COLWELL SHELOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

COLWELL SHELOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE The projects have ranged from large civic complexes, academic plazas, and parks to intimate domestic sanctuaries, each equally important in their own right.

COLWELL SHELOR creates vibrant and unique environments which respond to the client’s desires as well as the cultural and ecological requisites for each project. With each commission the firm makes every effort to balance program with appropriate responses to the needs of inhabitants of the built and natural world whilst aspiring to improve the relationship between people and the world they live in

. Equipped with an extensive vocabulary of native vegetation combined with a detailed understanding of over-structure as well as structural elements, the studio strives to recognize and celebrate the organic and inert material morphology found in both the low and high desert regions of Arizona to the searing peaks of Colorado. Principals Allison Colwell and Michele Shelor have collaborated with a wide range of other disciplines on some of the most imaginative and technically challenging projects in the state. COLWELL SHELOR is dedicated to creating simple yet dynamic landscape environments that are sensory and personal, yet fiscally realistic, sustainable, and socially responsible.

Set within the Sonoran Desert, the 13-acre Harkins Corporate Headquarters reimagines the workplace as a desert-integrate...
04/04/2026

Set within the Sonoran Desert, the 13-acre Harkins Corporate Headquarters reimagines the workplace as a desert-integrated environment rooted in climate, memory, and identity. The landscape organizes the campus through shaded pedestrian corridors, courtyards, and arrival sequences that prioritize human comfort in an extreme climate. Native and desert-adapted plant communities create a resilient, low-water landscape that supports habitat and reinforces regional character.
A central outdoor room anchors the campus, where layered shade, tree canopies, and architectural overhangs create comfortable microclimates year-round. Permeable paving and passive stormwater strategies, including parking garden basins and a series of bioswales that capture, slow, and infiltrate rainfall, expressing water as a visible system. The hardscape design, inspired by the film reel, reinforces the cinematic narrative of the campus.

The 5 acre Plaza at Mesa City Center is a vibrant civic hub aimed at revitalizing the downtown area and creating a true ...
04/03/2026

The 5 acre Plaza at Mesa City Center is a vibrant civic hub aimed at revitalizing the downtown area and creating a true destination for residents and visitors. Addressing past gaps in connectivity, activity, and identity, the project transforms an underdeveloped area into a walkable, event-driven public space.
The Plaza is centered around a shaded, flexible plaza, and the design supports year-round programming from festivals and performances to a seasonal ice rink, a large outdoor screen for movie nights, and interactive water feature.

Through gardens, pathways, and sustainable bioswales, the plaza strengthens connections to surrounding cultural destinations and reinforces downtown Mesa’s growth as an active, resilient urban core.

Desert Haven at Circle G Ranch Homestead project is a residential landscape set in the Sonoran Desert. The vibe of the l...
04/03/2026

Desert Haven at Circle G Ranch Homestead project is a residential landscape set in the Sonoran Desert. The vibe of the landscape is intended to be a romantic, lived-in elegant experience with practical outdoor living. The design creates a series of intimate “garden rooms” that unfold across the site; each supporting relaxation, gathering, and family life while staying connected to the desert setting.

A welcoming arrival sequence leads into layered outdoor spaces, including patios, an outdoor kitchen, and a secluded Mediterranean style pool. Social areas are anchored a reclaimed stone firepit and soft overhead lighting, while quieter moments emerge in spaces like an olive grove with a fountain and a hidden “secret garden” for play and retreat.

Overall, Desert Haven at Circle G Ranch creates flow, sensory experience, and intentionality creating a timeless landscape centered on connection, exploration, and everyday living.

Colwell Shelor is taking over the  account!Gilbert Heritage District + Hearne Plaza is a flexible, vibrant hub filled wi...
04/03/2026

Colwell Shelor is taking over the account!

Gilbert Heritage District + Hearne Plaza is a flexible, vibrant hub filled with gathering spaces. Rooted in the town’s agricultural history, the design features cotton boll inspired paving patterns, lasso inspired lighting, and gathering amenities create a place that works just as well for a quiet evening as it does for a packed weekend event.
 
From shaded seating and bike racks to artful benches and multi-use streetscapes, this project is all about community, culture, and connection.

2025 Oaxacan Holiday Office Party
12/07/2025

2025 Oaxacan Holiday Office Party

Helios Education FoundationOutstanding AwardBuilt Commercial Landscape DesignWe are excited to announce we received an O...
08/18/2025

Helios Education Foundation
Outstanding Award
Built Commercial Landscape Design

We are excited to announce we received an Outstanding Award from . Thank you to the jury that selected this project out of 300+ submittals worldwide.

The 3.14-acre project in Phoenix, Arizona is sited between a major arterial street and a secluded, established neighborhood – adjacencies that required protection from traffic noise, defense against flooding in the street during even mild storm events, and a robust landscape buffer between the campus and residences. The Foundation desired a building and landscape designed to last at least 100 years that would bring people in education together. The site and building work in partnership to blur the lines between landscape architecture and architecture, significantly reduce potable water and energy use, provide opportunities for enhanced educational rethinking and improved mental health and wellbeing.
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We are excited to be a finalist in this year’s  A+Awards for our Helios Education Foundation Project! Have you voted for...
05/05/2025

We are excited to be a finalist in this year’s A+Awards for our Helios Education Foundation Project! Have you voted for us in the Sustainable Landscape/Planning Category yet?
Vote Here for Helios

Team:
Architecture:
Photography:
Owner:

Happy Earth Day! 📷 Project: House of Desert Gardens
04/22/2025

Happy Earth Day!
📷
Project: House of Desert Gardens








When working hard during lunch, you end up pitching both your landscape plan AND your salsa 😉
04/11/2025

When working hard during lunch, you end up pitching both your landscape plan AND your salsa 😉

Taco ‘bout a landscape architecture team that works hard and eats well! 🌮
04/11/2025

Taco ‘bout a landscape architecture team that works hard and eats well! 🌮

Nestled at the foot of Camelback Mountain, the landscape for House of Desert Gardens goes beyond the ordinary—transformi...
04/02/2025

Nestled at the foot of Camelback Mountain, the landscape for House of Desert Gardens goes beyond the ordinary—transforming a once water-intensive property into a breathtaking celebration of desert biodiversity. A journey through sculptural cacti, vibrant blooms, and winding pathways, each turn reveals a new connection to nature.

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85014

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