When design matters.

terra firma landscape architecture has been established in Portsmouth, NH and serving the Seacoast New Hampshire, Maine, and southern New England since 1993. We specialize in landscape architectural aspects of site design such as urban gathering spaces and parks, custom residential projects, commercial properties of all kinds, streetscapes as green infrastructure, garden design, playgrounds and schoolyards, and recently memorial design.

We believe that landscapes reflect the vision and values of those that inhabit them.

Recent Projects

Fire Pit with hand-carved boulder furniture – Seacoast NH residence

Furniture hand carved from boulders with fire pit. Seacoast NH residence.

Recent News & Announcements

November 12, 2024Cod in the Mortal Sea

Cod, the short narrative. The sculpture refers to the history of cod fishing as gleaned from the book by retired UNH history professor, Jeffrey Bolster called the “The Mortal Sea”. Bolster documents, like other authors such as Mark Kurlansky in his book about Cod, the history of the ocean and the relentlessly human quest for fish and money and the resulting depletion of the ocean’s wildlife. Bolster states that in the mid 1600’s “exports of dried and salted cod were on their way to becoming the lynchpin in the New England economy spurring the shipbuilding and shipping services at the heart of New England’s remarkable economic development”. As noted in Jeff’s book, The Mortal Sea, fishing---cod fishing in particular--- has had a huge influence on the development and economy of the Seacoast over the centuries. This sculpture pays tribute to that influence and has changed the dull character of the pavilion by painting the ceiling blue and drenching the pavilion with blue LED lights and hanging 20 silver cod fish sculptures. And like all human activities, fishing included, this sculpture has multiple sides: one side is the day-time image of shiny fish and sunshine, and the other side is night-time image with the blue lights and the subsequent shadows with all the connotations of a shadow. … Read More …

November 28, 2022TFLA Featured in Maine Home + Design

TFLA's Pulpit Rock Residence was featured in the November/December issue of Maine Home+Design Magazine https://mainehomedesign.com/ … Read More …

September 26, 2022Brigit's Garden Breaks Ground in Manchester

In Manchester's Livingston Park, the Brigit A. Feeney Foundation has broken ground on a public garden in honor of Brigit Feeney, designed by terra firma.  … Read More …