Nasher Sculpture Garden

Dallas, Texas

Situated in downtown Dallas at the base of the city’s skyline, the Nasher Sculpture Center fulfills Raymond D. Nasher’s vision of an outdoor, “roofless” museum that seamlessly blends art, landscape, and architecture. Conceived as a contemplative retreat within a dense urban setting, the garden serves as the public home for Nasher’s renowned collection of 20th-century sculpture and has helped establish Dallas as an international destination for art and cultural experiences.

Working in close collaboration with Peter Walker Partners Landscape Architects of Berkeley, California, JBC Landscape Architects provided the design of the engineered soil and irrigation systems that support the sculpture garden. The soil profile consists of a three-layer, sports field–based technology designed to accommodate the weight of large-scale sculptures without traditional foundations while allowing rapid drainage during heavy rainfall events. The gently sloping garden, enclosed by travertine-clad walls and set slightly below street level, creates an archaeological landscape that contrasts sharply with the surrounding urban fabric. A carefully curated palette of trees, including cedar, elms, live oaks, crape myrtles, and willows, defines intimate viewing areas and establishes a series of outdoor rooms. Rotating installations from the collection activate both the gallery and garden, reinforcing the dynamic relationship between art, landscape, and visitor experience in this singular public space.

Collaborators:

PWP Landscape Architecture