Based in RVi’s Austin, Texas office, Principal Bryan Warne, PLA, brings a broad perspective shaped by more than two decades in landscape architecture, with particular expertise in healthcare and wellness. In this Employee Spotlight, Bryan shares his unconventional path to the profession, his approach to designing places that support well-being, and why the work of landscape architects matters more than many realize.

Finding your path

Your career has taken you through city planning, boutique design, construction, running your own firm, and leading landscape architecture for a healthcare and senior living practice. How has each chapter shaped the way you approach design today? 

Separately, each of those chapters have shaped how I approach design, certainly. But I think it’s more what they’ve done for my approach collectively that matters. I try not to design in a vacuum, and it’s not like I can just turn up one knob and turn down another anyway. I hope those combined experiences have given me a well-rounded and thoughtful perspective on every project, with every client. To see as many of the angles as I can, to answer as many design questions as practical, to provide a solution that makes sense, and ultimately leaves us (RVi), the client, and the end user feeling like we all won. 

How did you find your way to landscape architecture, and what led you to focus on healthcare and wellness design? 

I wasn’t necessarily drawn to landscape architecture; I sort of stumbled into it. When I was young, I wanted to be a Marine Corps pilot. I wanted to serve my country, make a difference, design planes, fly into space, and explore the galaxy as an astronaut. I was also an athlete and sports fan who happened to be born in Michigan. Putting all of that together, my plan was to attend the University of Michigan’s Naval ROTC program, play soccer, and graduate as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps with a degree in aerospace engineering. But things don’t always go as planned. 

Reality punch number one: I didn’t receive a scholarship to Michigan, so I enrolled at Texas A&M, which also has a highly ranked aerospace program. Reality punch number two: I wasn’t mature or prepared enough to succeed in aerospace engineering and risked failing out during my first year. One afternoon, I sat in my dorm room with a few barely interested friends and tried to figure out what I was going to do. We went through the course catalog major by major as I tried to picture myself in each one. 

I eventually settled on landscape architecture. My love of the outdoors, working with my hands, being active, and giving back all seemed to align. Reality punch number three: aerospace didn’t want to let me out, and landscape architecture didn’t want to let me in. I argued my case with both programs, and eventually they agreed to give me a probationary year to prove myself. I buckled down and got it done. I said goodbye to flying spaceships and hello to endless questions about mowing lawns. 

I didn’t focus specifically on healthcare and wellness until later in my career. Although I believe every project inherently provides some level of wellness to its users, it wasn’t a primary focus until I began working for an architecture firm specializing in healthcare and senior living. It was a direct pipeline to making a difference in people’s lives. Every project, decision, and stroke of the marker or pencil had the potential to affect someone’s life in a profound and meaningful way. That was 12 years ago, and I’ve been passionate about it ever since. 

Looking back over more than two decades in the profession, what has kept you passionate about the work?  

Realizing that we make a difference with what we do. Truly. I often say we’re not firemen, police officers, or doctors in terms of maintaining perspective when dealing with clients and our level of professional stress. But the reality is, we do have a major impact on people’s lives. How they experience the world around them. How they interact with one another. How they grow and mature from young kids feeling bare grass under their feet for the first time to being surrounded by loved ones as they leave this Earth.  

We touch almost every moment of that journey, intentionally or not. There’s a shared experience of being human, regardless of who you are, where you live, and what your story is. What’s more human than breathing fresh air, feeling the warmth of the sun or seeing the light of the moon on your skin, seeing and hearing the abundance of life around you, knowing you’re a part of it all, and sharing those moments with your people. We help shape those experiences and environments. All of them. I mean, how can you not be passionate about that? 

Designing for healing & wellness 

We often hear about evidence-based design in healthcare. How can thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces influence healing, wellness, and quality of life?

I sometimes think we put too much emphasis on terms like “evidence-based design” or “biophilic design” when our connection to nature is something we understand instinctively. We know how it feels to chase a friend through the grass, sit quietly in the warmth of the sun or cool of the shade, stroll through a park, or roll down the car window and feel the breeze. These are simple, universal experiences that remind us how naturally we respond to the outdoors. 

We all experience those things throughout our lives. When it comes to landscape architecture, if we need a term to validate a design decision, I think it should be called experience-based design—our own primordial, instinctual human experience. 

The actual science is exhaustive and extremely compelling, especially for medical or design nerds. But the short version is that thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces can support:

• Physical well-being by encouraging movement, activity, healthy habits, better sleep, and reduced stress. 

• Emotional well-being by providing opportunities for autonomy, stress relief, escapism, reflection, and time outdoors.  

• Intellectual well-being by encouraging creativity, problem-solving, learning, and new ways of engaging the brain.  

• Social well-being by creating spaces that bring people together, encourage interaction, strengthen relationships, and foster a sense of belonging.  

• Spiritual well-being by providing places for privacy, self-reflection, meditation, fellowship, gratitude, and compassion.  

• Occupational wellness by allowing people to share their talents, develop new skills, contribute to others, and find purpose.  

• Environmental wellness by nurturing our relationship with the Earth, encouraging stewardship, and promoting pride in the places we share.  

Ultimately, outdoor spaces influence healing, wellness, and quality of life because they support the many ways people need to move, think, connect, reflect, and find meaning. 

This month’s editorial theme is Campuses. Whether it’s a healthcare campus, senior living community, or corporate environment, what role should outdoor spaces play in supporting the people who use them every day? 

It’s a slightly different approach for each, but ultimately, there are objectives that are shared and translated across typologies. One role outdoor spaces play is supporting intuitive and appropriate wayfinding. This doesn’t just mean signs. We can use design features that objectively and subconsciously move people in a certain direction or compel them to want to “be” in one particular place or another. 

Another common role should be providing spaces for each user group to use distinctly from one another, while also providing flexibility. This requires thoughtfully considering the unique needs and wants of those separate groups and how they ultimately interact. You must consider everyone—from CEOs and employees to patients or residents and families, doctors and caregivers, students and staff, and visitors and vendors. 

Circulation is also an important role, both pedestrian and vehicular. As designers, we sometimes have a myopic view of the spaces and projects we’re dealing with, and our clients almost always do as well. It is our job to think about the bigger picture and understand how the entire fabric comes together, particularly on larger campus spaces or in urban environments. 

One of the single most important roles to me, and one that can drive many others, is appropriate programming. How are these spaces actually going to be used? I’m not sure how any design takes shape without first considering programming—from large-scale planning, where the programming may be very broad, to hyper-specific user groups and prescribed activities. In every case, the programming must be considered simultaneously with the building’s use and internal programming. One cannot act alone; each must support the other. 

The design process

Your colleagues describe you as a “big picture thinker” who also pays close attention to the details. How do you balance long-term vision with the practical realities of a project?  

Start at 30,000 feet, land the target. I think the secret for me is having a strong grasp of the project’s realities from the get-go. I want to understand as much as possible about every part of the project from the very beginning; the site, owner requirements, codes, user needs, goals, and parameters. I go down that rabbit hole because it gives me context and helps me see the goal in the distance. 

I keep all of that in mind and work my way down from the top. I jump out of the plane and from that moment till I land on the ground I’m aiming for a very small spot that’s a very long way away. But I must start at 30,000 feet and work the process. I can’t – and I don’t want – to get there too quickly or I’ll be unhappy with the results.  

I keep my eyes on where I’m supposed to land, learning more and adjusting to the wind along the way. I continually reanalyze new realities, reprocess the information, and apply it to the solution to make sure I hit the tar

Leadership

You’ve presented nationally on wellness design and published articles on creating healthier environments. What ideas are you most passionate about sharing with clients and emerging professionals, and what advice would you offer young designers—particularly those interested in healthcare or campus planning—as you mentor them and help them grow? 

What I’m most passionate about sharing is the importance of what we do, the impact it has on people, and honestly, how simple it can be when the support to accomplish it is there. 

That’s the same advice I’d give any young landscape architect, regardless of their specialty: The details matter, and so does the process. Check your ego at the door and focus on the solution, not the problem. 

As a principal, what I enjoy most about mentoring is seeing someone “get it,” whatever “it” may be in that moment. Watching the light switch turn on and then seeing them do more with that understanding than I could, is remarkably satisfying. It’s gratifying to watch people succeed and know that I helped in some way. 

Personal perspective

Is there a project in your career that you’re especially proud of—not necessarily because it was the biggest, but because of the impact it had on people’s lives? 

There are several—nearly every senior living project I’ve worked on. Any small thing I can do to bring dignity, comfort, compassion, joy, and purpose to someone who may have lost hope or the desire for those things is incredibly meaningful. 

Most recently, I worked on the Judy Waxman Memorial Garden at the Campus of Shalom Austin, the Jewish Community Center in Austin. After Mrs. Waxman’s passing, her family commissioned the garden to honor her memory and legacy of philanthropy. They wanted to create a place for members and visitors to find reflection and peace while continuing their good work. 

I’m proud of how happy her family was and how our team gave them the garden they had envisioned. I’ll always remember that project and that family. 

Outside of work, where do you go to recharge? Is there a favorite outdoor place or landscape that inspires you? 

Not any single one, no. Just generally being able to escape somewhere quiet and remote. Somewhere with trees and water and sun, temps in the 40’s-70’s, and a campfire. 

Looking ahead

Healthcare design continues to evolve. What trends are you most excited about, particularly when it comes to outdoor environments and campus planning? 

Big picture, I’m focused on the continued push to validate landscape architecture, and the role landscape architects play in the design process. We’re not fully there yet, but it’s a great time to be a landscape architect. 

Closer to home, I’ve been exploring a new concept that could shift the paradigm around healthcare and community. It would provide essential services to underserved communities while simultaneously addressing some of the funding challenges that keep great and necessary projects from ever getting off the ground. 

Quick takes

Favorite place to visit in Texas? Tough question. At the moment, I’m going with Pedernales Falls State Park.    

One book that has influenced your thinking? The Tao of Poo 

A landscape or garden you’ve visited that left a lasting impression? My paternal grandparents farm in Michigan.