By: Emma Hess

Willow Cook at Fallingwater

What began as a case study in an LSU classroom eventually became a summer-long, hands-on learning experience at one of the most recognizable architectural sites in the world. 

Willow Cook, a Master of Landscape Architecture graduate student and 2024 LSU interior design graduate with a minor in geography, recently completed a summer landscape internship at Fallingwater with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. 

Cook was first introduced to Fallingwater in a history of architecture course, where she became captivated by Frank Lloyd Wright’s approach to design. His work soon became an inspiration for her own perspective as a designer, particularly his ability to connect architecture with its surrounding landscape. 

That same philosophy continues to influence Cook’s work today as she explores “blending the built and natural environments, which is something that Frank Lloyd Wright and Fallingwater accomplish beautifully.” 

After seeing the internship flyer shared by an LSU RRSLA administrator, Cook submitted her resume and two letters of recommendation, which led to an interview with the horticulturist at Fallingwater. During the interview, Cook discussed her portfolio and learned more about the responsibilities of the internship. Within a couple of weeks, she received an offer to become one of two landscape interns selected nationally for the summer. 

Once arriving at Fallingwater, Cook’s responsibilities included groundskeeping tasks such as weeding and maintaining the gardens, pruning rhododendrons, watering flowers and creating flower arrangements. Along with these daily responsibilities, Cook and her fellow intern were given two larger projects to complete, a pathway project for the front entrance and a circulation project. 

The projects included designing and constructing a pathway, as well as creating a break area for Fallingwater tour guides. Cook and her fellow intern were able to take the projects from the initial concept and design stages through construction and implementation. 

“Having the opportunity to work on a project from the initial concept all the way through implementation was an extremely informative and rewarding experience,” Cook said. 

Hands-on experience, such as the tasks Cook completed, is hard to replicate in the classroom and is work Cook struggled with at first. Although with her existing design and digital representation skills, she was able to collaborate with her fellow intern and staff, using her strengths to better understand and address her weaknesses. Through this collaboration, Cook was able to grasp plant knowledge, hands-on construction implementation, project management and how landscapes change over time. 

The internship assisted Cook in gaining hands-on landscape experience and knowledge in a career she is passionate about and provided her with an experience she will never forget. From sitting on the porch of her cozy home located in rural Pennsylvania, listening to the forest buzz, driving down to Ohiopyle to jump in the Youghiogheny River with her friends and having campfires to close out each workday, Cook described this experience as “all-encompassing, relaxing and a magical experience.” 

From participating in the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World in 2024, to interning at Fallingwater, Cook’s desire to work amongst a tourist destination was confirmed, as she loves designing for visitors. Fallingwater provided Cook with the interest in working with one site over time to see how the landscape changes in response to her design and groundskeeping. Cook wants to design visitor experiences, not just the place itself. 

“Fallingwater, specifically, made me realize that I love getting to work within a set site, getting to really know the grounds and see how it changes over time, and then designing and performing groundskeeping tasks in response to it,” Cook said. 

Through Cook’s education at the College of Art & Design, she was able to provide her design experience to Fallingwater and identify areas she’d like to grow. Through this experience, she was able to understand that the willingness to learn matters more than pretending to know everything. 

“Trust yourself and understand your strengths and weaknesses,” Cook said. 

For Cook, Fallingwater transformed into a place she studied as an undergraduate, to a site she admired deeply, to somewhere she lived, worked and designed. Her journey from studying Fallingwater in an LSU College of Art & Design classroom to gaining hands-on experience on its grounds, showcases her growth as a designer and the experiences that continue to shape her career.