Huettl Landscape Architecture is an award-winning landscape design firm located in Walnut Creek, California. HLA strives for innovation and sustainability in design, creating comfortable and compelling spaces that respond to the site, region and the needs of the client. HLA offers landscape architectural services for residential, commercial and institutional clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California.

Huettl Landscape Architecture has won numerous awards throughout the years, including Merit and Honor Awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects Northern California Chapter, Custom Home/Builder’s Choice Design Award, and awards from the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. The firm has been voted “Best of Houzz” each year since 2012, including the “PowerHouzzer”award in 2016. The firm’s work has also been published nationally and internationally in newspapers, books and both online and print magazines.

A modern house surrounded by a desert landscape.

American Society of Landscape Architects Awards

2017 ASLA NCC Merit Award – Killingsworth Residence

2016 ASLA Northern California Chapter Honor Award – Silverado Trail Residence

2015 ASLA NCC Merit Award – El Pintado Residence

2013 ASLA Northern California Chapter Merit Award – Sinbad Creek House

Sunset Awards

2010 Juror for Sunset Dream Garden Awards

2007 Sunset Dream Garden Awards – Ott Residence (Co-designer, Huettl Thuilot Associates)

2004/2005 Sunset Western Garden Design Awards – Cotton Residence (Assistant Designer, Huettl Thuilot Associates)

2002 Sunset Western Garden Design Awards – Brewster Residence (Co-designer, Huettl Thuilot Associates)

2002 Sunset Western Garden Design Awards – Godfrey Residence (Co-designer, Huettl Thuilot Associates)

Builder’s Choice/Custom Home Design Awards

2014 Builder’s Choice/Custom Home Design Awards Merit Award – El Pintado Pool Pavilion

Pool and Spa News Awards

2015 Pool and Spa News Masters of Design – Spa Category

2013 Masters of Design Award – Water Feature Category

San Francisco Flower and Garden Show Awards

2008 San Francisco Flower and Garden Show – People’s Choice Award for Olive Grove Retreat

2008 San Francisco Flower and Garden Show – Sunset Western Living Award for Olive Grove Retreat

Houzz.com Awards

2017 Best of Houzz – Design

2016 Best of Houzz – Design

2015 Best of Houzz – Design

2014 Best of Houzz – Design

2013 Best of Houzz – Service

2012 Best of Houzz – Design
 
 
2016 PowerHouzzer Award

Sunset Magazine and Publications

2016 Sunset Magazine – Article May 2016 “A Warm Welcome”

2012 Sunset Magazine – Article May 2012 “Divide and Conquer”

2009 Sunset Backyards A Sunset Design Guide

2007 Sunset Magazine Cover – March 2007 (Huettl Thuilot Associates)

2007 Sunset Hillside Landscaping Cover

2006 Sunset Western Landscaping (Huettl Thuilot Associates)

2004 Sunset California Top 10 Garden Guide

2003 Sunset Magazine Cover – February 2003 (Huettl Thuilot Associates)

2003 Sunset The Best of Outdoor Living

1997 Sunset Western Garden Book – Project Photo Features

Garden Design Magazine

2014 April Magazine Article “Double Take”

2012 April Magazine Article “Steel Genius”

HISE Magazine, Slovenia

2009 Hise Magazine– Article June 2009 “Vrtovi S Tople Strani Modernizma” (“Gardens from the Warm Side of Modernism”)

Landscaping Network Magazine

2012 Magazine Article “Modern Zen”

Northern California Home & Garden Magazine

1992 May Magazine Article

Joseph Huettl
Joseph A. Huettl, President

Joseph Huettl is a California licensed landscape architect with a Bachelor of Arts in Landscape Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley. With over thirty years of experience in the field, Joseph has designed a wide range of residential, commercial, and institutional projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California. As President of HLA, Joseph has won numerous awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects. His work has been published in newspapers and magazines both nationally and internationally.

Previously as a Principal of Huettl Thuilot Associates, he played a key role in the design and construction of many innovative projects including Sunset Western Garden Award winners. Prior to forming Huettl Thuilot Associates, Joseph had designed and built hundreds of residential and light commercial landscapes, with projects featured in several magazine and book publications. He was a finalist in the Diablo Valley All Wars Memorial competition and as a student at UC Berkeley, he received the Fred Barlow Award for design excellence and graduated with High Honors.

Joseph firmly believes that “in order to know how to design, one must first know how to live.” He will not bore you (on paper at least) with his numerous interests and activities that could run several paragraphs.

Sue Chan-Huettl
Sue Chan-Huettl, Principal

Sue Chan-Huettl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Landscape Architecture as well as a Master of City Planning degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to pursuing a career in planning, she worked for various landscape architectural firms both in California and Oregon that focused on a range of projects from residential design to the design of new communities to transportation corridors. As a city planner, Sue has worked on numerous projects across California, the U.S. and internationally, that focused on developing pedestrian and transit-oriented development plans and policies. After almost 20 years as a planner, she decided to return to smaller-scale design and joined Huettl Landscape Architecture in 2012. At HLA, Sue participates in the design process as well as the running of the firm.

Growing up in a modern home in Santiago, Chile influenced Sue’s love of warm, contemporary design. Her decision to study landscape architecture was driven by her love of art and drawing, combined with her hopes for environmental sustainability. Sue loves spending time with her kids, family and pets, as well as being involved in the larger community. She enjoys drawing, skiing and hiking. At work, she’s the “techie” of the group, and thoroughly dislikes dealing with business insurance.

Claudia Hottmann
Claudia Hottmann, Landscape Designer

Claudia Hottmann is a landscape designer and a Bay Area native with a background in art and carpentry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art: Drawing and Painting at San Francisco State University, as well as a Certificate in Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley Extension.

Her love of landscape, nature, art and the technical aspects of design and building, along with a supplemental education in Geography & Human Environmental Studies brought her to the profession of landscape architecture.

Designing landscapes is both an aesthetic and a technical challenge that she thoroughly enjoys; a perfect nexus of problems to solve. Being part of a design team and working with clients to create beautiful & enduring spaces in the California landscape is continually rewarding and gratifying. She honestly would not rather be sailing in her little Sunfish on a lake somewhere. That’s what the weekend is for!

Claudia also likes to geek out on MWELO, the California Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance…really.