We are heartbroken to share that Shane Coen, our founder and friend, has passed away.

Shane founded Coen+Partners in 1992 with a simple but profound belief: that landscape has the power to connect people to nature and to each other.

Over three decades, Shane grew that vision into what Coen+Partners is today – an internationally acclaimed firm of more than fifty talented designers, led by four partners and seven directors, that delivers transformative projects around the world.

What mattered most to Shane was always the work and the people doing it. Shane had an incredible gift for nurturing and elevating those around him. He established a culture where creativity and talent flourish. He instilled in us the courage to think bold ideas and the dedication to bring them into the world. He taught us to put our “feet on the ground,” to listen deeply to place, and to honor the cultures and contexts we work in.

Shane lived by the same principles by which he designed. He found joy in kundalini yoga, foraging mushrooms and wild foods, exploring the land he shared with his wife Sara, cooking meals for friends and family, and spending quiet time in nature. He saw beauty and possibility everywhere, and he taught us to do the same.

Shane’s legacy is not only in the landscapes we created together, but in how he showed us to live, work, and lead with intention and care.

We will miss him deeply. And we will honor him by continuing the work he loved.

Sincerely,

Deb Bond
Partner

Thomas Doyle
Partner

Robin Ganser
Partner

McKenzie Wilhelm
Partner