In today’s presentation Cowles will introduce three recent landscape architecture projects by Isthmus Group in Tbilisi: The Tbilisi Dendrological Park, Mtatsminda Forest, and The Arsenal Oasis. She will outline how each project addresses specific challenges and opportunities of working in a complex and developing city. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.

Isthmus Group, based in Tbilisi, is woman-owned landscape architecture, urban design, and planning studio, providing high-quality design and construction management services for the Georgian and international market. Isthmus Group designs and develops sustainable site projects where ecology, culture, and history harmonize with the surrounding context. Isthmus Group partners with municipalities, institutions, community groups, and private developers in Georgia to guide the design and planning process, from concept to construction supervision.

Sarah Cowles founded Isthmus Group in 2019 in Tbilisi as a multidisciplinary studio to advance and apply best practices in sustainable design and ecologically-sensitive development in the Republic of Georgia and the region. Isthmus Group’s Georgian-American studio team includes local experts in allied fields including architecture, ecological planning, heritage conservation, horticulture, rural development, public engagement, and urban design. Cowles holds an MLA from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (2005) and is a professional landscape architect with 15 years of experience designing and implementing landscape and urban projects in the United States and China.