A Person of Areté is one in pursuit of excellence, whose messages and goals exemplify Thomas Ranch and highlight what makes our development approach unique.

Meet Kristofor Kvarfordt, Senior Vice President of Planning & Landscape Architecture. With decades of experience across projects throughout the U.S. and international markets, Kris offers his unique perspective and shares what he is excited to bring to Thomas Ranch.

What is a philosophical principle that guides the approach to your discipline?

Genius loci! In classical Roman religion, genius loci was the “protective spirit of a place”, the intangible quality of a material place, perceived both physically and spiritually. As a land planner, this philosophy emphasizes the uniqueness of every site and encourages the design approach to be one of sensitivity, preservation and enhancement of what is already there.

Considering your area of expertise, what are you excited about regarding Thomas Ranch?

The open spaces and trail networks. The trails really are the backbone of much of what we are trying to achieve on the project.

One of the primary goals of the overall master plan is to encourage people to go outside, connect with the landscape around them, and be active, know the flora and fauna, and let that lifestyle increase their individual sense of wellness and stewardship of the land.

What is an advancement in your field that will be implemented at Thomas Ranch?

The promotion of open space as a vital part of the “utility” infrastructure. This is sometimes referred to as green infrastructure. When green infrastructure systems are installed throughout a community, city or across a regional watershed, they can provide cleaner air and water as well as significant value for the community with flood protection, diverse habitat and beautiful green spaces.

Additionally, Thomas Ranch is focused on creating high performance landscapes. This idea expands the notion of green infrastructure to encourage the influence of open spaces, by making them multi-purpose and high functioning. High performance landscapes can facilitate open space, health & wellness, utility, storm water management, alternative transportation and many other uses the make a community more useable, integrated and beautiful!