Rhodeside & Harwell is a creative collaborative of urban dwellers, bikers, walkers, foodies, and gardeners. We make places that connect people to each other and their environment. With an acclaimed portfolio focused on building timeless spaces and livable communities, and a staff of 29 professionals, Rhodeside & Harwell has directed many of the country’s most compelling public realm projects. For 29 years, our diverse expertise has helped restore historic parks, revitalize urban districts, bolster ecological systems, and create engaging places for people of all ages to enjoy.
RHI is committed to making the ever-expanding urban realm more livable, beautiful, and functional. Addressing the contemporary challenges of aging infrastructure, shrinking green space, and growing populations requires novel approaches. We believe that the most exciting thinking happens at the edges of discipline. We look for opportunities in the fertile overlap of our distinct practice areas, resulting in solutions that are both inventive and pragmatic. In fact, the firm’s projects are noted for their range of scales—from the garden to the region—creating a cross-pollination of ideas that inspires our work. Whether we are crafting a custom-designed bench or using a river to connect communities across a region, we leverage the power of multidisciplinary thinking to artfully transform spaces.
The whole built environment is our canvas to express a passion for people-led design. The most enduring projects result when clients and communities are active participants in shaping the places they live. For each project, we craft a process that creatively engages owners, agencies, and the public. The collective input enriches our projects and builds consensus that propels projects forward.
Our design process combines a rich knowledge of history and cultural traditions balanced with an understanding of contemporary living. For each project we bring an insatiable curiosity to understand the underlying context and tensions of a site or community that can be artfully expressed in the final design.