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Confluence - Landscape Architecture

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Confluence - Landscape Architecture

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Creating Places Full of Life.

10/30/2026

We’ve got four reasons to celebrate, and we’re getting a little loud about one in particular! 🎉

A big congratulations to Christopher Shires, AICP, on receiving the Iowa APA Distinguished Leadership Award at yesterday’s Chapter Awards Ceremony at the 2026 APA Quad State Conference!

Chris, we’re proud to work alongside you. Let’s hear it for this well-deserved moment in the spotlight! 👏

And there’s more to celebrate! Confluence was also part of three award-winning projects:

🏆 Implementation Award: Willow Creek Master Plan and Riverwalk Plaza, City of Mason City - Government
With Bergland + Cram, HYBYCOZO, and WHKS & Co.

🏆 Best Practice Award: Housing Sites of Opportunity, Polk County Housing Trust Fund

🏆 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan: Grimes 2050 Comprehensive Plan, City of Grimes, Iowa
With Kirkham, Michael & Associates, Inc.

To our clients and project partners: thank you for trusting us to help shape stronger communities. We’re excited for what this recognition means for you, and grateful we got to be part of the work.

Help us congratulate Chris and these project teams!

10/28/2026

We’re live at the 2026 APA Quad State Conference, and our team is ready to bring the energy, the insights, and some seriously fun sessions. From sharks and improv to land audits and whatever on earth rhymes with duck, we’ve got your CM credits (and your entertainment) covered.

Bookmark this schedule and come hang out with us:
📅 WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28
• 🦈 Shark Tank – Planner’s Version | 9:15–10:45 AM • Pershing Place S (CM: 1.5)
With Aimee Nassif, AICP & Zach Moore
• 🎭 Improv(E) Your Way to a Yes! | 11:00 AM–12:30 PM • Pershing Place S (CM: 1.5)
With Aimee Nassif, AICP, Christopher Shires, AICP & Scott Hanson, AICP

📅 THURSDAY, OCT. 29
• 🗺️ Mapping Opportunity: Turning Land Audits into Livable Spaces | 4:30–5:30 PM • Pershing Place E/W (CM: 1.0)
With Jane Reasoner, AICP, Abbey Eckberg, AICP & Johnny Alcivar, AICP

📅 FRIDAY, OCT. 30
• ⚡ Planners – Working Smarter, Not Harder | 9:15–10:15 AM • Pershing Place N (CM: 1.0)
With our all-Confluence powerhouse: Abbey Eckberg, AICP, Emily Rizvić, AICP & Corinne Sidebottom
• 🛠️ The Swiss Army Knife Planner | 10:30–11:30 AM • Pershing Place S (CM: 0.5)
With Emily Rizvić, AICP & Jenna Gilliam, AICP
• 🦆 What Rhymes with Duck? | 12:00–1:00 PM • Century Ballroom C (CM: 1.0)
With Aimee Nassif, AICP & Justin Wyse, AICP

If you’re wandering the halls, say hi! We want to hear what you’re working on, trade war stories, and talk shop.

10/23/2026

We came. We saw. We cleared some honeysuckle. 🌿💪

Yesterday, our crew got to work removing invasive honeysuckle at Walnut Creek Regional Park, with a couple folk from MidAmerican Energy pitching in alongside us. A little teamwork goes a long way toward caring for our shared outdoor spaces, and we weren’t afraid to get into the weeds.

Special shoutout to Denise, who is seriously good at this. Honeysuckle, you’ve met your match.

Thanks to everyone who brought the energy and put in the work!

10/09/2026

We’re so excited that Redwood Park is now open to the Apple Valley Parks & Recreation community, a fully inclusive, accessible play space designed for children of all abilities.

For us, this project started with thinking outside the box. What could a playground become if we let imagination lead, while making inclusion central to the design?

We looked beyond the playground itself to the surrounding park. The pool and aquatics center sparked an idea: a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea theme, with a giant octopus at its heart.

What began as a sketch became something extraordinary in the hands of our teammate, Landscape Structures Inc.. Together, we explored how the octopus could be more than something to look at, how its tentacles could become playful, interactive parts of the experience. Seeing that idea come to life has been incredibly exciting.

But the most meaningful part isn’t the octopus. It’s what this space means for children who may have been left out of playground experiences before: a place in their own community where they can join in, explore, and play alongside others.

That’s why we do this. Iconic ideas. Inclusive design. A place to belong.

Because every child deserves to be part of the adventure.

10/08/2026

Welcoming spaces start with welcoming more voices into the conversation. And that means making it easier for people to weigh in.

Our teammate Emily recently presented at an Iowa Women in Architecture panel on inclusive design, sharing ways to make engagement more accessible, including gathering input from people of different ages and those whose first language isn’t English.

The goal? Environments that are welcoming, equitable, and responsive to the people who use them. Let’s make room for more voices, and listen up.

10/05/2026

We’re proud to recognize Devon and Laura for their participation in the American Society of Landscape Architects SKILL | ED Firm Leadership Accelerator!

Designed to prepare the next generation of landscape architecture firm leaders, this seven-month program brings together business training, mentorship, and peer learning to explore everything from financial planning and marketing to leadership, delegation, and sustainable growth.

Pictured here is the group meetup at Studio MLA in Los Angeles—a chance to connect with fellow participants and share ideas about the future of practice.

Join us in celebrating Devon and Laura’s continued professional growth!

Learn more about the program.

10/02/2026

We turned Terry Berkbuegler and Jane Reasoner loose at the American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter Conference in Evanston, and they did what they do best: shook up the room and dropped some serious park-planning truths.

Their session, Mapping Equity in Park Planning: Connecting People and Parks, went straight after the traditional planning playbook. Checking off total acreage, counting swing sets, and drawing quarter-mile walk circles is fine and dandy, but it completely misses the real question: are your parks actually serving the folks who need them most? Terry and Jane broke down how we built a high-impact Equity Priority Index for the Round Lake Area Park District, mashing up hard demographic data, GIS mapping, and community conditions to funnel real investment into underserved neighborhoods.

And before anyone tries to roast them about the empty desks up front, Terry wanted to set the record straight: the room was nearly full; people were just terrified of the front-row splash zone. 😃

09/25/2026

It was an exciting morning at the Park Hill High School expansion groundbreaking last Tuesday! Hank joined the Park Hill School District to mark the start of this project.

We look forward to seeing the expansion take shape and the learning opportunities it will bring to Park Hill students. We are proud to partner with Hollis + Miller Architects and to continue our long-standing partnership with the Park Hill School District.

09/24/2026

Despite the rain, there were plenty of smiles at Monday evening’s groundbreaking for the Peterson Park Water Play Area in Gretna, Nebraska!

Free popsicles, exciting images of the next phase of Peterson Park, and a community eager for what’s ahead made for a memorable celebration. We’re proud to have worked on the Master Plan for this project and are excited for this next phase to see it come to life, bringing even more summertime joy to the Gretna community.

09/19/2026

A great conversation in Los Angeles at ASLA 2026 this week.

Confluence’s Jenn Becker, ASLA, and Daniel Tal, FASLA, joined Kelly Curl, ASLA, of Colorado State University for AI in Professional Practice.

Together, they explored how landscape architecture practices can strategically implement AI tools, build effective policies and roadmaps, use AI-enhanced workflows for design, production, management, and operations, and prepare teams to use these tools responsibly.

Thank you to everyone who joined the session and contributed to the conversation.

Address

525 17th Street
Des Moines, IA
50309

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Website

https://www.thinkconfluence.com/

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