Designing for Safety and Community in Student Housing

Maha Balachandran, Int’l ASLA
Senior Associate, Northern California Office

We’re thrilled to share that our Northern California Senior Associate, Mahalakshmi Balachandran, was recently published in Multi-Housing News with her article, “Safer Student Housing Through Smart Design.”

In the piece, Maha explores how thoughtful landscapes can do more than beautify a space, they can shape behavior, foster a sense of belonging, and enhance safety without feeling overbearing. She dives into principles like CPTED and tactical placemaking, and shares how intentional choices, like lighting, natural access control, and multifunctional green spaces, can transform student housing environments.

“Security by design isn’t just about adding cameras or bright lights—it’s about shaping environments that naturally discourage crime and encourage positive interaction.”

— Maha Balachandran

Read the full article here.

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Catch Maha Live in May!

Maha will also be speaking at the upcoming Bisnow Northern California Student Housing and Higher Education Summit on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. She’ll join the panel “Enhancing the Student Experience: Building with the Next Generation in Mind” to discuss design trends, sustainability, wellness, and the broader impact of campus communities.

Use code JOINME for a discount: Register here

Hope to see you there!

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Shaping the Future of Affordable Housing: Key Takeaways from the Housing California Conference 2025

From March 5-7th, 2025, Catherine McCullough, President/CEO/CMO and Mahalakshmi Balachandran, Senior Associate, attended the Housing California Annual Conference 2025 in Sacramento, CA. The event gathered nearly 3,000 professionals for Solidarity in Action: Building Power to Transform Communities. Topics discussed include the pressing challenges narrative; building power; and changing policy to end homelessness and create affordable homes for all.

Catherine and Maha attended tours of local affordable housing projects and multiple plenary sessions covering discussions under seven tracks and here is a quick highlight of the key takeaways:

Change in approach to affordable housing

There’s a focus on analyzing Vienna’s social housing for its highly successful social housing system. This discussion highlighted that the perception of Affordable Housing should be seen as permanent housing for all and not as housing for economically challenged people. Coalition amongst developers, local jurisdictions, homelessness/housing experts, elected leaders and community stakeholders will create a paradigm shift in how we approach affordable housing.

Solving homelessness

Housing should be a progressive approach that prioritizes permanent, stable housing to individuals followed by addressing mental health issues, disabilities, substance abuse and employment. 

Housing is a human right

Expanding social housing programs, offering rent subsidies, protecting renters and improving the accessibility of mortgages for low-income families can all be part of an effort to make housing more equitable. 

Shape Narratives, move mindsets, and housing justice

The first step is to understand. Understanding resident needs, abilities, challenges will help tailor place-based and user-centered housing design. Inclusive communities are those where individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are seen as valuable members, and where community members interact, support, and learn from each other. Building relationships between neighbors can break down barriers and reduce stigma. Amenity spaces like community gardens, play areas, naturally ventilated and daylight spaces, and connecting with nature can make individuals engage socially, feel supported and empowered. 

Housing is a climate strategy

Through innovative design, the use of sustainable materials, energy-efficient technologies, and leveraging infrastructure funding, we can accelerate the creation of housing that contributes to a cleaner, greener future.

Shaping the Future of Affordable Housing in California

The Housing California Conference 2025 emphasized the most urgent housing challenges in the state, showcasing successful initiatives and identifying actionable strategies to ensure that all Californians have access to safe, affordable, and sustainable housing. McCullough remains committed to these goals through continued dialogue, partnerships, and the implementation of creative design strategies. Through collaboration and forward-thinking design, we are determined to create a future where everyone has a place to call home.

Catherine and Maha meeting collaborators, Donata Gilliland of Flint Builders and Tracy Jenkins of 3QC for lunch in between sessions

Catherine and Chad Yussman of KFA Architecture, Los Angeles

A special tribal blessing by local Native American leaders kicked off the three-day conference

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Celebrating the Women Shaping Our Landscape Architecture Team

March is Women's History Month, a time to recognize the contributions of women who have shaped history in countless ways. In the world of landscape architecture, women have long been essential in designing spaces that connect people to nature.

At McCullough, we're proud to have a team made up of talented women from diverse backgrounds, including India, China, Israel, and across the U.S., whose creativity, innovation, and unique perspectives make our work richer. While having a majority-women team wasn’t intentional, it’s something we appreciate and celebrate. We believe in empowering women's leadership in design and the built environment because their voices help create spaces that are thoughtful, serene, and genuinely meaningful.

Honoring Our Team

The women on our team are more than designers, they are leaders, innovators, and collaborators dedicated to shaping thoughtful, resilient, and inspiring spaces. Their diverse perspectives enrich our projects and help us create meaningful places where people can connect with nature and each other.

As we celebrate Women's History Month, we recognize the impact of these talented women and the lasting legacy of women in landscape architecture. To all the women shaping our world through design, we celebrate you today and every day.

Maha Balachandran, Int’l ASLA
Senior Associate - Oakland Office

Kira Becker, ASLA
Associate - Los Angeles Office

Jenny Devaney
Office Administrator

Melanie Loria
Marketing & Business Development Manager

Sophia Rumpf, ASLA
Associate

Kat Valley
Project Accountant

Polina Karake, MSID, Int’l ASLA
Associate

Catherine McCullough, FSMPS, CPSM
President/CEO/CMO

Jiayao Tang, MLA, ASLA
Junior Associate

Olivia Wax, ASLA
Junior Associate

As proud members of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the women at McCullough are part of a larger network of professionals committed to advancing the field and uplifting women in landscape architecture. Check out ASLA Resources on Women in Landscape Architecture here.

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Artificial Intelligence and Design

William Glockner, MLA, ASLA

Written by William Glockner, MLA, ASLA, Junior Associate

While many wonder if the future of design will be entirely dominated by machines, few acknowledge that even now, it is no longer created solely by humans. Artificial intelligence (AI) is already reshaping the design and creative industry. The time AI saves and the novel design solutions it generates will empower those who embrace the technology to become the next generation of leading designers and firms. The question on everyone’s mind is:

• What can AI do for me and my firm?

This article showcases how design firms integrating artificial intelligence are improving their visualizations, ideation process, concept development, design execution, plant selections, and firm communication. These advantages compound to increase leading firms’ efficiency, creativity, and client satisfaction.

Accelerate Your Visualization and Ideation Process

AI is helping leading firms present design ideas to clients faster and at a significantly lower cost. AI can generate mood boards, precedent images, and conceptual renderings in minutes. Consider a designer with the following idea:

A visualization of the proposed fence design, bringing the described concept to life.

“A Corten fence with rectangular panels and a rectangular frame, featuring laser-cut cacti attached with stand-off anchors, creating a slight gap between the panel and the cacti.”

Finding a reference image for this design would require extensive internet searches or 3D modeling. By contrast, the designer can enter the prompt into an AI program and receive a reasonable approximation in under a minute. By reducing the time spent searching for reference images—especially for novel design ideas—AI streamlines visualization process.

Beyond accelerating visualization, AI can expand the number of design ideas explored for a project. By generating four variations of any requested design idea, it enables designers to evaluate different iterations quickly. Adjusting AI’s Chaos parameter allows designers to control the level of variation—lower values produce similar images, while higher values yield radically different concepts. This flexibility encourages broader exploration and can lead to more compelling designs.

Break Creative Ruts and Encourage Design Innovation

AI can help designers and firms break out of creative ruts and challenge their biases. Many assume that because the intelligence is trained on existing work, it lacks the spark for true innovation. However, AI’s ability to disregard convention can lead to groundbreaking ideas.

Human designers are influenced by their training and preferences and often stick to what they know works. They may hesitate to invest time in an idea that seems silly to them. AI, on the other hand, has no preconceived notions of what ‘looks good’ or ‘looks bad’—it simply generates what it is asked for. This enables designers to explore ideas they might otherwise dismiss or, subconsciously, struggle to model out in good faith.

AI is particularly effective at merging disparate design concepts into unexpectedly compelling hybrids. For example, blending Spanish hacienda with high Gothic architecture would be a complex challenge for most designers. However, AI is more than happy to dive straight into a challenge like this to satisfy the prompt. While not every result will kick off a design revolution, even flawed iterations can inspire new creative directions.

AI’s take on blending Spanish and Gothic styles, resulting in a striking and well-balanced composition.

Artificial Intelligence’s ability to push boundaries also helps designers present clients with fleshed out visualizations of avant-garde ideas. Clients often hesitate to approve untested ideas without visual references, but intelligence-generated images can provide compelling previews. A designer envisioning a giant snake sculpture winding through a courtyard, adorned with culturally relevant art, might struggle to convey the idea through words alone. Intelligence-generated visuals, however, make bold proposals more tangible, increasing the likelihood of client buy-in.

While AI offers powerful visualization tools, it comes with challenges. Intelligence-generated imagery can be misleading or unrealistic. For instance, it may depict impractical jointing between pavers or impossible material combinations, creating the illusion of a feasible design where none exists.

This underscores the continued importance of industry knowledge and experienced designers. Experienced designers can evaluate intelligence-generated concepts for feasibility and refinement, ensuring that stunning visuals translate into realistic, buildable solutions. Less experienced designers may struggle to distinguish between an exciting image and a constructible design, leading to impractical proposals and dissatisfied clients. Thus, AI does not replace expertise—it amplifies the value of skilled designers who can discern viable ideas from aesthetic illusions.

Dynamically Theme Your Plant Selection and Quickly Source Alternatives

Beyond visualization, AI assists with plant selection by generating climate-appropriate plant lists based on project constraints. By inputting parameters such as Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS) ratings, Sunset Zones, height, and flower color, designers can quickly generate tailored plant lists. While online plant databases provide similar functionality, AI offers additional advantages. It can consider abstract factors like regional availability, reputation, and even subjective characteristics such as "Japanese-inspired" or "feels like an underwater plant."

Or, if you desperately need a silver ground cover with purple flowers that feels fluffy and looks great next to Palo Verdes and can grow in full sun conditions in San Antonio, Texas, just type your desired criteria into an AI tool and be astounded when you discover the perfect plant for you: Dalea greggii.

AI can also help solve sourcing issues. If a specified plant becomes unavailable, designers can input its characteristics and receive alternatives with similar aesthetics and functionality. Leading firms can also leverage this capability to integrate more native plants into their designs by asking AI to suggest native replacements for specified non-native selections.

It is important to note that AI can make mistakes and hallucinations with plants so the oversight of an experienced designer is essential to understand and validate the plant suggestions. Although AI tools are remarkable at building quick plant lists, these lists will still require supervision, understanding, and sign-off from an experienced human designer.

An intelligence-generated list of large-leaved plants—note that some suggestions may not be context-appropriate, highlighting the designer’s role in refining AI input.

AI in Code Compliance and Communication

AI can be a useful tool for navigating design guidelines and regulations, helping designers quickly scan government codes and spec sheets to identify relevant sections. However, this is only a first step—it highlights where to look and is absolutely not a substitute for reading the full text. While AI can speed up the process of locating the right statutes and rules, responsibility for understanding and applying them remains with the designer. Code compliance cannot be outsourced, and professional judgment is essential. When questions arise, the correct course of action is to communicate directly with the appropriate government officials.

AI tools can support the communication process by enhancing clarity in coordination with city officials, other design consultants, and clients. Effective communication is critical for ensuring that design concepts are accurately conveyed, and project updates or tasks are clear. AI can help refine talking points, improve logical organization, and enhance clarity in written correspondences, increasing professionalism. AI tools can also help organize ideas and format an email correspondence so that key feedback is not missed. AI can also check your tone and revise your words, if you’re communicating about a sensitive subject, it can help revise your tone to be more formal or less stern and even offer insights on how your email may be interpreted by the recipient!

With these benefits, there is an essential point to keep in mind: be careful with what you share with AI platforms. Leading firms understand that client confidentiality must be maintained—AI platforms already warn against sharing sensitive information, and they do this for good reason. Once entered into an AI system, the data is no longer just yours. Any data you feed into any AI tool can be used for training future models or be exposed in an unfortunate data breach. If you have client information that you wouldn’t want the public to know, do not share it with AI tools.

An AI analyzation of an email’s content, anticipating potential reactions, and refining the message accordingly.

The Future of AI in Landscape Architecture

AI’s limitations should reassure designers of one crucial truth: you are not going to be replaced by artificial intelligence. AI is not a plug-and-play solution where ideas go in and construction documents come out. The human touch remains essential in curation, problem-solving, and refinement.

Even as AI becomes more sophisticated, it will not replace designers, but redefine what is valued in the profession. In the evolving *landscape* of landscape architecture, problem-solving, curation, and human insight will be more important than ever. AI can generate ideas at an unprecedented pace, but it cannot distinguish between good and bad options. It also struggles with subtle refinements of visualizations/generations and lacks the critical judgment and problem context that experienced designers bring to the table.

Leading firms are already integrating AI strategically, using it to enhance—not replace—their role in the design process. Those who resist AI risk falling behind, while those who learn to harness it will shape the industry’s future. Landscape architecture firms must decide whether they will shape AI’s integration into their firm or be shaped by its rapid advancements.

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Addressing the Growing Demand for Student Housing

On February 12, 2025, David McCullough had the privilege of moderating a panel at Bisnow’s inaugural San Diego Student Housing Summit, hosted at the University of San Diego. The event gathered nearly 400 professionals to discuss the pressing challenges in planning, developing, constructing, and designing higher education facilities and student housing.

David led the panel titled “Accommodating the Growing Student Body Throughout San Diego,” focusing on supply and demand dynamics, strategies to increase housing units, and ensuring adequate space for all students in the region. Esteemed panelists included Bob Schulz, University Architect & Associate VP of Real Estate at SDSU; Abbie Hawkins, VP of Development at The Michaels Organization; Rudy Medina, Founder & Development Director at Next Space Development; Richard King, Principal at Gensler; and David Senden, Principal at KTGY.

Key Takeaways for the Future of Student Housing

1. Evolving Student Needs Post-Pandemic

   The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped student expectations, with heightened emphasis on amenities that support success. Institutions are now prioritizing features that foster community and well-being.

2. Innovative Use of Space

   Designers are transforming unconventional areas, such as laundry rooms, into communal spaces to enhance student interaction. Additionally, the integration of indoor and outdoor environments, including rooftop terraces, is becoming a staple in modern student housing.

3. Mental Health and Wellness Integration

   There's a growing focus on embedding mental health support within residential programs. Initiatives like wellness activities, cooking classes, and community gardening are being introduced to create supportive living environments.

4. Adoption of Prefabricated Construction

   To address housing shortages efficiently, the industry is turning to prefabricated building methods. This approach accelerates construction timelines while maintaining quality, enabling faster delivery of much-needed housing units.

5. Collaborative Regional Planning

   Addressing the student housing crisis requires a holistic view of regional housing challenges. Collaboration among higher education institutions, developers, and local governments is essential to develop sustainable solutions that benefit both students and the broader community.

Shaping the Future of Student Housing in San Diego

This summit underscored the critical role of thoughtful design and strategic planning in creating sustainable, affordable, and accessible student housing. McCullough remains committed to contributing to these conversations and implementing creative solutions that enhance the quality of life for students and the broader San Diego community.

For more details about the entire event, check out the article by Torrey Sims, published in School Construction News.

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