AGENDA

Modern Living: Inside Outdoor Spaces

September 29-30 | 2026

For decades, the owners of Paragon Landscape Construction believed that landscape architects, residential architects, and custom builders should come together and learn from one another. As a result, they initiated the Modern Living: Inside Outdoor Spaces Symposium, which aims to provide relevant data and innovative tools. Experts from around the country will present lectures, while industry specialists will offer hands-on workshops.

Continuing education credits are available where specified for architects and landscape architects.

  • 08:00 AM – 09:00 AM
    Registration

    08:15 AM – 08:45 AM
    Highfield Hall Grounds Tour led by George Chapman, Landscape Director of Highfield Hall

    09:15 AM – 09:30 AM
    Welcome & Announcements

    09:30 AM – 10:30 AM

    Keynote: Period-Inspired Residential Landscape Design
    Cindy Brockway, Managing Director of Cultural Resources at The Trustees

    10:45  AM – 11:30 AM
    Session 1 & 2 Learning Labs

    • Field Sketching with Christopher DeOrsay, AIA, ICAA, Principal of
      DeOrsay Campbell Smith Architects

    • Siting for Residential & Landscape Architects with Lyle W. Bradley, AIA, Architect, Partner at Albert, Righter & Tittmann

    • Arborists’ Guide to Preserving Century-Old Trees on Historic Estates with Harrison MacPhee

    12:45 PM – 01:45 PM
    Lunch & Resolution Workshops

    02:00 PM - 02:45 PM
    Check in @ Autocamp

    02:45 PM – 03:00 PM
    Symposium Announcements 

    03:00 PM –04:00 PM
    Keynote: Living Legacies: Reimagining Historic Landscapes Through Preservation, Craft, and Innovation
    Doug Hoerr, FASLA, Landscape Architect, Hoerr Schaudt

    04:00 PM – 04:45 PM
    Intro to the Collaborators

    05:00 PM – 06:30 PM
    Cocktails & Oysters

    07:00 PM – 10:00 PM
    Glamping Dinners & Fireside Chats

  • 07:30 - 9:00 a.m.
    Day Pass Registration

    08:00 –08:30 AM
    Check Out & Networking Breakfast

    08:30 – 09:30 AM
    Keynote: Lessons from the Catskills
    Kevin Lichten, AIA, Founder and Principal, Lichten Architects

    09:45 AM – 10:45 AM
    Session 3 Learning Labs

    • Building, Growing, & Exiting Your Business
      John Steiger CFP®, AIFA®, President and Founder, Wealth Family Resources

    • The Science of Color at Colonial Williamsburg
      Kirsten Travers Moffitt, Sr Conservator & Materials Analyst, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

    • Designing with Reclaimed Granite
      Ryan W. Ackerman, President, Monti Ackerman Sculpture, Inc.

    11:00 AM – 12:00 AM
    Session 4 Learning Labs

    • From Waste to Resource
      Zac Tolbert, PLA LEED AP, Sr Territory Manager, Cambium (Carbon Smart™ Wood)

    • Stop Planting That (Seriously!)
      Carl Hesselein. President, Pleasant Run Nursery

    12:15 PM – 01:15 PM
    Keynote: Restoration & Invention: Transforming Historic Architecture
    Damien Samora, Partner, Ferguson & Shamamian

    1:30 PM
    Damien Samora Book Signing & Networking Lunch