Office of Lou Arencibia is a landscape architecture and urban design studio dedicated to crafting meaningful spaces that reflect the unique spirit and story of each site. Our projects are made with honesty and clarity to serve the people, nature, and functions that inhabit them. As a team with diverse backgrounds and curiosities, we share an openness to different ways of living and perspectives of space. We believe that meaningful design unfolds from strong relationships. Together, we seek to uplift people and places through the creative process.
Lou Arencibia founded OLA in 2018 in New York City. Since then, the office has grown to include a Miami studio that supports our work in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Our portfolio spans all scales, from masterplans to waterfronts, parks, streetscapes, plazas, rooftops, and private gardens. Through our collaborations, we shape the experiences of public spaces, cultural destinations, hotels, residences, workplaces, and educational facilities.
Lou Arencibia LLC is certified by the National Minority Supplier Development Council as well as the New York City Department of Small Business Services as a M/WBE firm.
OLA IS A M/WBE DESIGN STUDIO
OLA LEADERSHIP
Founding Principal, Lou Arencibia, PLA, stands at the intersection of architecture and landscape design. With over 20 years in both the professional realm and academia, he champions a holistic approach to design, focusing on a balance between big-picture thinking and attention to detail to enhance the dialogue around our built environment. Lou's background is punctuated by his tenure at globally recognized firms such as Bjarke Ingels Group, Office for Metropolitan Architecture, Land Collective, Raymond Jungles, Inc., and Rene Gonzalez Architect, setting a solid foundation for OLA's approach to creating impactful and sustainable design solutions.
Collaboration is the cornerstone of the OLA practice. Our team is empowered by people who come from diverse and multidisciplinary backgrounds including architecture, landscape architecture, horticulture, and urban design. This deep bench of interdisciplinary knowledge supports a design process that is authentic and considerate of all facets of the built environment. With users at the heart of every project, we put great emphasis on how people interact with, utilize, and inhabit a space. Our team closely partners with clients to uncover latent potential, strengthen connections, and foster a sense of stewardship.
Current OLA Team
Kate Rogers, PLA; Anna Saminathan; Christopher Rouhi; Shabi Khan
OLA Alumni
OLA
PEOPLE
OLA
PROCESS
Our work begins with a clear focus on our clients’ goals, ensuring their vision drives every step of the process. Collaboration, careful planning, and precise execution are central to delivering designs that feel timeless, imaginative, and deeply connected to their surroundings.
We draw heavily on local materials, traditions, and native plant communities to create landscapes that feel authentic and grounded. By embracing nature’s inherent unpredictability, we craft spaces that balance structure and spontaneity, offering a sense of order within natural beauty. These elements come together to create cohesive environments where the boundaries between indoors and outdoors dissolve, seamlessly integrating architecture, garden, and landscape.
OLA's clients and collaborators are our biggest advocates. Together, we partner across locations, scopes, and scales to shape the experience of public spaces, cultural destinations, hotels, restaurants, residences, workplaces, educational facilities, and more.
Our Clients
Barkers National Park, Cavite Restaurant and Farm, Cayman International School, Cayman Shores Development (??), City of Philadelphia, Clementine Montessori School, DART Enterprise, Philadelphia Navy Yard, The Underline (Miami), University of Arkansas, University of Pennsylvania,
Our Collaborators
Atelier L'abri, Carbon Custom Builders, Charcoal Blue, DAVID RUBIN Land Collective, Deborah Berke Partners, DECCO, Ewing Cole, Grafton Architects, Ground Control, HWKN, Matthew Davis Architects, Naturalficial Inc., Olson Kundig, OMLA, Perkins & Will, Studio Superette,
OLA CLIENTS & COLLABORATORS
