Based in RVi’s Asheville, North Carolina office, Principal David Cosslett brings more than 20 years of experience in landscape architecture to work across the country. He leads a diverse range of work from luxury custom homes to large-scale master-planned communities while focusing on site design, urban connectivity, and community-centered planning that reflects the people it serves. 

How did you first get interested in landscape architecture?

In my early teens, though at the time, I wouldn’t have called it landscape architecture. It was really landscape maintenance and installation. A buddy and I went out one snowy afternoon trying to make some money. He had a four-wheeler with a plow, and I had a shovel. 

We ended up working for a guy who owned a large piece of land near where I grew up in Pennsylvania, in the Allentown/Bethlehem area, lots of cornfields and cow pastures. He had inherited a farm and wanted to turn it into a weekend getaway. After winter, we kept working for him, mulching, cleaning up the property, building retaining walls, laying pavers and flagstone. That hands-on experience really stuck with me. When it came time to decide on a major in college, I knew I liked being outside, I liked art, and I was good at math. I had some exposure to CAD and architecture in high school, but I didn’t want to design buildings. When I found landscape architecture, it just clicked, it combined everything I enjoyed. 

I went all in, attended Clemson University, and earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture through their five-year program. 

Did you always know what type of projects you wanted to work on?

At first, I thought I wanted to be a golf course architect. I was a golfer, so that seemed like a natural fit. But once I got into the program, I realized how specialized that path is. I wanted more variety. I liked the idea of working across different scales from small residential projects to large master-planned communities and everything in between. Clemson gave me a well-rounded education that supported that.

What brought you to Asheville?

In 2019, my wife and I had two young kids, and her parents who had been living in Florida decided to move back to Georgia. That got us thinking, having family nearby with young kids is huge. We started looking across the Southeast including Asheville, Atlanta, Charleston, Raleigh, Charlotte, Knoxville, Nashville, trying to find a place that fit our lifestyle: outdoors, live music, family-friendly, and somewhere I could continue building my career.  Asheville quickly became our top choice, and fortunately, it’s also where I found the right opportunity.

I initially joined a very small firm, just the owner, myself, and an intern, which was a big shift from the large firm environment. Then COVID hit, and work slowed down. Around that time, I reconnected with Ryan Binkowski, who I’d worked with earlier in my career. He asked if I’d consider coming back. I said yes, and we opened a new office in Asheville, with me leading it. Over the past six years, I’ve been growing the office, building an incredible team, expanding our client base, and now we’re moving into a larger space to support that growth

Have you faced any significant challenges in your career?

In 2008, I had just gotten married, we had just bought a house, and then the economy collapsed. I was unemployed for about five months, picking up odd jobs and living off my wife’s teacher’s salary and unemployment. It was definitely a crossroads moment, questioning whether this profession could really support a family long-term. Eventually, I found another job at a small firm in Naples, but at a much lower salary. To make ends meet, I worked two jobs. I’d start at a golf course around 5:45 a.m., setting up the course including moving tee boxes, cutting new holes and then heading into the office for a full day of design work. 

It was tough, but it reinforced my commitment to the field and helped me push through. 

Can you share a moment that really solidified your passion for this work?

One that stands out is the grand opening of the Esplanade Naples amenity center, a project I helped design. I brought my dad and my daughter with me. Up until that point, I had only seen the project under construction. Walking into that finished space at sunset, seeing people enjoying it, hearing them talk about how much they loved it was incredible. 

It really hit me at that moment: something I had imagined and put on paper had come to life and was creating joy for people. Sharing that with my dad, especially knowing my parents helped me through college, made it even more meaningful. That’s what makes it all worth it. 

What advice would you give someone considering landscape architecture?

Find something you’re passionate about. You’re going to spend a lot of time working, so it should be something that excites you.  

Landscape architects are problem solvers and storytellers. Every project is different, every day brings new challenges, and that’s what makes it interesting. If you like variety and creative problem-solving, it’s a great field to be in. 

How did Tropical Storm Helene impact you and your work in Asheville?

Tropical Storm Helene was an intense experience. I was in Phoenix for a work trip when the storm hit. My return flight got rerouted, and I ended up stuck in Dallas for a couple of days, not fully realizing how bad things were back home. Communication was limited, and my family was without power, water, and low on supplies. When I finally got back, it was clear the entire region was in trouble. We were out of power and water for days, eventually relocated the family to Georgia temporarily, then came back to help clean up, both at home and in the community. 

Our RVi team made a decision early on that we wanted to give back. We partnered with a local church and spent weeks volunteering, distributing supplies, cleaning out flooded homes, and cutting down fallen trees. 

When the opportunity came up to work on the French Broad River Parks Recovery Project, we saw it as a way to contribute on a larger scale, working directly with the community to support long-term recovery. What makes certain work meaningful is the impact it has on people and communities. This is one of those. 

What are you working on now that excites you?

Lately, I’ve found myself working a lot in brand-driven master-planned communities. Projects like Esplanade, Star Farms, and new concepts like Del Webb Explore. It’s interesting because I’ve kind of fallen into this niche of shaping not just physical spaces, but the identity and experience of entire communities. It’s creative, strategic, and really rewarding work

You have worked on large lifestyle communities like Esplanade and Star Farms, which each have a strong identity and lifestyle promise. What is your initial approach to being a steward of the brand and continuing to be a trusted partner to these clients?

It starts with listening, really understanding the core pillars of the brand, what matters most to the client, and how people will experience the community. From there, it’s about taking ownership and treating the brand like it’s our own, while staying true to those pillars. At the same time, we adapt to each site, market, and user group so each community feels authentic and connected to the people it serves. The goal is to balance consistency with creativity—delivering something unique for each client while maintaining the integrity of their brand.