it’s all about transforming spaces

Klavon Design Associates, Inc. (Klavon) brings together technical expertise and aesthetic ingenuity to create enlightened landscape architecture that responds to its context. We are a women-owned small business with specialized experience ranging from small site assessments to complex master planning projects for both private and public clients. With a focus on collaborative planning and sustainable design, Klavon has accumulated extensive experience in a variety of landscape architecture and planning services.

Projects that Work For People

Our team will be a hands-on partner at every step of the process. Klavon is as interested in how projects work for people and the environment as we are in what those projects look like. We believe it is possible to be both inventive and pragmatic, beautiful and functional. We design real places with real budgets for real people. We explore simple technical efficiencies and hybrid solutions that can do many things at the same time - the most important of which is enriching the lives and experiences of the people we serve.

Subtle Art + Hard Science

Transforming a land space into a favorable environment requires talents that range from hard science to ephemeral arts. Klavon Design Associates, Inc. brings these skills together in an exceptional union of technical expertise and aesthetic ingenuity. We believe that a designed space should behave as a canvas and that it is the community that makes it a place. Our designs strive for comfortable flexibility that anyone and everyone in the community can embrace and use to make the space their own. We believe that if the solution is fitting, it will enhance the environment, people will use and take ownership of it, and it will endure.

  • What makes us unique isn’t just how well we design. It’s how well we listen. Our landscape architecture work is brought to life with your input to complement the existing natural and cultural characteristics of the space, and to fit seamlessly within the environment. From the start of projects both big and small, we focus on how people will interact with the space, marrying our technical expertise and aesthetic ingenuity.

    Take a look at our projects here!

  • With an eye toward future growth, our plans deliver a clear, unified vision that considers all implications and contingencies. The result is a practical study with actionable recommendations. We are also familiar with the most current development trends, technologies, and considerations to ensure our plans are relevant and lasting.

    Take a look at our Federal projects here!

    Take a look at our Local projects here!

services

CIVILIAN

  • Site Planning

  • Community Planning

  • Master Planning

  • Regional Planning

  • Urban Design

  • Park Design

  • Site and Landscape Design

  • Plazas and Courtyards

  • Rooftop Gardens

  • Streetscape Design

  • Sustainable Design

MILITARY

  • Vision Plans and Vision Plan Workshops

  • Installation Development Plans (IDP)

  • Area Development Plans (ADPs) and ADP workshops

  • Installation Planning Standards (IPS)

  • Area Development Execution Plans (ADEPs)

  • Capital Investment Strategies (CIS)

  • Low Impact Development (LID) Plans

  • Sustainability Plans

  • Planning Charrettes (Design and Facilitation)

  • Requirements Analysis (RA) Workshops (Facilitation)

  • Preparing Full Military Construction (MILCON)

  • Maintenance and Repair (M&R) DD 1391s in the Programming Administration and Execution (PAX) system, including ECONPAK economic analysis (EA) and parametric cost engineering systems (PACES) cost estimates

  • Facility and Space Utilization Surveys

  • Developing 3D Models

  • Geographic Information System (GIS) Support

  • Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) Support

  • Feasibility Studies

  • LEED Documentation

  • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance studies, environmental assessment or environmental impact statements (EIS), and associated NEPA public disclosure and coordination procedures

  • Experience with National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) compliance (i.e. Section 106 and 110 procedures)

 
 

AWARDS

AIA Pennsylvania Honor Award
Carnegie Mellon University - ANSYS Hall | Pittsburgh, PA | 2020

ASLA PA/DE Honor Award
Carnegie Mellon University - Margaret Morrison Reflection Garden | Pittsburgh, PA | 2018

Landscape Architecture Alumni of the Year
Dina Cole Klavon | 2017 | Pennsylvania State University | College of Arts and Architecture

Great Public Spaces in Pennsylvania
Market Square | Pittsburgh, PA | 2015 | American Planning Association

ULI Award for Excellence - Catalytic Place
Energy Innovation Center | Pittsburgh, PA | 2015 | Urban Land Institute

ULI Award for Excellence - Visual Place
Point Park University - Academic Village | Pittsburgh, PA | 2013 | Urban Land Institute

Top 100 Public Spaces in the US and Canada
Market Square | Pittsburgh, PA | 2011 | Planetizen

Commonwealth Award
Market Square | Pittsburgh, PA | 2011 | 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania

NAVFAC Honor Award
Regionally Integrated Master Program (RIMP) | Naval Distinct Washington | 2009 | Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington

AIA Pittsburgh Merit Award 
Carnegie Library - Hill District | Pittsburgh, PA | 2009 | American Institute of Architects Pittsburgh

AIA Pittsburgh Merit Award
South Side Local Development Company - Monastery Street Gateway | Pittsburgh, PA | 2009 | American Institute of Architects Pittsburgh

AIA Pittsburgh Honor Award
Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper Hall | Pittsburgh, PA | 2009 |  American Institute of Architects Pittsburgh

United States Air Force Merit Award
Planning Studies and Design Guides - Air Force Basic Military Training Campus Replacement Plan | Lackland Air Force Base, TX | 2009 | United States Air Force Merit Award

Light at the Ends of the Alley, by Gary W. Cramer
Strawberry Way | Pittsburgh, PA | Article, June 2005 | Landscape Architecture Magazine

ASLA PA/DE Special Recognition Award
Strawberry Way | Pittsburgh, PA | 2004 | American Society of Landscape Architecture, Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter

AIA/ASLA Pittsburgh Design Awards - Award of Excellence
Strawberry Way | Pittsburgh | 2003 | American Institute of Architects and American Society of Landscape Architecture Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Platforms Exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Heinz Architectural Center
First Avenue Parking Garage | Pittsburgh, PA | 2003 | Carnegie Museum of Art

ASLA PA/DE Merit Award
First Avenue Parking Garage | Pittsburgh, PA | 2001 | American Society of Landscape Architecture, Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter

AIA/ASLA Pittsburgh Design Awards - Honor Award 
First Avenue Parking Garage | Pittsburgh, PA | 2001 | American Institute of Architects and American Society of Landscape Architecture Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Award of Merit
Community Design Center of Pittsburgh - Model Home Project | Pittsburgh, PA | 1999 | Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation

ASLA PA/DE Merit Award
Installation Design Guide | U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD | 1997 | American Society of Landscape Architecture, Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter

Letter of Commendation
Installation Design Guide | U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground | 1996 | U.S. Army