Strata Design & Planning: Pioneering the Future of Placemaking Excellence

Strata Design & Planning – Leaders in Placemaking

Strata Design & Planning announces the launch of their new land planning and landscape architecture firm headquartered in Denver, CO. Founded by placemaking visionary with over 30 years of experience, Chris Dunn, RLA, ULI, ASLA, the firm will focus on creating spaces that inspire, sustain, and elevate communities.

Approaching pursuits and opportunities by their guiding principles of clarity, passion, innovation, and reliability, Strata Design & Planning offers comprehensive solutions through purposeful, creative land planning and landscape architecture.

Strata is built upon three pillars of creating desirable, healthy, and memorable places for people to live, visit, recreate, shop, and work. The firm is well-balanced and includes:

1) Professional land planners who have designed some of the most successful master-planned communities and resorts in the US.

2) Award-winning landscape architects who have crafted special destinations for unique experiences around the world.

3) An overarching belief in doing the right thing, listening intently, and applying compassion to every project we undertake.

Throughout his career, Mr. Dunn has crafted master plans and site-specific designs for private and public organizations including private retreats and residences, spaces for the arts, civic institutions, urban experiences, recreation and entertainment destinations, trails and natural open space, and master-planned communities throughout Colorado, North America, and internationally. With a focus on his clients’ visions, Mr. Dunn works strategically to manage the project process, understanding the full spectrum of needs within a project, and bringing them to life.

Notably, Mr. Dunn was instrumental in placemaking efforts for Schweitzer and Crested Butte mountain resort base villages, urban experiences for streetscapes and corridors in Cherry Creek North (Denver, CO) and Church Street Marketplace (Burlington, VT), and provided quality design for the Ritz Carlton Residences (Vail, CO), the Dallas Museum of Art Sculpture Garden (Dallas, TX), and the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences (VINS) Nature Center (Hartford, VT), among many others in his illustrious career.

“I am thrilled to finally introduce Strata Design & Planning,” said Chris Dunn, Director of Design for Strata. “I am excited to continue working with my longtime clients and have the opportunity to explore new, unique markets.”

Joining Strata Design & Planning is Eric Sakotas, a senior planner with over 25 years of experience in the industry and a longtime collaborator with Chris Dunn. Mr. Sakotas brings a unique expertise focused on resort planning and immersive outdoor experiences, informed by extensive international travel. Mr. Sakotas had the opportunity to design for communities across the world including in China, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Guam. This international exposure gives Eric a diverse skill set for design and problem solving, which has applied to his site planning and has facilitated community engagement through public workshops and design charettes.


About Strata Design & Planning: Strata Design & Planning is a process-oriented landscape architecture and land planning firm specializing in master planning and project entitlements for curated developments. Strata Design & Planning integrates built and natural environments to create thriving and sustainable communities. By offering both landscape architecture and land planning services, we provide a comprehensive and integrated approach to development resulting in well-designed, sustainable, and socially responsible projects celebrating the vibrancy of their environment. Strata’s team of skilled professionals are dedicated to consistently delivering exceptional designs. Our team works closely with Clients to develop projects that are financially successful, and aesthetically compelling, and obtain broad support from a wide range of stakeholders. We achieve these results by listening carefully, understanding the site, developing design solutions that clearly articulate the Client’s goals, and detailing the built elements so they create memorable places that people are repeatedly drawn to. For more information about Stata Design & Planning, contact Chris Dunn, Director of Design at 720.399.1022 or cdunn@thinkstratadesign.com.