Ricardo trained in the fields of landscape architecture, urban design, and architecture. He is co-founder with Gregory Janks of DUMONTJANKS in Boston.
Ricardo’s experience has evolved through early life on a dairy farm on the St. Lawrence River Plain and later in the stunning Finger Lakes region of central New York State. He has made opportunities to travel, research, and to live with indigenous communities and explore vernacular settlements throughout North America, Central and South America, and Europe That background has inspired research, writing, design, planning, and built work for American colleges, universities, cities, and private foundations. He has co-authored a book on planning and design of the American campus, “Mission and Place”.
This experience has led to the following beliefs: Planning and design is a search for facts and truth; it is a search for innovation by understanding what has been done in the past. It is a search for existing patterns, natural and manmade, what has caused them, which often serve as inspirational, organizing ideas; and ultimately, design is a search for dynamic solutions and enduring beauty.
These beliefs have enabled bold planning and design solutions that integrate the individual disciplines of strategic, financial, physical planning, landscape architecture, urban design, engineering, and architecture. To accomplish this in practice, four ideas mark his philosophy and process:
the search for data-driven clarity
the need for integrated systems
the power of architecture and landscape as one unified,elegant composition
and in implementation, the search for invention, craft, and a clear, minimal expression of design intent
That work and beliefs have resulted in award-winning frameworks, master plans, urban design projects, and built work for over 150 diverse, private, and public institutions including Auburn University, Bates College, Brown University, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, the Mayo Clinic, Wayne State University, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, Purdue University, the University of Florida, the University of Rochester and Medical Center, the University of Virginia, Texas Tech University, the Aga Khan Foundation, Cleveland Foundation, the Mandel Foundation, and the State University Systems of Vermont, New Hampshire.
His public and private urban development work includes planning, urban design, and built work for mixed-use and residential projects such as the East Baltimore District Plan with Forest City/Johns Hopkins, Technology Square @ MIT, the Cleveland Foundation Innovation District @ Euclid Corridor, and the waterfronts of Nantucket and Newburyport. These private development projects have ranged in scale from dense urban sites to thousands of acres. His rural agricultural background has led to a strong understanding, beliefs, and work portfolio in large land preserves. He has served such diverse clients as the Rockefeller family, the Aga Khan Foundation in Central Asia, the Cleveland Foundation, the Mandel Foundation of Cleveland, a family and government eco-tourism consortium for a national park in Cozumel, Mexico, and the City and Mayor of Santiago, Chile for Parque O’Higgins. He has also worked extensively with the large land resources of American colleges, universities, and land grant agricultural schools.
The design teams led by Ricardo have been recognized with planning and design awards from the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Society for College and University Planning. He is a graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Syracuse University; and is the co-author of Mission and Place: Strengthening Learning and Community through Campus Design, published by Praeger Press.
SELECTED AWARDS
BSLA Honor Award for Planning And Design, University Of Virginia Ivy Corridor District, 2023
SCUP Honorable Mention for Excellence in Planning for an Existing Campus, George Mason University Master Plan, 2022
SCUP Honor Award for Excellence in Landscape Architecture for Open Space Planning for the University of Virginia Ivy Corridor, 2020
SCUP Honor Award for Excellence in Planning for an Existing Campus, University of Florida Strategic Development Plan, 2017
BSLA Award of Merit, Martire Center Sacred Heart University, 2017
AIA Award of Merit, Martire Center Sacred Heart University, 2017
SCUP/AIA-CAE Honor Award for Excellence in Architecture, The Ohio State University South Campus District, 2013
AIA New England Citation Award for Design Excellence, Fordham University Campbell, Salice and Conley Residence Halls, 2012
ASLA Award of Excellence for Analysis and Planning, The One Ohio State Framework Plan, 2012
BSLA Honor Award for Landscape Analysis and Planning, Vermont Law School Master Plan, 2011
BSLA Merit Award for Landscape Analysis and Planning, The One Ohio State Framework Plan, 2011
SCUP Award for Institutional Innovation and Integration, The One Ohio State Framework Plan, 2011
SCUP Merit Award for Excellence in Planning, Vermont Law School Master Plan, 2011
AIA Honor Award, Sacred Heart University Chapel and Courtyards, 2010
AIA, Utah Chapter, Award of Honor, Utah State University, Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall, 2006
BSA Honor Award, Utah State University, Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall, 2006
BSLA Honor Award for Urban Design and Planning, Sweet Briar College Master Plan, 2003
BSLA Honor Award for Urban Design and Planning, Bethlehem Southside and Residential Districts, 2003
SCUP and AIA Design Awards, University of Scranton Master Plan, 2002
AIA Housing Design Awards, University of Scranton Mulberry Street Housing, 2002
City of Cambridge, Building / Neighborhood Restoration Award, Cameron Avenue Studio Lofts, 2000
AIA Regional Design Award, Billings Farm, 1985
ASLA National Certificate of Honor, 1977
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Advanced Standing Scholarship, 1977
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
“Creating an Engaging Community,” The Annapolis Group, Annapolis, Maryland; 2018
"Symposium on Innovation Districts and the 21st Century City: Rise of the Mission Based Economy", Metropolis magazine, 2017
“The Role of Physical Design in Academic Transformation,” Panelist, Forum for the Future of Higher Education, Aspen, Colorado; 2013
“Creating THE FOREST at Ohio State University,” The Ohio State University Arbor Day Address on the Oval; 2011
“The Future of Cities - The Urban Model for 2020”, Panelist, Swiss Institute for Urban Design + Harvard Graduate School of Design; 2010
“New Paradigm on the Research Campus Case Studies: Colorado Mines, Louisiana Tech, and Ohio State Research,” National Conference on University Research Campuses, 2008
“Path to the Knowledge City and Ohio State,” The Ohio State University Two-Day Symposium; 2008
“Sasaki Mission and Place: A Quest for Integration,” Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning, and Design Annual Lecture; 2008
“The Knowledge City Economy,” National School of Architecture and Design Lecture Series; 2008
“The Knowledge City Evolution,” The Ohio State University School of Architecture Symposium; 2008
“Universities: City/University Development Strategies,” New Zealand Symposia for the Auckland Ministry of Development and Planning; 2008
“University Research and National Parks: Sustainable Strategies and Resource Stabilization,” National Ministry of Interior; 2008
“Evolution, Integration, Aspiration,” Philadelphia College of Art and Design Lecture Annual Series; 2007
“Sasaki Mission and Place: A Quest for Integration,” Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, George Earle Lecture for the School of Landscape Architecture, 2007
American University Research Parks National Conference; 2007
“Sasaki Mission and Place: A Quest for Integration,” National University of Architecture, Santiago, Chile; 2006
“The Knowledge City Economy,” Purdue University School of Landscape Architecture Annual Lecture Series; 2006
“Mission and Place,” SCUP AIA / ACE National Conference; 2006
“The University and City: Attributes of Great Places,” Utah State University Innovation Campus Groundbreaking; June 2003
“A Niche in Nashville: Vanderbilt University,” Society for College and University Planners, Regional Conference; November 2002
“The University Civic,” American University Architects Annual Conference; 2002
“The University Civic,” Professional Development Course on Campus Planning, Harvard Graduate School of Design; 2001
“Urban Guidelines for the University,” Society of College and University Planners, Mid Atlantic Conference; 2001
“Elements of the Great American Campus,” American Society of Landscape Architects Conference, Ohio State University; 2000
“Elements of the Great American Campus,” Professional Development Course on Campus Planning, Harvard Graduate School of Design; 2000
“American Settlements; Precedents, Milestones, Conflicts,” American Society of Landscape Architects Centennial Conference; 1999
“City Re-Generation: University of Scranton,” Harvard Graduate School of Design, Professional Development Course on Master Planning; 1999
“The 6th Plymouth Village: Pine Hills,” Harvard Graduate School of Design, Professional Development Course on Master Planning; 1999
“The American Campus: Urbanization v. Urbanity”, North American Conference on Greening the Campus, Ball State University; 1999
Landscape Architects Centennial Conference; 1999
