About Us

Our Approach

Apiary Studio got its start in Philadelphia PA in 2015 with the goal of developing unique and innovative design solutions that improve people’s lives and enrich their daily experiences. We make places that are accessible, sustainable, and break from the mold, treating each project as a dynamic work of art that challenges convention and responds to a specific problem with optimism, sensitivity and agility. Our design and construction gestures aim to always take a holistic approach that understands that very often the lightest touch is the most revealing solution.

Most of our clients select Apiary Studio for our devotion to craft and detailing, which in recent years has focused on using recycled and repurposed materials wherever possible with patterning and masonry techniques that elevate waste into a compelling alternative to brand new or non-renewable materials. This niche type of landscaping work results in gardens and landscapes that look and feel unique unto themselves, and come at fraction of the carbon footprint cost of more standard alternatives. As serious plantspeople, our planting style is layered, dense, and effusive to counterpoint and soften structures and hardscape, creating many different experiences across different spaces and changing seasons, all the while inviting humans and other animals to hang around.

VIEW OUR DESIGN PROCESS

Our Team

Apiary Studio was founded by Hans Hesselein and is today a small design and construction team co-operated by Hans Hesselein and Martha Keen. Our designers provide the full suite of landscape architectural services, including site inventory & analysis, schematic design, visualization and rendering, construction documentation and administration, as well as masterplanning and horticultural consulting. Over the course of the last decade, we have taken on work spanning thoughtful residential gardens and streetscapes, to larger and more complex spaces like commercial properties, religious institutions, and small parks. Moreover, we have assembled a wonderful multi-disciplinary team of carpenters and gardeners that allows us to build and maintain many of these projects entirely in house.

Hans Hesselein, RLA, Principal

Possessing hands-on knowledge of construction, landscape installation, and nursery production, Hans’ design sensibilities are rooted in the physical experience of working directly with plants and materials. Hans holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State University, and has spent time working internationally in Germany as well as at several New York City landscape architecture firms. He previously served as Executive Director of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy in Brooklyn, NY, where he was responsible for developing and managing green infrastructure projects, watershed planning initiatives, and volunteer stewardship programs. Hans is an adjunct professor at Jefferson University, where he teaches two courses on the history of Landscape Architecture.

Martha Keen, Partner + Horticulture Manager

Martha is responsible for Apiary Studio’s horticulture arm, including gardening installation and maintenance, propagation and nursery procurement, and planting design. She is a graduate of the Professional Gardener Program at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, holds a BA in philosophy and the history of math and science from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM. Previously, Martha worked at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY for the Design and Construction department in a hybrid desk-field position that offered a first-hand look at large public capital projects. Most recently, she was employed as the landscape manager at Wyck in Germantown Philadelphia, a National Historic Landmark and America’s oldest rose garden. Martha is a waller in training and an evangelist for the intelligence of craft and physical work.

Dan Alvarez, Construction Manager

Dan Alvarez brings nearly two decades of construction experience to Apiary Studio, with a varied set of experiences that have spanned bespoke furniture making and metal fabrication, to set construction, to ground-up commercial and hospitality buildouts at multiple scales and timelines. A task-oriented problem solver, the specific strength that Dan brings to our team is the breadth of his skills and his eagerness to figure things out. Dan studied studio photography at the University of Southern Florida and spends his free time fixing up his house, riding dirt bikes, and treasure hunting.

Allyson Church, Landscape Designer

Allyson comes to the field of Landscape Architecture from backgrounds in the arts and farming. She holds a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and worked for several years in regenerative farming and urban agriculture before pursuing a graduate degree in Landscape Architecture at Temple University. While studying ecological restoration, Allyson’s fields of interest have included ecological landscape design in urban settings, and the multifunctional use of historic cemeteries as urban green spaces. She strives towards a holistic life that balances art-making, community engagement, landscape design, growing flowers and vegetables, and spending time with friends and loved ones.

Tucker Jones, Lead Carpenter

Tucker Jones is a deft craftsman who brings an architect’s sensibility and problem solving to carpentry and woodwork. Tucker holds a BS in Architecture from Temple University and an MArch from Portland State University with a Certificate in Public Interest Design. He trained as a timber framer in Charleston, SC and worked previously for Philly-based Tiny WPA helping to develop their custom fabrication program and mentoring their building heroes. Much of his career has been focused on designing and fabricating custom and specialty pieces of art and architectural detailing. At heart, he loves designing and building the things the people touch and interact with. Tucker can be found exploring Philadelphia and cooking for family and friends.