Tohono Chul Launches New Master Plan with Unknown Studio, PMM Architects, and Bowman Engineering 

Tohono Chul is excited to announce the launch of a new master plan that will guide the organization’s development over the next ten to fifteen years. This marks the first comprehensive planning effort in more than two decades, a significant milestone that underscores Tohono Chul’s commitment to both preserving its unique desert identity and preparing for a dynamic future. 

The initiative coincides with Tohono Chul’s 40th anniversary, a moment to celebrate the vision of founders Richard and Jean Wilson. Their enduring legacy of conservation, culture, and community continues to inspire the organization’s growth and mission. 

Leading the master plan effort is Unknown Studio, a nationally recognized landscape architecture firm based in Baltimore, Maryland. With a team of fourteen landscape architects and designers, Unknown Studio is known for design excellence, collaborative leadership, and ecological/horticultural expertise.

Since its founding in 2018, the award-winning firm has completed over $60 million in projects built or under construction, including work for the United States Botanic Garden, Longwood Gardens, Naples Botanical Garden, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. 

“Tohono Chul’s 40th anniversary is the perfect time to look ahead while staying rooted in the legacy of the Wilsons,” said Koren Manning, Board Chair of Tohono Chul. “This master plan will ensure that the garden is a place of beauty, learning, and community for decades to come.” 

“Tohono Chul is a treasured place in Tucson,” said Jamie Maslyn Larson, President/CEO of Tohono Chul. “It is an honor to work with a team of designers and partners who will weave the cultural and ecological beauty our 49-acre oasis into an exciting vision for our future.” 

Unknown Studio Founding Partner Claire Agre said, “We see gardens as places where the humanities and sciences, beauty and care, the individual and collective, come together. Tohono Chul’s unique Sonoran Desert identity offers an extraordinary opportunity to build on that conversation, creating a master plan that honors its past while imagining a vibrant future.” 

The planning team also includes PMM Architects, whose expertise in master plans, historic preservation, and community engagement will honor and renew the site’s architectural legacy and sense of place as the gardens evolve, as well as Bowman, whose technical expertise will provide the foundation for sustainable, forward-looking infrastructure and design solutions. 

“PMM Architects is proud to contribute our experience in historic preservation to ensure that Tohono Chul’s character remains strong even as it grows,” said Corky Poster, Founding Principal at PMM Architects. “We look forward to bringing solutions that support sustainability, efficiency, and resilience to this special project,” added Tim Johnson, Director at Bowman. 

Community outreach will be central to the planning process, inviting input from visitors, staff, and stakeholders to create a shared vision for the future of Tohono Chul. 

For more information or to stay involved, community members are encouraged to subscribe to Tohono Chul’s newsletter at tohonochul.org/get-engaged.

Click here to download the official media release.