Sports and Recreation Design
Leaders in the field.
We have made our mark in the industry creating sports and recreation environments for educational, entertainment, athletic, and hospitality venues. Our process engages the voices that matter and builds buy-in, consensus, and enthusiasm. Whether it’s a campus-wide athletic plan or complex, historic resort or municipal park, The LA Group designs spaces that inspire success.
Sports and recreation design projects take special expertise – being able to predict trends, envision the impact of design, and understand the psychological nature of recreation, retreat, and athletic competition. Our impressive portfolios and satisfied clients can attest that we can do it all while still designing creative and beautiful spaces that inspire long-lasting memories and impressions.
We also believe that each project requires a big-picture mindset; and this means bringing specialized team skills to the table, from master planning, landscape architecture and civil engineering to low-impact design and our specialized talent for navigating necessary permits and approvals.
Above all, we are focused on helping our clients define goals and give shape to the bigger picture to ensure we’re providing an artfully designed, functional, and cost-effective environment that makes an impact.
Specialized experience in:
- Collegiate and K-12 athletic complex design
- Municipal recreation, including parks and boat launches
- Sports courts and fields
- Synthetic turf or natural grass for football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, softball, and baseball
- Track and field complexes
- Outdoor tennis and basketball courts or complexes
- Bleacher seating, press boxes, field lighting, and concessions
- Resort planning and design for both new properties and the revitalization of landmark historic properties
- Luxury and boutique hotel properties
- Ski resort planning and design, including trail systems, public spaces, and residential development
- Theme and amusement parks and museums
- Golf course planning, design, and restoration
Recent Posts

The LA Group Continues Work as Lake Placid Prepares for 2023 World University Games
Emily Streeter | Blog, Community and Regional Planning, Environmental Planning and Permitting, Landscape Architecture, News, Parks and Recreation Design, Sports and Recreation Design | No CommentsThe LA Group is currently immersed in planning and execution for the preparation of the 2023 Winter World University Games in Lake Placid. We’re thrilled to see Lake Placid and the venues we’ve worked on for years featured on The Today Show! https://www.today.com/video/feel-like-an-olympian-for-the-day-at-lake-placid-132072517869 Check out the gallery of progress photos…

Saratoga Great Outdoors Project – Benefits for the Entire Community
Douglas Heller | Blog, News, Parks and Recreation Design, Sports and Recreation Design | No CommentsA Perfect Project for Our Times While the planning efforts and design work occurred pre-pandemic in 2017, the components of the Saratoga Great Outdoors project were in place just in time to support community and school needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Saratoga Great Outdoors Project covered eleven project sites…
Planning for the Future in the Olympic Region
Angie Mickel | News, Sports and Recreation Design | No CommentsOlympic Facilities to Get Needed Upgrades, Athletes and Public to Benefit Is 40 too young for a face lift? Not if you have spent those 40 years outdoors in Adirondack Mountain winters. New York State’s recently approved budget for the next fiscal year includes an allocation of over 60 million…

The LA Group Acquires HMH Site & Sports Design
Angie Mickel | News, Sports and Recreation Design | No CommentsFirm expands with new office in Ithaca, New York Saratoga Springs, N.Y., February 3, 2016 – The LA Group, Landscape Architecture and Engineering, P.C. announces the acquisition of HMH Site & Sports Design. The expansion brings a new office in Ithaca, New York, six new staff members, and an increased…