Biography
James Steiner received a BLA degree from Louisiana State University in 1981. He is currently a registered landscape architect in the State of Wisconsin.
James regularly mentors students in independent study projects that combine student resources with community-based design, educational design, and/or community outreach projects. He has been the mentor for several senior capstone projects that integrate student work with professional projects James is involved with at Quorum Architects Inc., in Milwaukee. These include the MLK Drive Streetscape Master Plan, Northwest Quadrant Redesign at UW-Milwaukee, and the SOHI District Master Plan, in Milwaukee.
Recent interdisciplinary projects with UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning include designs for the Art Academic Building at UW–Madison, a redesign for the historic Horse Barn on the UW–Madison campus, and new urban design schemes for the new Freshwater Sciences campus for UW-Milwaukee. James’ student work was featured in the Art Academic Primer, published by UWM’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Projects integrating the College of Engineering at UW and UW Department of Landscape Architecture include a master plan for the Witte Dorm addition on the UW campus and a streetscape master plan for Tokay Boulevard in Madison, for the Midvale Heights Neighborhood Association.
After graduating from LSU, James worked in the areas of landscape design, design-build and architectural construction in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, LA. He moved to Wisconsin in 1986, where he was hired as the lead landscape architect for the Zimmerman Design Group in Milwaukee (Now ZA). While at Zimmerman, James expanded his professional experience by working on interior design, space planning and architectural projects. From 1993 to 1997, he worked for Stano Landscaping, then worked with Tom Mortensen, RLA, ASLA, as founding partners of Landgraphics Landscape Architecture in Milwaukee.
In 1997, James joined Quorum Architects, Inc. in Milwaukee as a senior designer, where he continues to work on site, architecture and interior design projects, as well as architectural rendering and presentation graphics. In 2000, James was hired as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison’s Department of Landscape Architecture. In 2004, he became a permanent faculty member, dividing his time between teaching design and graphics at UW and working on both large and small-scale commercial design projects at Quorum Architects, Inc.
James’ educational and professional focus is design communication and promoting an integrative design process, as a way to efficiently execute clear and sustainable practices from an team of interdisciplinary designers, engineers, clients, and technical specialists. He is currently working on developing a student exchange/study abroad program with the Architectural and Urban Planning Department at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina, in Brazil.
Publications
An Art Academic Building Primer: Program, Precedent, Place, and a Strategy for LEED
Platinum Certification, A collaborative project with UW-Milwaukee Department of Architecture, the UW–Madison Department of Engineering, and the UW–Madison Department of Landscape Architecture, 2010
Master Plan for MLK Drive for the City of Milwaukee, 2007
Siepman Realty Headquarters, Waukesha, WI
West Bend Mutual Insurance Headquarters, West Bend, WI
Projects
Milwaukee County Research Park Site Improvements, Wauwatosa, WI
Milwaukee County Stormwater Improvements and Rain Gardens, Wauwatosa, WI
La Crosse Airport Site Improvements
Greater Milwaukee International Airport
Washington Park Revitalization Plan, Milwaukee, WI
UWM Northwest Quad Master Plan
UWM Children’s Center, Milwaukee, WI
The Cooperage Museum and Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
Elm Creative Arts School, Milwaukee, WI
Fourth Street Lofts, Milwaukee, WO
Westlawn Multi-family Development, Milwaukee, WI
MATC Fine Dining and Baking Lab, Milwaukee, WI
MLK Drive Master Plan, Milwaukee, WI
Cherry Court Public Housing, Milwaukee, WI
Gordon Park Pavilion, Milwaukee, WI
The Buffalo Building, Waukesha, WI
Various Summerfest Projects, Summerfest Grounds, Milwaukee, WI
SOHI District Master Plan, Milwaukee, WI
Simon Homes, Brookfield, WI
Lapham Park Public Housing, Milwaukee, WI
Eco-Bay Mixed Use Development, Milwaukee, WI
Teaching
James’s teaching experience includes LA312 (Graphics for Designers), LA261 (Principles of Landscape Architecture Design and Graphics), LA 462 (Regional Design), as well as the summer session studio of LA201 (Introduction to Landscape Architecture).