Scott Yarnell, Landscape Architect, Certified Green Building Professional
Though his design style tends toward the contemporary and understated, Scott also has a great love of the traditional New England aesthetic that reminds him of his native Boston. When he’s not at the drawing board or on a project site, he can be found running marathons, cycling, snowboarding. His love of the outdoors partners well with a career designing elegant outdoor spaces.
Scott recently became a first-time homeowner and is looking forward to spending much of his spare time in his new backyard, creating a masterpiece space for his family to enjoy.
Scott has been with Arterra since 2003, and is a landscape designer and project manager with an expertise in landforms, construction technologies and water feature and pool design. He is a California-licensed landscape architect and certified green building professional, and received a certificate in landscape architecture from U.C. Berkeley Extension in 2007.
Gretchen Whittier, Landscape Architect, Communications Director, ASLA
With a childhood filled with days of eating tomatoes and strawberries straight out of her mom’s organic garden, and assisting her father build brick fireplaces, becoming a landscape architect may have been inevitable for Gretchen.
A designer with Arterra since 2005, she believes in working with the natural landscape to create dynamic spaces that are comfortable and whimsical. Her design and environmental aesthetic extends to her home and garden, which is an eclectic blend of mid-century modern, found objects and re-fabricated furniture and materials.
Gretchen graduated from Phillips Academy Andover, then received a B.A. from University of Vermont, followed by a Certificate in Landscape Architecture. Outside of the office, Gretchen can often be found rummaging through salvage yards for the next great inspiration, planning elaborate birthday parties for friends, snowboarding or socializing kittens for the animal rescue group she volunteers for and is a board member of.
Monty Hill, Landscape Architect, LEED AP BD+C , Certified Green Building Professional
Monty’s inspiration for landscape design comes from sources as varied as Kandinsky paintings and great literary works. His design aesthetic and love of creating sustainable environments has earned him an ASLA Portfolio Merit Award (2009), and taken him to Kerala, India as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Global Village Program.
A landscape architect with Arterra since 2007, Monty is LEED AP BD+C certified. His expertise is in water catchment and storm water management, as well as low-water plantings and water efficient designs.
Monty graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1992, and graduated with distinction from the Landscape Architecture Certificate Program at the University of California, Berkeley Extension in 2009.
Natasha Libina, Landscape Architect
Natasha graduated from the University of California, San Francisco with a Ph.D. in Genetics, but found a new career path uniting form and function as a landscape designer. She enjoys creating exquisite yet sustainable landscapes that bring out the intrinsic beauty of each site, and is inspired by her travels in Europe and South America and by the pastoral landscapes of her native Russia.
She’s been with Arterra since 2007 as a landscape designer. Her area of expertise is plants, and this knowledge has been used for Arterra clients as well as in pro-bono work at the children’s garden at the Potrero Kids at Daniel Webster Preschool.
In addition to her Ph.D., Natasha received a certificate in landscape architecture from U.C. Berkeley Extension in August 2008.
Elizabeth Polana
Elizabeth graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture and a minor in Sustainable Environments. The highlight of her education was spending a year in Florence Italy, studying Architecture. She became inspired by the rich Italian landscape, ranging from its subtle undulating hills to its striking red-roof cities.
Elizabeth has always been interested in the blend between nature and built form.
With an understanding of the greater need for protecting and conserving the earth’s delicate resources, she hopes to become LEED certified in the near future. She also wants to return to school to get her masters in urban design.
In the meantime, she enjoys living in the dynamic city of San Francisco and spends her free time painting, reading and testing out new recipes, which she tests on her brave friends.
