landscape Architecture at IIT, Chicago. She holds a Master in Design Studies from Harvard GSD, and a Ph.D. in Landscape Architecture from the ENSP-Versailles. In 2017, she won the first prize in the Venezuelan Architecture Biennale. It was the first time that a women received such award. Currently, Villalobos serves in the National Association of Minority Landscape Architects and is a member of Dark Matter University. Villalobos is the recipient of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture 2022 Excellence in Design Studio Teaching Award.

​Johann Friedl
Project Manager

Johann Friedl is a landscape professional with a master’s degree in landscape architecture and urbanism from Illinois Institute of Technology. He is passionate about public landscapes that foster community participation and empower people through design. Johann is the recipient of the 2023 Hope Goddard Iselin Fellowship in Public Horticulture from the Garden Club of America for his work conserving historic cherry trees in the U.S. National Arboretum. Currently, Johann works as a Landscape Designer and Project Manager at Botanical City in Chicago, Illinois. His role involves designing and managing various landscape projects, with a focus on community participation. Before joining Botanical City, Johann worked at Lirio Landscape Architecture, where he gained experience in diferent landscape projects. 

Zoila Hernandez
Senior Botany and Biology Advisor

She is a botany and biology educator and researcher with more than 40 years of experience in tropical habitats.

.Principal 
Nilay Mistry

Mistry Professor in Practice at IIT, Chicago. He possesses several years of experience indesign practice and teaching in landscape architecture and urban design in the United States, Africa, and Asia. His ongoing research and trans-disciplinary design work explores rooting interventions in public space in readings of cultural identity, urban networks, and landscape flows. Nilay's research on informal settlements and Asian urbanization has been the subject of various publications and design studios, facilitating multiple design/build projects around the world. In Chicago, he leads the landscape transformation of the Lincoln Park Square.

​Genesis Ramirez
Senior Designer

Genesis Ramirez is an award-winning architect who graduated summa cum laude from Universidad Rafael Urdaneta in 2015. Her thesis, “Rehabilitation of Maracaibo’s Municipal Cemeteries as Multicultural Public Spaces,” earned her recognition for its sensitivity to natural and heritage landscapes. Genesis is an Senior Designer at Botanical City, where she leads the design and production of landscape and urbanism projects. Her role also involved overseeing workflows, quality and training. She excels in 3D modeling, rendering, work supervision, budgeting, and organizing events and trips. Previously, Genesis worked as a Team Leader Architect at Geometrica in Israel, specializing in SCAN to BIM and Scan to Plan projects. She managed the registration and processing of point cloud models for AS-BUILT and historical projects, producing high-quality floor plans and 3D models. 

Robert T. Wahlen
Senior IT and Marketing Advisor

He is an IT and Marketing Specialist with more than 25 years of experience in digital experiences.

Special Past Team Members
Diamantina Sanchez
Jorge Mayorga
Amanda Soto
Mahumud Raman
William Basco

​Botanical City,  Co-Founder, Carla Urbina. [2015 - 2022]

Center Image: Englewood Village Plaza, Chicago, Johann Friedl, 2024.