Practice
At Crowley Cottrell, we bring clarity and intention to every site, creating landscapes that foster connection and well-being. With a diverse portfolio spanning parks, campuses, cultural institutions, multi-family housing, historic properties, and residential spaces, we believe that thoughtful, well-designed landscapes can profoundly impact the lives of those who experience them.
Our approach is collaborative and client-centered, working closely with stakeholders and professionals to align design aspirations with each site’s unique qualities. Guided by expertise, creativity, and a nurturing spirit, we cultivate relationships that honor both people and place.
Clarity. Intention. Connection.
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Driven by collaboration, not ego
Expertise and advanced skills throughout the 14 person firm
Nurturing, and unapologetic about it
Symbiotic relationships with clients, partners and the environment
100% female owned and a certified Women-owned Business Enterprise
LEED Accredited Professional Firm
People
Crowley Cottrell is a partnership between Michelle Crowley and Naomi Cottrell, practitioners with decades of design and construction experience. We came together in 2011 to form a practice grounded in collaboration and creativity.
We approach each design individually, working in close collaboration with the client, allied professionals, and stakeholders to unite design aspirations with the site's unique characteristics.
We are professionally licensed as Landscape Architects in MA, CT, NH, NY, RI, ME, and VT
Mission
As practitioners with years of experience, we are secure in our ability to take complex issues and find elegant, simple solutions. Crowley Cottrell surpasses the expectations of our clients who, without reservation, appreciate the care, enthusiasm, and grounded perspective that we bring to each project.
We bring clarity to complex sites to create beautiful, approachable, landscapes for living.
We believe well designed landscapes have the ability to positively affect the lives of the people who live, work, and play in them.
We know all people deserve the dignity of having access to beautiful, functional spaces.
We listen to and learn from the unique ecology of each site.
We nurture our relationships with clients and collaborators.
Services
Hiring landscape architects is the difference between how your site looks and how it lives. We take into account the permitting, grading and drainage of a site, planning with a community, how to best leverage what already exists, while adding the incalculable benefits of excellent design.
Site Planning, Grading and Drainage
The world isn’t flat. Elements like view, rainwater and hardscapes must be taken into consideration as integral parts of a project.
By including a landscape architect early in the process, you benefit from our skills at visualizing landform and integrating inevitable level changes into memorable spaces, cohesive site plans, and sustainable stormwater management.
Community Planning and Consensus Building
We use a variety of tools to point everyone toward a shared vision: plans, sections, 3D models, renderings, on-site mockups, and opinion surveys. We do whatever it takes to understand the parameters, explore the possibilities, and build excitement for a shared vision.
Dudley Town Common
Boston, MA
Permitting
We help make complicated processes, like construction and permitting, run smoothly. Whether you are building near protected environmental or historical resources or trying to meet town requirements for parking and other infrastructure, we can represent the project at hearings and tailor designs to get through permitting quickly.
During the construction process, we work closely with contractors to make sure the designs are executed in a timely manner with the design intent intact.
Land Use Planning and Sustainability
There is only so much land to go around, and the way we use it is increasingly important. We work to make every landscape intentional.
By choosing appropriate plants for your site, managing storm water, selecting sustainable materials, and setting frameworks for future management, we address environmental impacts of the project throughout its lifespan.
Experience
Our portfolio covers a variety of project types, each demanding unique skills and expertise. From small urban parks to large conservation projects, rooftop playgrounds to campus master plans, our work ranges in scale and complexity.
K-12 Education Environments
We believe landscapes shape the daily experiences of students, teachers, and communities. Our work with independent and public schools is built on collaboration, respect for each campus’s identity, and a commitment to designing outdoor spaces that foster learning, play, and connection.
University Campuses
We design landscapes that strengthen academic identity, support daily campus life, and adapt to long-term institutional growth. Our work with public and private universities demonstrates how thoughtful landscape architecture can unify complex sites, improve accessibility, and create places where students, faculty, and communities thrive.
Collaborators
We value relationships with clients and collaborators that are built on trust, understanding, and shared values. Our passion for collaboration makes us an excellent addition to any team and centers the design process on expanding our clients visions. We collaborate with professionals across disciplines who each bring unique expertise to the table. We value our sustained relationships with our peers and are happy to highlight their contributions to our work.
Architects
Albert, Righter & Tittmann Architects
ART Architects
DiMella Shaffer
DSK Architects + Planners
East Side Studio Architects
From in Form
Jones Architecture
LDa Architecture & Interiors
McGinley Kalsow & Associates
Mount Vernon Group
Neubauer Ennis Architects
Noury-Ello Architects
Olson Lewis + Architects
Pamela Sandler
Perkins Eastman
Perry Dean
Consultants
Allied Consulting Engineering Services
Aqueous Consultants
Barlett Tree Experts
Brennan Consulting, Inc.
Dubois & King
Foresight Land Services
GZA Engineering
Horsley Witten Group
Kaaterskill Associates
Lim Consultants, Inc.
Maltby Tree
New England Civil Engineering
Nitsch Engineering
Oak Consulting Group
Rico Associates
RFS Engineering
RSE Associates
Samiotes Consultants, Inc.
Stantec
Sullivan Engineering
Tighe & Bond
Van Zelm Heywood & Shadford, Inc.
VHB
ZED x Zero Energy Design
Schools & Private Institutions
Austen Riggs Center
Boston Latin School
Cape Cod Community College
Concord Academy
Edgewood Retirement Community
Governors Academy
Hebrew Senior Life
Lincoln Library
MIT
Nashoba Brooks School
New Hampshire Institute of Art
New Hampton School
Northeastern University
Norwich University
Salem State University
St. Catherine Greek Church
Tufts University
University of Cincinnati
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Public Agencies
Arlington Housing Authority
Arlington Planning and Community Development
Boston Housing Authority
City of Boston, Parks and Recreation
City of Lowell
City of Peabody
City of Salem
City of Somerville
City of Taunton
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Massachusetts DCAMM
Massachusetts DCR
National Park Service
Town of Arlington
Town of Cohassett
Town of Newton
Town of Topsfield
Town of Weston
Consultants
A. Bonadio & Sons
Anderson Landscape Construction
ANJ Construction
CAFCO Construction
Cambridgeport Construction
Cataldo Landscape
CE Floyd
Commodore Builders
Denali Construction
Empire Design and Construction
Engelberth Construction
FE French Construction
Gardenform
Harvey Construction
Hawthorn Builders
Hobbs
J&J Contractor, Inc.
JW Adams Inc.
Kais Custom Builders, LLC
LaBarge Homes
Nartin Lucyk
Merz Construction
M. Neves
NELM Corp
Paragon Landscapes
Parterre Garden Services
Pimental
Pinacle Landscape
Phil Mastroianni Corp
Quirk Construction
ReCover Green Roofs
Robert Hanss Inc.
R.P. Marzilli & Company
Suffolk Construction
Tamarro Landscape
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Thoughtforms
UEL Contractors, Inc.
V-Tech Construction
Wellen Construction
Williams Building Company
Non-Profit Organizations
Arts Arlington
Colin's Joy Project
Friends of Peach Hill
Greater Ashmont Main Street
Island Housing Trust
Minuteman Library Network
North Shore CDC
Opportunity Peabody
Pathway to Possible
Share Our Strength
Trustees of the Reservation
Wayfinders
Westport Land Conservation Trust
Youth Build Salem