Elizabeth ‘Violet’ Mak Brings Extensive Background to VERDANT
September 7, 2016
Elizabeth ‘Violet’ Mak, former Principal of EA Associates, brings an extensive background of landscape architecture to VERDANT. As a registered landscape architect, Violet has 13 years of experience in delivering brilliant urban design, from commercial retail centers and corporate headquarters to parks and high-end residential projects.
Saudi Aramco Research Facility
Violet’s most recent project involved the schematic design and construction documentation for Saudi Aramco Research Facility in Houston, Texas. The 60,000 square-foot headquarters was completely remodeled from a pre-existing structure to offer a Mediterranean atmosphere with a Texas flare. Violet combined multiple ideas to create a unique space featuring drought tolerant plant palette, dry stream beds, wooden shade structures and outdoor patio areas.
Orizaba Park
Perhaps the most rewarding project that Violet has been a part of is the historical Orizaba Park, an existing 2.73-acre park located in Long Beach, California with dense residential, as well as, industrial and commercial uses. This project was a successful effort in reviving a neighborhood landmark from a rundown playground and railway into a thriving, cultural park space. Violet’s role included the development of a master-plan that would satisfy the wants and needs of the community. The transformed park now features a splash pad, skate park, garden, community center and structures detailing the unique history of the site.
Other Projects
As a member of the design team, Violet played an integral role in the design and development of Southwestern Energy company headquarters in Spring, Texas. The LEED Platinum facility features two towers linked by a rooftop deck and skybridge, open courtyard, collaborative sitting areas and outdoor trails.
Violet was involved in the preliminary development phase of Springwoods Village, a 1,800-acre, mixed-use community just south of the Woodlands, designed to combine preservation of the existing ecosystem and a walkable, urban environment, while instituting high sustainability standards on all residential and commercial construction – an approach never before used in master-planned communities in the Houston area.
Katy Green, a 16-acre mixed use development in Houston’s Energy Corridor, was a project that Violet was on the design team for and included the design of the landscape and outdoor spaces for the complex that incorporated many LEED principles. Her role included schematic design and construction layout of plants and green spaces, irrigation and parking garage camouflage.
Violet is the recipient of the Nina Francesca Schack Memorial Award from the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University. Elizabeth ‘Violet’ Mak brings a specific skill set to VERDANT that will pair well to spearhead projects to design, develop, and manage all processes of landscape architecture and construction.