“I seek joy in nature, art, and people. In the journey of my life, I desire to make a difference in the lives of people while pursuing my professional goals. Traveling and working closely with people around the globe and on a wide range of projects has made me an empathetic and culturally responsive designer. I want to leverage my skills, networks, and experience to connect design professionals and help transform the public spaces & environment through collaboration. These core values were the cornerstone for founding Designodal, Inc.”

 

Bio: 

Vinita has over 25+ years of professional experience in Master Planning, Experiential Design, Landscape Architecture, and Architecture. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture, followed by a Master of Landscape Architecture & Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture. She is also a California Licensed Landscape Architect and a LEED Accredited Professional.

 

Vinita has worked for over seventeen years in the United States, working on the design & construction of various prestigious projects in the United States & abroad. As Vinita Vijayan & Associates, now Designodal, Inc., she has designed and implemented a wide range of large-scale infrastructure and development projects in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa for ten years before moving to California.

 

She led the Master Planning & Landscape Architecture team at The Hettema Group, now THG, an esteemed experiential design group. She was an Associate & Project Manager at Mia Lehrer and Associates, a reputed design firm working on the design & revitalization of various prestigious projects in the City of Los Angeles. She was also involved in the Master Planning of Dubai Parks, Epic Universe, Universal Studios, CJ Culture Valley Korea, Discovery Channel, Netflix & other FEC Experiences. She has significant work experience with industry leaders such as AECOM, Moshe Safdie Architects, and H2L2 in Asia.

 

Designodal, Inc. serves as a collaborative forum of designers - a 'node' or meeting point. The vision is to connect people and transform the world through design by integrating art, nature, culture, and storytelling. Designodal envisions empowering designers to be part of the greater good by supporting local nonprofits.

 

She collaborates with local institutions like USC, UCLA, and CalPoly through ASLA as a design juror & mentor. She supports nonprofits as a Board Member at 'Sustainable Claremont' and a Delegate for 'Arts for LA.' She was the principal contributor and initiated the standardization of codes for Landscape Architecture for the Bureau of Indian Standards. She has various publications of research and design work to her credit. The premier institute published her work in sustainability, The Energy & Resources Institute, India (TERI), assisted in restoring dilapidated iron ore mines and forests of the Western Ghats in Goa.