What makes LASD Studio one of the leading landscape architecture studios in San Diego?

LASD Studio blends landscape architecture with artistic vision and ecological intelligence. Our projects unite architecture, nature and careful planning — creating living landscapes that evolve over time across San Diego, California and Spain.

Do you offer landscape architecture and design services in La Jolla, Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe?

Yes. LASD Studio designs high-end coastal landscapes in La Jolla, Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe, integrating architecture, ecology and aesthetics tailored to each site’s microclimate.

How is a landscape architect different from a landscape designer?

Landscape architects integrate artistic design with technical, ecological and legal expertise — including grading, irrigation and permitting. Landscape designers focus primarily on aesthetic composition. LASD Studio bridges both worlds.

Do you collaborate with licensed landscape architects in California?

Yes. LASD Studio collaborates with licensed California landscape architects to ensure all technical, regulatory and permitting standards are fulfilled for projects requiring a licensed professional of record.

Do you handle HOA and city submittals in San Diego County?

Yes. We prepare detailed submittal packages for HOAs, city permits and fire departments — including planting plans, water-use calculations, irrigation layouts and fuel modification zones.

Do you design both private gardens and large-scale public or ecological projects?

Yes. LASD Studio works across scales — from intimate private estates and HOAs to cultural parks and ecological restoration projects — each guided by the same ecological, long-term approach.

Do you design coastal landscapes for oceanfront or hillside properties?

Yes. Our coastal designs address salt air, drainage and erosion control — balancing water-wise planting with refined aesthetics for oceanfront and hillside estates.

What defines Spanish Revival landscape architecture in California?

Spanish Revival gardens blend Mediterranean and Moorish influences — courtyards, tiles, stucco, water features and aromatic drought-tolerant plants. LASD Studio reinterprets these traditions with contemporary ecological sensibility.

How does Mid-Century Modern landscape design differ from contemporary gardens?

Mid-Century Modern landscapes extend architectural lines outdoors using clean geometry, low walls and sculptural plants — while contemporary design often blends organic forms with sustainability-driven materials.

What is Bohemian Minimalism in landscape design?

Bohemian Minimalism is LASD Studio’s signature approach — combining minimal architectural form with expressive textures, layered plant palettes and an atmosphere of calm, soulful simplicity.

Can you blend historic and modern styles in the same property?

Absolutely. We specialize in fusing classical symmetry and modern ecology — reinterpreting heritage aesthetics through sustainable materials and plant communities.

How do you match garden design with architectural style?

Each design begins with the property’s architecture, materials and spirit of place. We translate those cues into landscape form — ensuring coherence between house and garden.

What is regenerative landscape architecture?

Regenerative landscape architecture restores and strengthens natural systems — improving biodiversity, soil health and water cycles. LASD Studio designs living frameworks that can evolve and adapt over time.

Do you design drought-tolerant or xeriscape gardens in San Diego?

Yes. Every design prioritizes water efficiency and beauty. We calculate estimated annual irrigation needs, select drought-tolerant species and often help clients secure available rebates.

How do you calculate and optimize irrigation water use?

We use in-house digital systems that compute MAWA and ETWU — estimating annual water usage for each zone. These calculations support sustainability targets and rebate compliance.

What is the rewilding approach in landscape design?

Rewilding restores ecological balance by reintroducing native plant communities that support pollinators and wildlife. LASD Studio integrates rewilding principles even within high-end private estates.

Do you work internationally outside the U.S. and Spain?

Yes. We have designed projects in Europe and North America. Our workflow easily adapts to metric and imperial systems using digital collaboration and site coordination.

Can you provide 3D renderings before construction?

Yes. We use advanced 3D visualization so clients can experience the garden virtually — understanding form, space and material before construction begins.

Can projects be built in phases over time?

Yes. Many clients prefer phased implementation. We design each project to evolve naturally — allowing flexibility in budgeting and scheduling while maintaining design integrity.

How do we begin working with LASD Studio?

Start by submitting the consultation form on our website. We’ll review your site and schedule a conversation to discuss goals, approach and next steps.

~ About the Founder ~

If I am here, with this mind, this sensitivity, and this responsibility -
what is the most truthful landscape I can create?

LASD Studio did not begin as a business idea.
It began as a way of seeing the world - and feeling responsible for it.

Founder and principal creative mind of LASD Studio, Yura Lotonenko, approaches landscape architecture as a living system rather than a static composition. His thinking is instinctively systemic: he sees relationships before objects, consequences before gestures, time before form.

Design, for him, is never isolated from ecology, history, climate, budget, or human use. It must survive reality - not merely impress on paper.

This way of working sits at the intersection of disciplines: systems thinking and organization, the sensitivity of an artist, the discipline of an engineer, and the ethical weight of someone who feels responsibility deeply rather than performing to impress. Ideas are not judged by how elegant they sound, but by whether they remain truthful when tested by site conditions, style, and time.

His work is shaped by long horizons - by asking not only how a landscape looks when completed, but how it lives, adapts, and supports life decades later.

Origins

LASD Studio did not begin in a boardroom — it began in a garden.

Back in his childhood he spent countless hours observing his grandfather at work. A geodesist, soil scientist, and garden planner, his grandfather approached land with both scientific precision and artistic sensitivity. Hand-drawn masterplans, patiently inked on large sheets, reflected a deep understanding of soil, terrain, and living systems.

Beyond professional work, his garden functioned as a complete ecosystem. Fruit trees, berry shrubs, and more than forty beehives formed a thriving, interconnected landscape. Pollination, soil health, and seasonal cycles were not abstract concepts — they were lived realities. These early experiences shaped Yura’s understanding of landscape not as decoration, but as an intelligent system where ecology, culture, and human presence are inseparable.

Education & Academic Foundation

Yura pursued formal education in landscape architecture and urban design, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture, followed by postgraduate Master’s degrees in Landscape Architecture and Park & Garden Design (MLA, Kyiv, Ukraine), and a Master of Science (MSc) in Landscape Architecture from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Where he continues to live and work for 9 years of his life.

Such rich academic foundation - combining engineering rigor with Scandinavian design culture - continues to inform his work, bridging analytical precision with human-centered, environmentally responsive design.
Read more about Research and Academic foundation here.

Professional Practice & International Experience

Since 2006, Yura has worked internationally across private estates, public spaces, urban environments, culturally sensitive sites and participated in numerous international competitions. Yura designed more than 200 gardens in Southern California, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Ukraine. Participated in international design competitions in Portugal, Faroe Islands, Abu Dhabi, Ireland, Germany.

His experience spans a wide range of scales — from refined private gardens and high-end residential landscapes to urban design projects and large scale ecological landscape restoration projects requiring long-term coordination, regulatory navigation, and ecological performance.

Such breadth of work shaped a design discipline grounded in material longevity, construction intelligence, climatic adaptation, and respect for place - qualities that remain central to LASD Studio’s work today.
Check LASD Studio Worldwide map here.

Competitions, Exhibitions & Cross-Disciplinary Work

Alongside professional practice, Yura has participated in international competitions and exhibitions, with work recognized across landscape architecture, urban design, and fine art contexts.

These experiences reflect a broader creative foundation that bridges landscape architecture, spatial composition, and artistic research - allowing ideas to move fluidly between disciplines while remaining grounded in real-world implementation.

Research, Systems & Methodology

Through years of practice, Yura developed an advanced internal landscape architectural system integrating design, technical documentation, automation, cost logic, water-use analysis, and long-term landscape performance.

This system allows LASD Studio to operate with precision across both intimate residential projects and complex, large-scale environments, while remaining deeply design-driven and research-informed.

Today, Yura is actively engaged in landscape architecture theory and practice-based research, publishing white papers and research documents focused on Evolving Landscape Architectural Design - exploring landscapes as adaptive, living systems rather than static outcomes.

Design Philosophy

Yura does not see landscape as something finished or static.

Landscape is process.
It is time.
It is an open, holistic system that humans are part of — not separate from.

Every LASD Studio project represents an evolving landscape concept, designed to mature over time and to support ecological function, human experience, and cultural meaning simultaneously.

This Evolutionary Approach treats landscapes as living frameworks — systems capable of adapting, maturing, and supporting biodiversity, human use, and long-term resilience.

At the core of this work lies a simple conviction: landscapes are not static products, but living processes. Designing them carries responsibility — not only to clients, but to land, ecosystems, and future generations.

~ For clients, this means landscapes that gain value over time — environmentally, culturally, and experientially.

LASD Studio

LASD Studio was established in March 2018, La Jolla, CA.

Prior to founding LASD Studio, Yura operated Liyri Art in Denmark for several years, providing landscape architectural and garden design services, and earlier led Landscape LAB in Ukraine for more than five years.

These practices formed the professional and conceptual foundation from which LASD Studio emerged as a principal-driven, research-oriented landscape architecture practice.

Creative Practice & Personal Life

Alongside landscape architecture, Yura maintains an active abstract art practice under Liyri Art (check instagram), with a portfolio of over 200 large-scale works exhibited internationally.

He is also actively engaged in outdoor sports including freediving, kitesurfing, skiing, and surfing — practices that reinforce a direct, physical relationship with landscape, terrain, and natural forces.

Yura is a husband and father and lives full-time in Northern Spain with his family, while leading LASD Studio and working with international clients across Europe, the United States and other locations on demand.

Research & Publications

Explore Yura’s writings, research, and publications here:
Research & Publications