A Louisiana native, Claire graduated from the College of Design at Louisiana State University in 1989. As an undergraduate, her studies included a year at the University of Manchester, Department of Landscape Architecture in England. Beginning her career at one of the Midwest’s largest design-build landscape architecture firms she showcased her skills first as a designer and then as assistant project manager.

She joined Douglas Hoerr in 1993 as his first employee and helped him grow to become a nationally recognized firm with an impressive client list. As vice president, she was instrumental in helping the firm achieve national recognition for the award winning Michigan Avenue Streetscape Project.

While there Claire also served as consulting landscape architect for the Chicago Botanic Garden and design liaison for the City of Des Moines’ comprehensive landscape initiative.

After 10 years with Douglas Hoerr Landscape Architecture, Claire began independently consulting as a landscape architect and in the spring of 2004, her husband Ryan joined her, and Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp was born. She has practiced landscape architecture in Chicago for 30 years.

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Study Abroad Program, University of Manchester, Manchester, England

Ryan joined his wife, Claire, in founding of Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp Landscape Architecture in 2004. Today as co-principal, he brings the same level of enthusiasm and creativity to each project as if it were his first. Ryan’s excitement for design is heavily grounded in his Midwestern upbringing and education coupled with memorable opportunities to study abroad in his formative years as a landscape architect…the idea that great landscape art originates in native soil.

This foundation in landscape design and construction was quickly brought to bear when he began work with Chicago’s premier landscape architectural design firm Douglas Hoerr Landscape Architecture where he rose to a position of senior landscape architect and design lead. Over a rewarding period of 10 years, he headed some of the firm’s most prestigious projects including the gardens of the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the University of Chicago Botany Pond restoration, the Glen Town Center in Glenview, Illinois, as well as many award-winning private residential gardens.

Today, Ryan, together with Claire, rely on this rich history of educational and work experiences as they lead their firm Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp in designing a wide variety of project types that span the landscape architectural disciplines of land planning, institutional, municipal and commercial design together with the ever-present work for private homeowners in crafting one-of-a kind gardens where the art of the landscape architect is most intimately explored. Ryan has practiced landscape architecture for 30 years, all the time in the Chicago area both working and residing in Evanston, Illinois.

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
Edward L. Ryerson Traveling Fellowship, Zagreb, Croatia
Summer Study Abroad Program, Tongji University, Shanghai,