Julie Bargmann, FASLA, is internationally recognized as a leader in the design and building of regenerative landscapes as well as a rigorous, adventuresome educator. She founded D.I.R.T. studio in 1992 to execute projects with the passion, vision, and unflinching honesty that define her unique style. She champions the ugly ducklings of landscapes: contaminated former industrial sites and degraded urban landscapes. Bargmann’s work hews to themes of economy of means, neighborhood connections, respect for site histories, and above all a love of the landscape—specifically, the existing and often former industrial landscape.
Highly regarded for her versatility and hands-on approach, Bargmann received her BFA in sculpture at Carnegie Mellon University before earning her Masters in landscape architecture at Harvard. Amongst numerous national awards received for DIRT work, Bargmann became the inaugural recipient of the Cornelia Oberlander International Prize in Landscape Architecture. Simplicity of form, use of extant materials, and deliberate restraint are hallmarks of her evocative and authentic landscapes.
Bargmann earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Carnegie-Mellon University, and a Master in Landscape Architecture at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She has received the Rome Prize fellowship from the American Academy in Rome, and the National Design Award by Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Museum.
