David Kamp, the founding principal of Dirtworks Landscape Architecture, PC, has over 30 years experience in the private and public sector. Prior to forming his own firm Kamp participated in large-scale site development, including involvement in the design of Australia’s New Parliament House and a variety of projects throughout the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.
Selected as a Loeb Fellow in Advanced Environmental Studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Kamp began a year of self-directed research and study covering a range of factors, including ergonomics, medical ethics and research advancing the effectiveness of nature and gardens to influence health care environments. As an artist-in-residence at the MacDowell Colony, America’s oldest and most prestigious artist colony, Kamp confirmed his exploration with the development of a series of prototypical gardens serving a range of individuals with special needs.
Kamp is a guest lecturer at numerous universities and conferences across the United States and Europe, and currently he teaches at University of Virginia (where he is an alumnus). He was a contributor on the committee that developed the Green Guide for Healthcare Version 2.0 Pilot, a best practices guide for evaluating health and sustainability for the healthcare industry. Kamp was featured in Recreating Eden, a documentary series exploring the role of gardens in the lives of people. A second television documentary, GardenStory, was broadcast on PBS featuring engaging examples of the power of restorative gardens to support health, well-being and assuage grief.
Most recently, University College Falmouth (UK) awarded Kamp an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his contributions to the landscape architecture profession. He is also an active member of many advisory boards and is a cofounder of the Center for Design and Health at the University of Virginia.
