Internationally acclaimed landscape architect Rod Barnett has been appointed chair of the Master of Landscape Architecture program in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. He will join the program Aug. 1.

A noted theorist and scholar, Barnett has designed landscapes in New Zealand, Australia, China, the Pacific Islands and the United States. He is the author of “Emergence in Landscape Architecture” (2013), which utilizes contemporary systems theory to explore how relatively simple interactions, filtered through continual processes of adaptation and evolution, create larger environments of dizzying complexity.

“Rod Barnett is one of the most interesting and original thinkers in landscape architecture today,” says Bruce Lindsey, dean of architecture and the E. Desmond Lee Professor for Community Collaboration. “He is an innovative educator whose experiments with self-organization and nonlinear systems are grounded in a deep knowledge of art, history, philosophy, science, and design. We are delighted to welcome him to the faculty.”

“I am excited about the breadth and depth of experience Rod brings to the school,” says Carmon Colangelo, dean of the Sam Fox School and the E. Desmond Lee Professor for Collaboration in the Arts. “During this important phase in our expansion of the landscape architecture program, his leadership will guide and strengthen our efforts in the areas of recruitment and program development, attracting the best students both nationally and internationally.” 

Barnett’s minimalist design for Lumley Plaza in Auckland City incorporates stone, water and evergreens — the essential elements of a Japanese stroll garden. The project won a Gold Award for commercial landscape design from the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects.