APALA, CSLA

Sue Sirrs is principal landscape architect at Outside! Landscape Architects Inc, an international award-winning firm established in 2006. Sue’s is a year-round athlete and avid traveler and her projects reflect her sense of adventure and love of the outdoors. She has an undergraduate degree in Environment and Resource Studies from the University of Waterloo and a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Guelph. Areas of practice include design for public and private places, living walls & green roofs, residential design and healing spaces that connect people and nature. Sue blends innovative design ideas, landscape architecture and environmental planning skills to create bold, dynamic spaces that enhance the world around her. Sue is the APALA President and a member since 2006.

APALA, CSLA, OALA

Devin is a Partner and the Director of Landscape Architecture at Fathom Studio, an interdisciplinary design firm based out of Dartmouth. Over the last 10 years, he’s had the privileged opportunity to lead large multidisciplinary teams on several major public-realm projects in communities across Atlantic Canada and the country including streetscapes, waterfronts, parks, trails, and large-scale urban mixed-use developments. Devin is a vocal promoter of the profession and his adoptive province of Nova Scotia.

Since graduating from the University of Guelph in 2018, Victoria moved home to Newfoundland to pursue her career in Landscape Architecture at Mills & Wright Landscape Architecture. Originally from St. John's, Victoria realized her passion for architecture and design while exploring her own city. The natural beauty of the island combined with its unique heritage architecture inspired her to dedicate her work to enhance the beauty of the province she loves.

Over the past several years Victoria has worked on numerous projects in St. John’s and surrounding communities, such as the Janeway Children’s Health Centre, Ronald McDonald House, Re-Imagine Churchill Square, First Light Residential School Survivors Memorial Garden, and the New Adult Mental Health and Addictions Facility.

Apart from landscape architecture, Victoria has a long history in the fine arts and has become the team’s resident artist. She has completed many 3D visualizations for designs across the province which have helped clients visualize their landscapes before construction.

Victoria is a proud Atlantic Canadian and is excited to continue the work of her peers and mentors to promote Landscape Architecture in the Atlantic provinces. She believes that Landscape Architecture has a significant role to play in addressing sustainability and climate change and is determined to bring thoughtful and impactful design solutions to the world’s current climate crisis.

Victoria is a full member of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects and the Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects.

APALA, OALA, CSLA

Sandra Cooke is a landscape architect based in Saint John, NB, whose 17+ year practice has spanned project work from Ontario to the Atlantic Provinces. Sandra holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Architectural Studies, and a Master of Landscape Architecture degree, both from the University of Toronto.

Before relocating to the east coast, she worked in both private consulting and public sector roles, as well as various sessional teaching positions at the University of Toronto. In 2019, Sandra co-founded Brackish Design Studio with offices in Saint John and Halifax, with a focus on creating contextual, performative landscapes that enhance and compliment the inherent beauty of our region. Sandra is looking forward to advocating for, and elevating the profession of landscape architecture in the Atlantic provinces in her role as APALA board member.

APALA, CSLA, OALA

Matthew A.J. Brown holds degrees in Urban Planning from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Design Studies in Urbanism, Landscape, and Ecology from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Professionally, Matthew has more than 10 years of experience practicing landscape architecture along the Northeast Atlantic coastline, from Boston to Newfoundland and Labrador. His connection to coastal environments is evident through both practice and academia, which focus on landscape architecture’s vital role in regeneration and renewal. Matthew co-founded Brackish Design Studio in 2019.

APALA, CSLA

Tara has fourteen years of experience in Landscape Architecture matched with a diverse background that branches from ecology to creative writing to small farm agriculture. After completing her MLA from the University of Guelph, she began her career in Montreal and has worked in various arteries of the profession, including: park and open space design, streetscape design, community design and master planning, contemporary garden design, and commercial and institutional site design. Since launching her own practice in PEI in 2019, she’s refined her focus to creating elegant outdoor spaces that bring people closer to nature. She strongly believes that nature’s beauty is the most powerful antidote to suffering and understands that while nature is complex, our influence on the land must have a simple clarity of purpose: to serve not just our growing population but the wildlife that surrounds and nourishes us. It’s with a great sense of responsibility that she commits herself to the lifetime learning of thoughtful landscape interventions and a deepening understanding of the brilliance of nature to persevere.