Mike Heacox

principal landscape designer

Mike does the geeky stuff in the office. Setting up CAD files, customizing worksheets, doing video and photography, making sure the computer system is working… and authoring this web site. 

His background is in ecology and biology with an overlay of art.

Of course, he also sketches, designs… all that mix of art and landscape design.

Long ago: Mike’s history

Education

A native Californian, Mike first earned a degree in environmental studies from UCSC, then went on to get a masters degree in landscape architecture from Cal Poly, Pomona, where he met Annette.

We’ll always have Paris

Soon after getting married in 1990, they moved to France. "Of all the Americans I have to meet, I end up with one who wants to live in France!", Annette commented.

After almost six years in France, they moved to Sacramento, California to start their own landscape design firm.

First real jobs

He worked while attending Cal Poly, first at FMA drafting plans for model homes and planned urban developments, then at Clark and Green, where he drafted plans for parks, commercial centers and private residences.

After graduation, he worked for Befu-Donan Associates, in charge of CAD drafting. He mainly completed plans for parks and schools as well as keeping the computer system working smoothly.

Embauches en France

In France, Mike worked for Urbespace, designing commercial centers, resorts, and an oceanfront boardwalk.

After Urbespace, Mike moved to Atelier Zoe to work directly with an architect preparing plans and models for a mixed use development north of Paris.

Upon completion of the project, Mike began working as a subcontractor with Groupe Esprit Lumière in Paris, preparing project proposals, translating plans from French to English for international projects, and eventually becoming the Design Director of Sogetraser. With the Groupe Esprit Lumière, he worked all over the world, designing a park in Indonesia, lighting and concepts for the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, drafting plans for façade lighting of the Louvre, Palaca Sponza, and other monuments around the world.

When the Groupe Esprit Lumiere merged with another company, Mike and Annette decided that it was time to start their own firm, and that it was much easier to do this in America than in France.

Like Annette, he regularly attends lectures and seminars related to design, native plants, sustainabilty and water conservation.

When Mike is out of the office,  he enjoys, photography, birding and travel (usually all at once). At home, he does gourmet cooking  for friends and family.

Nobody has ever called him an ecomancer or geomancer. Not yet.

Ancient history

Clubs + Associations

Mike was president of the Sacramento Valley Native Plant Garden Club, and was involved with the California Native Plant Society, where he often participated at the “Ask a Designer” booth, helping people design with California native plants. 

He was president of the local ASLA chapter, too. Did he do fun stuff? Not so much. More like trying to balance the budget, deal with problems and keep things running as smoothly as possible.

Mike is a past member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).

Teaching

Mike lectured at UC Davis in the landscape architecture department. He also taught a class in SketchUp at American River College (ARC).  This was so long ago that some of his students are now licensed landscape architects.

Ex-Registered Landscape Architect

Mike has given up his registration in California. The state radically increased licensure fees, so we’re using Annette’s license.  Mike is now officially a what? Landscape artist? Exterior designer? 

Did we get more with the higher fees? Not likely. We just heard about (another) landscape designer doing a large commercial project. It all comes down to who you know and luck.