PROJECT T.O. Ranch
LOCATION Thousand Oaks, CA
T.O. Ranch provides a vibrant mixed-use community that combines residential with restaurants and retail. Visitors and residents can walk through the main drive and meander through the paseos and plazas that will flank the exterior spaces on the front drive and dine with friends and family at one of the restaurants with adjacent outdoor dining and casual seating.
concept plan and diagrams /
Ground level plan, NTS
Main and secondary pathways diagram
Ground level site programming diagram
plant reference guides /
When gathering preliminary plants for our plant palette, the Ventura County Fire Department’s Plant Reference Guide as well as the VCFD’s Prohibited Plant List was matched to narrow the intended plant list. Because this area in Thousand Oaks is required to follow guidelines of that of a fuel modification zone as well as defensible space, these resources are intended to mitigate the risk to life and structures from wildland fire exposure.
FIRE OFFSET - UNDERSTORY SHRUB PLANTING TEMPLATE
minimum planting clearances /
Planting according to the landscape standards of the Ventura County Fire Department requires a proper vertical clearance above the ground and a separation between shrubs and the lowest branches of trees. The horizonal clearance is meant to be 3-feet from the trunk of the tree. While the image above in the Plant Reference Guide section contains a practical diagram of how this was executed in-plan, below is a diagram of the recommended distances.
Arbutus marina Strawberry Tree
Dymondia margaretae SilverCarpet
Ruschia ‘Nana’ Dwarf Carpet of Stars
Cercis occidentalis Western Redbud
Laurus nobilis Bay laurel
Platanus racemosa Western sycamore
Crassula multicava Fairy Crassula
Epilobium canum var. latifolium ‘Everett’s Choice’ Everett’s California Fuchsia
Dudleya virens ssp. hassei Catalina Island Dudleya
Dudleya pulverulenta Chalk Dudleya
Grass)
spathulifolium 'Cape
(Cape Blanco Stonecrop)
Crassula multicava (Fairy Crassula)
Dudleya virens ssp. hassei (Catalina Island Dudleya)
Dudleya pulverulenta (Chalk Dudleya)
Sisyrinchium bellum Blue-eyed Grass
Sedum spathulifolium ‘Cape Blanco’ Cape Blanco Stonecrop
Gazania krebsiana Tanager Terracotta Gazania
Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’ Elijah Blue Fescue
Samples extracted from planting sheet set; depicts planting style carried throughout the site
images of the overall building, podium level courtyard, and ground level landscape
Rendered
concept plans /
Composite concept plan, NTS
rendered imagery /
Ground level, NTS
Podium level, NTS
Roof deck, NTS
PROJECT Vivo on Harbor / 511 Harbor
LOCATION San Pedro, CA
Vivo on Harbor is an eight-story high end residential apartment in San Pedro with a public courtyard on the podium and roof deck levels, meant for multi-purpose resident use.
PROJECT 500 Thousand Oaks
LOCATION Thousand Oaks, CA
500 Thousand Oaks marks a 50-year flood plane line on site. No built structures north of this line can be designed in vein of flooding. Two heritage oak trees exisiting on site will stay through the transition (indicated in dark blue at the north end). Aside from this, the streetscape is designed with permeable and integrated pavers as well as gathering areas and a play area for younger residents. Courtyards are multi-purpose, with use for outdoor cooking and eating, work-from-home, and spa/pool relaxation. Like T.O. Ranch, VCFD’s planting requirements apply.
Composite concept plan, NTS
concept plans /
Ground level, NTS
Building A, Level 2, NTS
Building A, Level 3, NTS
Building B, Level 3, NTS
PROJECT 300 Charleston
LOCATION Las Vegas, NV
300 Charleston is a high-end residential project located in Las Vegas, Nevada for an audience of mostly working and younger residents. All outdoor spaces focused on multi-use spaces for changing needs.
design approach /
Living in a post-pandemic world, there are trends that have become more in demand in multi-family residential outdoor living that can be accounted for in our design process. From increased demands for more usable space on terraces and balconies to private remote work areas.
In combination with these trends lie the scope of a restorative landscape design, encompassing opportunities
to interact with nature, diverse plantings (aroma, texture, color, etc.), to activity spaces for exercise and meditation. Having these areas would help easily transition residents to live in an area where restoration of mind and the natural world might come together.
Courtyard programming diagram
Pool courtyard, NTS
Fitness/day court, NTS
Tranquility court, NTS
plans /
PROJECT Maple Court
LOCATION Ventura, CA
Maple Court is a multi-family residential project planned for two buildings and its alloted courtyards. With elements such as an enhanced fire lane, courtyard gardens, dog runs, as well as landscape buffers, the design is intended to be a safe and useable living environment for residents.
Composite concept plan, NTS
planting design /
Planting design and its irrigation systems adhere to the city of Ventura and the state of California water conservation standards - this includes drought tolerant plants and plants selected within Water Use Classification of Landscape Species (WUCOLS) standards.
Ground level paseo plan, NTS
Day and night perspective rendering of Norman O. Houston Park site concept
PROJECT Connect the Disconnect (2021), presented with Emily Hesgard
STUDIO Resilience Hubs in the Public Realm by Instructor Ray Senes
This network, or connection, links places from Culver City Park, Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, Stoneview Nature Center, Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, all the way to Norman O. Houston Park. It utilizes planting for wayfinding and provides needs such as shade, water, charging stations, and restrooms at essential stops found across the trail. The main stations located at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, by La Cienega Boulevard, and at Norman O. Houston Park are specialized and accommodated for the site needs, such as a pedestrian bridge for Norman and shade structure for the Overlook.
Essential stops are miniature hub sites that provide needs such as shade, water, charging stations, and restrooms across the urban trail
project phases /
Our initial proposal consists of two of three phases of the project. The first phase is within the first year, where the main trail is introduced alongside the main station at Norman O. Houston Park and all three essential stops. In the next five or so years, the second phase is put into action, including two of the remaining main stations located at La Cienega Boulevard and Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook and its secondary paths. After approximately fifteen to twenty years, the main trail and its secondary paths begin to spread into nearby cities such as Ladera Heights and Culver City.
concept plans /
Norman O. Houston Park neighbors the Baldwin Hills residential area, which gives opportunity for further recreational uses. We would enhance current spaces on the park by adding multi-purpose programming such as a sunkenin amphitheater, an event plaza, and more.
Proposed trees
Riparian/native
Boardwalk
Landscape mounds
Permeable pavers
Bioswale garden
Sunken-in amphitheater
Shade structure
Recreational plaza
Pedestrian bridge
Existing trees
L Additional trees
Plan B, La Cienega Boulevard
Plan A, Norman O. Houston Park
Urban trail network diagram, including essential stops, main stations, and secondary paths
Plan C, Baldwin Hills Overlook
PROJECT The Solar Solace Units (2020)
STUDIO SHADEscape by
Instructor Nina Briggs
These units are made to be modular pieces that are flexible and interchangeable depending on the location, and have the strength to endure high levels of heat. It is in the experience of passing beneath them that energizes the walker without constriction of other elements. They are units that can grow alongside a community, and create a space in which walking and being outdoors comes without the burden of the sun’s rays. The Solar Solace provides protection and relief from the sun for any journey.
Vallarta Supermarkets on Whittier and Lorena is a hotspot of pedestrians going back and forth between surrounding stores and shops
Original sidewalk extended by 6 feet in order to accomodate other features and allow a more breathable experience
Varying strips of orange lattice-like shade structures with room for planting
Irregular floor paneling made of the same recycled aluminum of the units, as to extend the reach of the “solace” space
