KARL ALAMO
Designer
Karl Alamo’s upbringing in the rural coastal woods of Boothbay, Maine rooted him deeply in the environment. Growing up in a family of medical professionals instilled in him a sense of serving people and community. While initially pursuing pre-medical studies, Karl found himself torn between his passions for science, community service, and design. A discovery of landscape architecture convinced him to make a mid-college switch.
Karl proceeded to pursue a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Minor in Community Planning from the University of Rhode Island. He cultivated interests in coastal landscapes while working in community engagement and facilitating public workshops throughout Rhode Island. Many of his service projects, including his capstone, focused on integrating adaptive green infrastructure into residential communities in response to sea level rise and storm surge.
Karl also served as President of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) student chapter, worked as a teaching assistant and studio critic for several plant science and landscape architecture courses, and acted as an academic liaison. For all of these efforts, he was awarded the 2020 Student Honor Award from the Rhode Island chapter of the ASLA and was named a 2020 Olmsted Scholar by the Landscape Architecture Foundation for his design philosophies, department engagement, and community work.
After graduating, Karl worked as a horticulturist and designer for a largescale botanical garden, engaging heavily with the public as an adult education course instructor, exhibits docent, and public ambassador. He also co-founded committees for sustainability and for inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility to be a storyteller for intersectional perspectives from the social and environmental landscape. He remains driven by creating connections between people, place, and the environment.
Karl continues to invest his time in books, film scores, hiking, and recreationally deepening his knowledge of marine systems. From growing up as a competitive swimmer through college, to exploring the numerous trails and preserves throughout the vast coastline of Maine, Karl can always be found by the water.