Laura Monies

RLA, AICP, LEED AP

Landscape Architect | Planner

At SMMA

  • Laura’s responsibilities include analyzing sites to understand conditions, constraints, and opportunities, as well as developing design plans that incorporate smart, ecological, and systemic decisions 
  • Specializes in conducting planning studies and developing comprehensive site designs and master plans for higher education campuses 
  • Excels at big-picture thinking and design, as well as demonstrating the value and potential of successful landscape design to clients 
  • Applies her precise, dependable, and teamwork-oriented demeanor to mentor SMMA’s landscape architecture team and maintain successful client relationships 

Master Planning for the Future

Laura’s work on the master plan for the University of Connecticut’s Depot Campus was a particularly exciting opportunity for her. “Our team investigated every aspect of the campus and analyzed how each space could contribute more to academic and institutional goals for the future."

In creating a master plan, “we have to really understand and tailor it to the school’s identity, campus life, and institutional vision,” she says.

Emphasis on Listening

SMMA has been working with Providence College since 2001. Laura was involved in the campus’s initial master plan project, and has had a hand in subsequent updates over the years. Her responsibilities have included collaborating on the implementation of a stormwater plan, designing several campus spaces aimed at improving pedestrian and vehicular circulation, and creating plazas, outdoor educational spaces, stormwater amenities, and the main campus green space. Laura knows that this kind of client loyalty doesn’t come easily, and credits SMMA’s focus on listening to PC’s goals, perspective, and vision. 

“All clients want to feel that they’ve been heard,” explains Laura. “I spend lots of time ensuring that clients understand that we value what they want and respond accordingly. I’ve worked with Providence College’s Assistant Vice President of Capital Projects and Facilities Planning for several years, and we’ve developed a high level of respect for each other—he now pushes me to do more of the talking.”