Shannan Gibb-Randall is principal of InSite Design Studio, a small landscape architecture firm in Ann Arbor that does work primarily around the southeast Michigan region. She attended the University of Michigan’s Residential College, focusing on art history and anthropology and later graduated with an MLA from UM’s School for Environment and Sustainability in 1998.

Shannan practices ecologically-sensitive site design and rainwater management with high aesthetic value. Her work straddles both art and science, and is grounded in balancing the needs of people and the living world so that both can flourish. Shannan’s work lives and thrives in highly urbanized settings to rural landscapes, each uniquely tailored to the local ecological opportunities, design and program parameters, and distinct visual preferences of each client. The scale of her portfolio includes large institutional settings, parks, publicly-owned stormwater infrastructure, commercial venues, not-for-profit and residential design work. Shannan has been both designing projects and following them through the construction process for 27 years and has deeply practical experience about making ecological design a reality.

Additionally, she also has volunteered on Ann Arbor’s Planning Commission, Environmental Commission, Downtown Development Authority’s Partners Committee, Downtown Design Review Board, and the development of the A2 Zero Carbon Neutrality Plan, sharing her expertise with our community. She is asked frequently to speak publicly about her work and received Washtenaw County’s Excellence in Environmental Leadership award in 2020.

TSN Conference 2026

January 23rd, 2026 (Friday) // 3:10 pm – 4:10 pm // Room 104 // Designing with Native Plants: Getting People to Like Them // If we are going to spread the gospel of native plants in pockets all over, then we need to design gardens addressing both ecological health and human acceptance. Landscape architect Shannan Gibb-Randall has been designing with natives in a wide range of settings, scales and clients for 27 years. Hear about the hard-won lessons learned from InSite Design Studio that bridge the worlds of ecological integrity, beauty and acceptance for a wide audience.