Rialto Studio, Inc.

08/24/2026

Civic Park at Hemisfair just earned an ASLA Honor Award in the General Design Category. Rialto Studio was proud to work alongside GGN as their local landscape architect on this one. Huge congrats to the whole team on a well earned recognition!!

Exciting news! 🗞️

Civic Park has earned an Honor Award in the General Design Category from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)! 🌳

"Civic Park at Hemisfair has become a vibrant, multi-generational urban oasis that reconnects the city to its public spaces," noted the Awards Jury. "The integration of topography, water features, and programmatic flexibility effectively balances ecological stewardship, play, and large-scale events."

As the largest park in Hemisfair, Civic Park's high-quality design and unique spaces reference and preserve history while incorporating P3 development that brings new offerings and amenities to our downtown area. ♥️

We are honored to be one of only 10 projects recognized in the General Design Category from hundreds of submissions throughout the United States and the world. Congrats to all the winners for their extraordinary contributions to their communities and landscape architecture.

As we continue to build one of the World's Great Public Places, we are focused on creating places that our community can enjoy today and for generations to come.

Learn more about the ASLA Honor Award and Civic Park: https://bit.ly/4zzX95Z

08/21/2026

Last month we took a few of our interns out to Civic Park at Hemisfair for a site visit. Rialto served as the local landscape architect on the project, working alongside GGN as the design lead.

If you have not spent time there yet, Civic Park sits right in the heart of downtown San Antonio on the former World's Fair grounds. GGN shaped the design around the region's natural water sources and rock formations. The Springs, the Great Lawn, and the Promenade all run on recycled water, with native Texas plantings woven throughout.

Walking a real site with the next generation of landscape architects is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do. Watching them connect what they study in school to something built and alive underfoot never gets old. Teaching them reminds us exactly why we love this work.


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08/21/2026

This week's OAC site walk at New Braunfels Utilities Headquarters took us all over the campus with Marmon Mok Architecture and SpawGlass. A little time in the Gator, a lot of ground covered, and a good day with the team.

Thanks Amani Shammaa for joining us in the field. Looking forward to more time together as the project moves along!

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08/17/2026

For National Nonprofit Day, we're revisiting the ChildSafe Harvey E. Najim Children & Family Center in San Antonio, Texas.

ChildSafe gives children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and violence a safe place to heal. We were honored to provide landscape design services for this vital community resource.

At the heart of the site are the healing gardens, designed to help children feel safe, calm, and comfortable. The gardens open into a series of outdoor rooms, each with its own level of privacy, so a child can find quiet solitude or gather with others. Plantings engage every sense: soft textures, layered scents, seasonal color, and the sound of leaves moving in the wind. A butterfly garden invites children to slow down and watch. Every entrance is warm and welcoming, with spaces shaped to fit both younger children and teens.

Sustainability shaped the rest of the design. Water features reclaim water on site. Drainage flows into a naturalistic stream that links a fountain to a pond. Rope courses and outdoor activity areas make room for movement, teamwork, counseling, and connection.

Every part of the landscape works toward one goal: a place where children can receive care and feel grounded in nature.

We're proud to have supported ChildSafe's mission. We hope this landscape keeps offering healing, connection, and joy to the children and community it serves.

Happy National Nonprofit Day.

Project Team:

Owner: ChildSafe
Architect: Overland Partners
Civil Engineer: Pape-Dawson
MEP & Structural: Arup
Landscape Architecture: Rialto Studio
Contractor: Guido Companies

08/14/2026

08/13/2026

We were honored to join the ribbon cutting for the reopening of the historic Koehler House in Monte Vista.

Built at the turn of the 20th century and once home to Pearl's Otto and Emma Koehler, the mansion now begins a new chapter as a schoolhouse for Great Hearts Monte Vista. We're proud to have led the landscape design that brought the grounds back to life.

The site posed a rewarding challenge in creating accessible, welcoming play areas for students while preserving the mature trees and historic character that make this place what it is. Every move had to honor the past and serve the kids who play here now.

From our office:
Principal in Charge: Bobby Eichholz
Project Manager: Mike Pecen
Staff: Jesus Mancha
Irrigation: Justin Wood + Stan Albus

Congratulations to the full project team:

Developer: Weston Urban
Architecture: Ford Powell Carson
General Contractor: Troy Jessee Construction
Landscape Architecture: Rialto Studio

A grand old home, open once again.

08/07/2026

Join Rialto Studio at the 2026 Nursery/Landscape EXPO!

Two of our team take the stage in Room 303 AB on Tuesday, August 11.

At 12:10 PM, Mike Pecen presents "Lessons Learned from Planting Design, Construction & Maintenance," a candid look at what it takes to design planting that holds up to real growing conditions, real maintenance, and the public spaces it lives in.

At 1:25 PM, Bobby Eichholz joins the panel "The Next Big Shift in Landscape Design: Smart Water, Sustainable Spaces & Innovation," a conversation on where water, climate, and evolving client expectations are pushing the work next.

Both sessions offer LA CES and TNLA continuing education credit. Find us at the Henry B. González Convention Center next week!

08/05/2026

Thank you, Pete Hinton.

In 1998, Pete Hinton, along with Ken Fowler and Jim Gray, founded Rialto Studio around a simple idea: Do Good Work. Nearly three decades later, that philosophy remains at the heart of who we are.

It’s difficult to put into words everything Pete has meant to Rialto Studio. He has been a designer, leader, mentor, colleague, and friend. His practical approach to design, commitment to doing things the right way, and genuine passion for Landscape Architecture have shaped countless projects, but perhaps more importantly, they have shaped the people who have worked alongside him.

Many of us have had the chance to learn from Pete, sometimes through working together on a project, sometimes through his mentorship, and sometimes simply by watching how he approached a problem. He has always led by example, reminding us that good design is about more than how a place looks. It is about understanding people, solving problems thoughtfully, and never losing sight of our responsibility to create meaningful places.

Pete’s influence can be seen throughout the communities Rialto Studio has helped shape, but it can also be seen every day inside our own studio, in the way we approach our work, the way we work together, and the standards we set for ourselves.

Retirement may mark the end of Pete’s day-to-day time at Rialto Studio, but it certainly doesn’t mark the end of his influence here. The culture he helped create, the friendships he has built, and the commitment to Good Work that he helped establish will remain part of Rialto for years to come.

Congratulations on your retirement, Pete. Thank you for your years of dedication, leadership, friendship, and the countless ways you have impacted Rialto Studio and all of us who have had the privilege of working with you.

07/30/2026

Happy National Intern Day to every intern who has spent time at our firm over the years, and to interns everywhere doing the work right now. You're the ones learning the craft, asking the questions, and carrying the profession forward.

A special thank you to this year's crew, Ella in Austin and Stefan and Alex in San Antonio. Both offices are better with you in them.

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07/23/2026

Our next round of Rialto Olympics: Pool at Slick Willie's with the Austin team!

Congrats to our top three, Robert, Will, and Ashlea

Good work deserves good competition 🎱🏆