Longwood Gardens’ first-ever physical master plan is a visionary document tasked with transforming Longwood Gardens into one of the Great Gardens of the World.

Fundamental to the Longwood Garden’s Master Plan is the belief that great gardens cannot be made overnight and that Longwood’s particular legacy will be strengthened and revealed over time. In becoming a great garden, Longwood seeks a place of cultural significance, to become an unforgettable destination, and to emerge as a garden of outstanding beauty and significance in the collective consciousness.

Balancing andsafeguarding Longwood’s historic legacy with it’s future, the visionary plans provided solutions to a number of critical concerns: growing visitation, aging facilities, disorganized logistics and overburdened infrastructure. West 8 approached the master planning process with two main philosophies:

First, to look at the site through the lens of heritage and legacy; distiling the spirit of Pierre du Pont at Longwood Gardens. As a result, the completed plan is inspired by and rooted in the richness of tradition and was informed by the place and its unique history.

Second, and appropriate to Mr. du Pont’s engineering background, is the notion that infrastructural improvements shall be the driver for innovative landscape and architectural design. Innovation and legacy will be the drivers for the next 40 years of design, operations, and planning at Longwood Gardens.

Having worked for decades in historic European contexts, West 8’s master plan for Longwood Gardens successfully achieved the delicate task of marrying traditional European garden design with innovative design gestures, contemporary and sustainability systems.