For me, the most compelling landscapes are those that have been created from a consequential — and beautiful — modeling of the earth. I particularly love sculpting spaces that tell stories and spark thought.

Maybe it’s because I grew up surrounded by Iowa’s agrarian landscape — undulating land overlaid with geometric patterns — that I’m intrigued by what can come from carefully shaping the earth. At Meyer Studio, topography is often the starting point or becomes the central element of a design. But beauty is always the guiding light.

The 3 earthworks MSLA featured in our UCB 2025 exhibition are very different from one another in concept and scale but all exemplify the contemplative intersection of art and nature. And hopefully they have all touched the human spirit in some way.

• After Maximus, a reimagination of Rome’s Circus Maximus, is an earthen memorial created to honor the innocents who suffered and died there.

• Limelight was a temporary installation at the Westonbirt International Festival of Gardens that celebrated a champion tree.

• Heartwood, in Omaha, Nebraska is a multi-faceted, communal development distinguished by an infrastructure that artfully addresses the effects of climate change and fosters a deeper appreciation for the ebb and force of nature.

I’ve taught graduate students in the capstone studio for UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design for 25 years and have always sought to instill an appreciation for rigor throughout the design process — the necessary approach if built spaces are to transcend the ordinary. I’ve also stressed the importance of understanding and addressing topography. So, alongside conceptual drawings and models, the exhibition includes a deep dive into MSLA’s process for mindfully translating concepts into reality — from the iterative process of design development to producing exact working drawings that contractors build from.

Here’s to the messy, meticulous, process of discovering, designing, and building shapely places — and to all the people I’ve worked with in my attempts to do so. My invaluable partner, Grace Amundson and I, thank you.

—David Meyer