Landscape Architecture Select Projects
Landscape Architecture
From conceptual planning to site specific design and details, PlaceWorks creates landscapes that are sustainable, contextsensitive and inspiring. Our work in parks, trails, creek restoration, streetscapes, and urban plazas balances community needs with protection and enhancement of the natural environment. Our projects reflect locally appropriate design patterns and include innovative uses of plant materials and constructed elements.
SERVICES PROVIDED Landscape Architecture Educational Programming Interpretive and Exhibit Design Playground Design Universal Design Water Conservation and Stormwater Management Urban Design Trail and Open Space Planning Community Outreach and Facilitation Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Green Infrastructure Complete Streets Planning Plaza and Streetscape Design Green Streets Waterfront Design Park Renovation Urban Greening and Agriculture Creek and Habitat Restoration Cost Estimating Construction Administration
PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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PlaceWorks’ Approach to Building Community PlaceWorks brings 40 years of experience in the planning and design of communities at all scales. Our landscape architecture practice focuses on parks, trails, playgrounds, streetscapes, and open space planning and design. We work closely with each client to develop unique and memorable destinations that best serve the community’s needs and reflect local context. With each of our projects, we emphasize the following approach:
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Landscape Architecture
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AUTHENTIC PLACEMAKING At PlaceWorks, we recognize that each site, community, and project is unique. While all landscapes share some features, the process of discovery, design, implementation, and opening to welcome users must ultimately express the authenticity of the place. PlaceWorks collaborates closely with our clients to envision and create outdoor environments that are flexible, engaging, unique, and inspiring. We seek opportunities to include interpretive and educational themes and components in our park and plaza designs. The end result is a distinct sense of place, and timeless and memorable destinations to live, work and play.
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SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES PlaceWorks is a recognized leader in the field of sustainable planning and design, and has worked closely with many agencies and organizations, including Build It Green, Stopwaste.Org, and the California Urban Water Conservation Council to develop guidelines and design templates that address water conservation, stormwater management, and high-efficiency irrigation. A sustainable landscape minimizes waste, protects water quality, provides wildlife habitat, protects air quality, and enhances healthy soil structure. PlaceWorks approaches all of our projects with these principles in mind, with small- and large-scale strategies for on-site stormwater management, reducing the heat island effect with cool paving and plantings, and incorporating sustainable materials throughout.
PlaceWorks
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Regular access to nature whether regional parks and trails, inner city parks, or greenways, has an intrinsic value that is well researched and scientifically documented. The restorative powers of nature can boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities, and economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds. We identify opportunities to connect communities with green, living places, from creating trails and nature experiences to developing outdoor classrooms and educational programs.
“The future will belong to the nature-smart—those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.�
REALITY-BASED DESIGN
Richard Louv, Journalist and Author of The Nature Principle
ACCESS TO NATURE
The resulting landscapes must also be buildable and maintainable to ensure that the investments our clients make result in a long term legacy functional, attractive places for people. PlaceWorks prides itself on years of continuing professional excellence, resulting in repeat contracts with multiple public and private sector clients. Our Landscape Architecture staff includes a team of licensed professionals with experience in planning, design, and construction of parks, plazas, housing, recreational facilities, trails, and streetscapes. We also understand and apply the requisite codes, ordinances, and best management practices for safety, function, and durability. Through our project work, our volunteer activities with regional boards, and ongoing education, we are constantly deepening our ability to deliver code-compliant design work that exceeds expectations for safety, function, and durability.
PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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SNOW PARK AND HARRISON/20TH STREET INTERSECTION PROJECT CITY OF OAKLAND PlaceWorks worked with the City of Oakland to develop a comprehensive urban greening retrofit along Oakland’s iconic Lake Merritt in the heart of Oakland, as outlined in the 2002 Lake Merritt Master Plan. The project included several components. The intersection of Lakeside Drive and Harrison Street was completely reconfigured, and this task served as an opportunity for narrowing and removing paved areas and applying complete streets principles, building roadway rain gardens, and improving the urban character, walkability, and user experience at the lake. The project creates a new pedestrian- and bicyclefriendly multimodal corridor connection along Lakeside Drive and Harrison Street adjacent to Lake Merritt. Adjacent Snow Park was also redesigned, and new features were added to meet the needs of the local community. These include a new state-of-the-art terraced play area and a pedestrian promenade, with a highly visible rain garden featuring a custom art piece by local artists WowHaus. The sculpture represents a mythical water-dwelling creature that connects both the site’s location near the lake and the rainwater elements in the park. PlaceWorks designed the space to highlight the sculpture and bring people into the heart of the park. The project was designed to meet Bay-Friendly Landscape standards, including permeable and high-albedo paving, native and climate adapted plantings, and high recycled content in all purchased materials. PlaceWorks also provided outreach and coordination with the community and multiple advisory committees to create conceptual plans for the park, streetscape, and lakeside improvements. The plans were developed into construction documents that included specific enhancements for roadways, electrical systems, street lighting, and stormwater infrastructure, including ample rain gardens. PlaceWorks’ role on this project included environmental review under CEQA and NEPA. PlaceWorks also provided construction administration.
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Landscape Architecture
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PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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CONCORD HILLS REGIONAL PARK TRANSFORMING THE FORMER NAVAL WEAPONS STATION PlaceWorks is preparing the Park Land Use Plan and EIR for a future park that is poised to refine, repurpose, and restore approximately 2,500 acres of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station. The future park will strengthen spatial and contextual connections to surrounding open space, development, and history. The site’s geographical connection to adjacent and surrounding open space sets the stage for substantial open space and trail connectivity, and connections to existing and planned development and transit will enable the future park to become a transit-oriented open space. PlaceWorks will lead the development of innovative designs and effective phasing and implementation strategies; coordinate amongst stakeholders, including the US Navy and the National Park Service; prepare the EIR; and help the District to implement a multifaceted public engagement process. The planning process will explore creative reuse of existing structures, from former Navy buildings to weapons magazines, and develop interpretive themes that can be expressed through signage as well as landforms and installations—weaving the natural and cultural histories into a unified storyline with which visitors can engage. The Park Land Use Plan will ensure that the park becomes a unique asset that balances recreation with mitigation and conservation, optimizes open space and urban connections, and connects people to local history.
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Landscape Architecture
PlaceWorks
promoting diverse recreational opportunities
maximizing environmental education potential
interpret compelling stories of landscape’s past
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adaptive reuse of existing infrastructure and facilities
developing innovative strategies for utilizing unique landscape
creating dynamic trails network and well connected access points
restoring and conserving high value habitat
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grazing lands cold war relics
historic oaks world war II relics
native american pre 1830s
PlaceWorks
ranch era 1830-1930s
military era 1930s-current
REGIONAL PARK ERA
Landscape Architecture
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PIGEON POINT LIGHT STATION STATE HISTORIC PARK GENERAL PLAN CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS Located on a rocky promontory along California’s Central Coast, Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park is an important historic landmark and recreational destination. Best known for the Nationally Registered, 115-foot historic lighthouse, the park serves approximately 150,000 visitors annually. The site offers breathtaking coastal views with opportunities to whale watch and observe marine creatures and habitats. The park includes a limited trail network along the bluff and informal beach access points. The on-site hostel, operating within the former Lighthouse Keepers’ Dwellings, offers low-cost accommodations. The lighthouse is currently operational but temporarily closed to public due to structural concerns. PlaceWorks is working with State Parks to develop the first General Plan for the park to provide a longrange vision for the park. The planning process includes a comprehensive resource inventory focusing on public access, coastal conditions, and historic preservation. Local stakeholders actively participate by providing insightful feedback. The consultant team developed a project website where potential park users can identify their needs and priorities. The PlaceWorks team is completing an IS/MND to ensure thorough environmental review.
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Landscape Architecture
PlaceWorks
MOUNT TAMALPAIS EAST PEAK FACILITIES MANAGEMENT PLAN CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS Situated at the highest point on iconic Mount Tamalpais, East Peak is a landmark for the Bay Area. The mountain serves as a monument for the region, visible from miles away and beloved by both nearby residents and distant communities. From the peak, there are breathtaking views in all directions, offering visitors a unique perspective on the landscape of Marin County and adjacent areas. However, the 53-acre East Peak visitor use area (East Peak Area) has been identified as an underutilized resource poised for a renaissance in its role on the mountain. PlaceWorks is preparing a Facilities Management Plan (FMP) and Initial Study/Mitigated Declaration for the East Peak Area that will identify a cohesive vision for East Peak’s future as a world class recreational amenity. As part of the planning process, PlaceWorks prepared a graphically rich East Peak Photo Atlas and Existing Conditions Report that has been widely distributed to stakeholders and the public, and has initiated a substantial stakeholder and public engagement process that includes stakeholder interviews, tabling events, and a public meeting as well as a series of online engagement activities. PlaceWorks is currently developing design alternatives that will facilitate meaningful public engagement and inform the development of the FMP. The FMP will provide a comprehensive site plan with unique sense of place, emphasizing thematic design and seamless transitions through the site, as well as specific guidance on implementation and phasing. PlaceWorks will also oversee the preparation of the environmental document to be prepared for the FMP in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.
PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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IRIS CHANG PARK MEMORIAL AND CONTEMPLATION PARK PlaceWorks provided master planning, landscape architectural design, and construction documents for a new 2.5-acre memorial sculpture park in North San Jose. PlaceWorks CEQA staff completed the Initial Study/Negative Declaration necessary for the project. The park is named after Iris Chang, a Chinese-American journalist and author, who wrote the bestselling book, The Rape of Nanking, which covered atrocities committed in China by the Japanese army, a forgotten holocaust of the Second World War. PlaceWorks worked closely with the community as well as with Ms. Chang’s parents in shaping the vision for the park, which includes a series of monumental stone sculptures created by the artist Richard Deutsch. The site is located adjacent to Coyote Creek Trail and the new path system includes an accessible trail connection from the park and its neighborhoods up to the trail, which runs along the top of a levee. The grading required to bring users from ground level to the trail provided inspiration for exuberant curves in path layout and in earthform, allowing the landscape to have a sculptural form of its own. The park design includes a dynamic planting plan made up of grasses of various textures and sizes arranged in concentric and undulating waves. These textures and forms, combined with the stone sculptures, create a contemplative environment for visitors to consider Iris Chang’s legacy.
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Landscape Architecture
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PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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FROG PAD PARK CITY OF HERCULES Frog Pad Park is a one-acre park in a City of Hercules New Urbanist neighborhood along the San Pablo Bay waterfront. PlaceWorks prepared a schematic design, construction documents, detailed construction specifications and cost estimates for this park, and also provided construction administration assistance. The park includes a shaded picnic area, a large turf area and two children’s playgrounds. PlacWeWorks’ design maintains visual access to the park from the adjacent residential areas and incorporates creek and wetland themes, while protecting the adjacent riparian habitat areas. As part of the design process, PlaceWorks’ landscape architects developed creative solutions to issues such as links to the surrounding neighborhood, interface with the creek, accessibility, gateway design treatments, and on-site drainage.
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Landscape Architecture
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PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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66TH AVENUE GATEWAY PROJECT CITY OF OAKLAND PlaceWorks collaborated with artists Valerie Otani and Fernanda D’Agostino, through the Oakland Cultural Affairs Commission, to develop a unique concept for this gateway site, located at the western terminus of 66th Avenue along the Oakland Estuary. The gateway design provides a respite from the Interstate 880 highway corridor immediately to the east, focusing visitors instead on the site’s unique waterfront setting, taking inspiration from migratory bird patterns, tidal fluctuations and views of Arrowhead Marsh. PlaceWorks’ design incorporates fluid, rolling shapes, a boardwalk connecting to the existing Bay Trail segment and a public plaza. Giant stone carvings provide playful and tactile interpretations of the wildlife above and below the waterline. A custom stainless steel ‘Pacific Flyway Shelter’ provides shade for outdoor classroom functions while also expressing the wind, water and shoreline patterns. Construction of the gateway project was completed in the Spring of 2008.
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Landscape Architecture
PlaceWorks
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Landscape Architecture
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DEVIL’S SLIDE COASTAL TRAIL ACTIVATING A SCENIC COASTLINE PlaceWorks provided landscape architecture and environmental consulting services to San Mateo County for the new Devil’s Slide Coastal Trail. Located on the roadway of former State Highway 1, this trail was abandoned after the new Tom Lantos tunnels were completed through the adjacent mountain. Each year, this multi-use trail will provide access to thousands of visitors, who will be able to walk, bike, or ride horses along the former highway and enjoy dramatic ocean views. PlaceWorks worked with the BKF Engineers to develop custom aesthetic solutions for barrier fencing, seating areas, and overlooks. We developed several visual simulations for the community meetings to illustrate the transformation of the roadway. The project required careful planning, scheduling, and monitoring to avoid disrupting a nesting pair of peregrine falcons on adjacent cliffs, and these efforts required coordination with various wildlife agencies, the County, and the contractor. The trail opened to the public on March 22, 2014.
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Landscape Architecture
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PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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JEAN SWEENEY OPEN SPACE PARK CREATING NATURE IN THE CITY PlaceWorks prepared design development and construction documents for this unique 27-acre community park in the heart of Alameda. PlaceWorks’ design process built off a masterplan developed by the City with input from residents. PlaceWorks conducted community outreach with residents and stakeholders to ensure that the final project fulfilled their vision for the site. The PlaceWorks team developed a phasing plan separating construction and bidding of the park into four phases. The first phase of construction included the Cross-Alameda Trail, a shaded class I bike trail which runs along the northern edge of Jean Sweeney Open Space Park. The second phase of construction included the eastern end of the Park with a large nature playground, great lawn, picnic pavilion, parking lot and stormwater treatment planting. The park incorporates elements from the site’s previous use by the Beltline Railway, including a historic train shelter, and interpretive signage about Jean Sweeney’s legacy as an open space advocate. The nature play area incorporated natural elements, such as boulders and logs repurposed from City tree maintenance, with playground equipment to create a unique and memorable playground experience for both young children and older youth. The third and fourth phases of the park will expand the park by adding, a large community garden, demonstration orchards, a bicycle skills course, habitat planting areas, and hiking trails with ongoing opportunities for outdoor education and nature-watching.
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Landscape Architecture
PlaceWorks
PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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WAVECREST COASTAL TRAIL PROJECT TRAIL PLANNING AND DESIGN Wavecrest is a unique 206-acre coastal property located in Half Moon Bay. Although most of the property was originally slated for development, much of the property has now been preserved as open space through efforts of the Peninsula Open Space Trust, the Coastside Land Trust, and the Coastal Conservancy. PlaceWorks previously assisted the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) in developing conceptual land use plans for the property, and worked with potential land owners, including the Coastside Land Trust, to get input on these land uses. Subsequent to this process, the Coastside Land Trust received a grant from the Coastal Conservancy to purchase the coastal portion of the property. PlaceWorks assisted the Coastside Land Trust in planning and designing a segment of the California Coastal Trail through the acquired property. As part of the process, PlaceWorks prepared an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration, provided permitting assistance, and prepared construction documents. The trail, which opened on November 1st, 2014, connects the Coastal Trail segment in Half Moon Bay’s Bluff Top Coastal Park with an informal use trail leading to Redondo Beach. Phase 2 of the project is ongoing.
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Landscape Architecture
PlaceWorks
PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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CRYER SITE PARK DESIGN CITY OF OAKLAND PlaceWorks completed design development drawings and construction documents for the City of Oakland’s Cryer Site Park as part of the Oakland Waterfront Promenade Master Plan. The site, a 0.8-acre parcel that occupies portions of the two old industrial facilities, the former Cryer Boatyard and the former Stream Valve Company, is located at the corner of Embarcadero Avenue and Dennison Street along the Oakland Estuary. This high profile project enhances the Bay Trail connection through the site and creates waterfront access in a new public park on a site that was once home to an industrial boat builder. Over the last decade, numerous environmental consultants have evaluated the site’s contamination levels through site investigations and risk evaluations. As a result, proposed remediation and site management plans aim to minimize public exposure of park users to chemicals of potential concern detected in the soil. PlaceWorks has coordinated the design development with the site remediation plans in conjunction with oversight from various agencies, including the California Coastal Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bay Conservation Development Commission, and the Regional Water Quality Control Board. The new park design creates concrete plaza areas that will simultaneously cap the soil below, create passive recreation space, and treat stormwater run-off through the use of swales and native plantings. Steel and concrete retaining walls, as well as interpretive signage, will express the industrial history of the site. An ornamental fence prevents direct access by the public to the beach and dilapidated pier. The existing site of the Cryer & Sons boat building facility, located at the north end of the site, may be rehabilitated in a future phase of the project. The project opened in the fall of 2010 and received a merit award in 2011 from the American Society of Landscape Architects Northern California Chapter.
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Landscape Architecture
PlaceWorks
PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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POTRERO HILL RECREATION CENTER/ PLAYGROUND AND VISITACION VALLEY GREENWAY COMMUNITY GARDEN TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND PlaceWorks worked with TPL on two urban parks projects in San Francisco: a playground in the Potrero Hill neighborhood and a community garden in Visitacion Valley. Potrero Hill Recreation Center/Playground for the Trust for Public Land. PlaceWorks prepared design and construction documents for the renovation of a community center playground. PlaceWorks also led community planning processes that engaged the neighborhood, built a sense of belonging and stewardship among the community, and created a place that reflects and is embraced by the neighborhood as a whole. Visitacion Valley Greenway Community Garden for the Trust for Public Land. PlaceWorks redesigned an existing community garden to become part of a public greenway. Continuing its earlier work on the greenway, PlaceWorks helped gardeners to plan for clearly-defined public access and gathering areas while improving individual garden plots. Hummingbird and butterfly plantings along the greenway complement the water efficient, edible plants in the garden. Retaining and seatwalls are constructed of recycled concrete paving and stone. For both projects, PlaceWorks coordinated with the City of San Francisco’s Park and Recreation Department to incorporate the City’s new standards for community garden elements and with the Mayor’s Office on Disability to provide increased accessibility to and through the site.
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Landscape Architecture
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Landscape Architecture
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DUCK POND PARK CITY OF HERCULES Duck Pond Park is a 5-acre park in the City of Hercules’s New Urbanist neighborhoods along the San Pablo Bay waterfront. PlaceWorks prepared a schematic design, construction documents, detailed construction specifications, and cost estimates for a passive recreation area with trail connections, bocce courts, horseshoe pits, picnic areas, plazas, and a memorial tree grove. PlaceWorks’ design continues the framework established at Frog Pad Park, located diagonally across the street. Part of a larger Master Plan area, Duck Pond Park adds new passive recreation opportunities to the community, maintains visual access to the open space park from adjacent residential areas, and protects adjacent riparian habitat areas. Links to the surrounding neighborhood, interface with the adjacent pond, accessibility, and onsite drainage are all key issues that were addressed in the project. The park opened in October 2011.
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Landscape Architecture
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BERKELEY BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE PLAZAS AND DONA SPRING ANIMAL SHELTER CITY OF BERKELEY PlaceWorks prepared conceptual designs and construction documents for two interrelated projects at the east side of the pedestrian bridge spanning Interstate 80 in Aquatic Park. The bridge’s east side plaza was designed to provide safe pedestrian access along the Aquatic Park lake, separated from bicycle traffic. A wetlands overlook interprets the urban and natural context with a cast metal inlaid map of Berkeley’s bikeways and custom guardrail art panels. Native wetland and upland plantings provide habitat along the lagoon edge. PlaceWorks also completed the landscape design and construction documents for the new Dona Springs Animal Shelter adjacent to the plaza. Working with Burks Toma Architects, the project was LEED-Gold certified and also rated as a Bay-Friendly Landscape, including numerous sustainable practices above and beyond those required for LEED certification. The landscaped areas include on-site stormwater management using rain gardens, permeable parking lot paving, and a green roof on the building. Sustainable and recycled materials are used throughout and plantings are water-conserving and low maintenance.
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Trees & Views Circulation
Dona Spring Animal Shelter
PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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PROJECT BOUNDARY SHOPPING PLAZA REAR DRIVEWAY ACCESS
16’ MULTI-USE TRAIL
ENHANCED DRAINAGE & PLANTING
CITY OF EL CERRITO
ADJACENT RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY
The City of El Cerrito received an Urban Greening Proposition 84 grant to improve a 2.75-acre project area along a 0.3-mile stretch of the Ohlone Greenway between Brighton Avenue at the south of the project limits, and the busy commercial hub and BART station at Fairmont Avenue at the northern end of the project. PlaceWorks developed concept drawings and construction documents to restore two outfall culverts of both forks of Cerrito Creek and highlight stormwater management in the Ohlone Greenway Natural Area by intercepting stormwater from Fairmont Avenue. The project provides beautiful rain gardens, an informal explorative natural play area, interpretive design elements and improved riparian habitat and water quality. These improvements will ultimately enhance the environmental quality of the greenway while enriching the sense of place and quality of life for the community and trail users.
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OHLONE GREENWAY NATURAL AREA
WILDFLOWER GROUNDCOVER PLANTING WITH SMALL TREES
Landscape Architecture
PlaceWorks
PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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CARTER GILMORE SPORTS COMPLEX CITY OF OAKLAND PlaceWorks prepared the design and construction documents for the renovation of four baseball fields and a new community park in East Oakland. The ball field renovation included a new state-of-the-art irrigation system, a sub-surface trench drain system and new bleachers, batting cage, fencing and drinking fountains. PlaceWorks also worked with nationally recognized artist Mildred Howard to develop a community park concept that incorporates unique interpretive design features that draw upon the African-American heritage of the area. Design details reflect the rich patterns, colors and symbolism of various African cultures. Kuba cloth-inspired paving and planting patterns also translate to vertical living “tapestries� along a perimeter sound wall. Adinkra symbols provide thematic imagery and universal messages on walls, fences and paving. A series of interpretive plaques further explain the history, culture and folklore of Africa and East Oakland. A teaching workbook outlining suggested curricula for grades K through 12 provide additional opportunities for students to learn about the local community, the environment and their heritage.
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Landscape Architecture
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Landscape Architecture
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WATER EFFICIENT DEMONSTRATION GARDEN SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT PlaceWorks prepared an award-winning Master Plan for a Water Efficient Demonstration Garden for the Santa Clara Valley Water District and is now preparing construction documents for Phase I of the Master Plan. The garden will provide an educational resource to the public, a test facility to explore and evaluate various plant materials and irrigation methods, and a learning center that demonstrates landscape alternatives that are environmentally sound and cost effective, focusing on both gardening for water conservation and the use of recycled water in the landscape. PlaceWorks’ approach to the project is based on sustainable landscape design and construction, use of native plants and water conservation, an emphasis on education and interpretation, creative stormwater management and project constructability.
The Water Efficient Demonstration Garden won a merit award from the Northern California Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
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Landscape Architecture
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Landscape Architecture
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DECOTO GREEN STREETS UNION CITY, CALIFORNIA PlaceWorks developed plans for construction of a green streets infrastructure project for a small neighborhood in Union City. The Decoto Green Streets project, funded through a Proposition 84 grant from the State Water Board, is a sustainable, low-impact development (LID) project to help manage urban stormwater in a lowlying, underserved, and disadvantaged neighborhood in the Decoto district. Through the project, more than eight contiguous residentialneighborhood blocks will be transformed into green streets that utilize best management practices to promote stormwater infiltration. The green infrastructure will mimic natural systems and feature rain gardens in street bulb-outs and sidewalks, as well as permeable paving in the parking lanes to capture, retain, and then filter and/or infiltrate stormwater runoff collected by the streets. The project will create treelined, pedestrian-friendly green streets in an area that currently lacks a local park, and thus will contribute to overall quality of life while reducing water and air pollution, increasing groundwater recharge, and reducing water and energy consumption. PlaceWorks assisted Bellecci Associates with community outreach, conducted workshops in this primarily Latino neighborhood and developed concepts to promote the educational benefits of green streets as well as to foster future stewardship of the implemented project. In addition, PlaceWorks provided landscape architectural services to select the appropriate materials and plant palette for the Decoto Green Streets neighborhood.
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Landscape Architecture
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Landscape Architecture
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MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. TIDEWATER USE AREA EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT PlaceWorks is working with the District to plan, design, and construct a new eight-acre park on the site of a former industrial trucking facility. Located within the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, a 741-acre tidal and seasonal wetlands open space area, the renovated site will establish an expanded passive recreation amenity and staging area on the shore of the Oakland Estuary in San Leandro Bay. Building off the District’s conceptual master plan, the design and construction documents will include picnic facilities, natural areas, parking, restrooms, a potential children’s play area, shoreline access for fishing, and a new maintenance facility for the District. The critical new infrastructure areas in the public Northwestern quadrant will be raised bt regrading in response to projected sea level rise. Additionally, the future park will strengthen spatial and contextual connections to the broader Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline, the estuary, and the San Francisco Bay Trail.
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Landscape Architecture
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BOLINAS LAGOON PRESERVE CONCEPTUAL SITE PLAN AUDUBON CANYON RANCH PlaceWorks, in collaboration with Arkin Tilt Architects, completed a conceptual site plan for buildings, circulation and resource enhancement at the Bolinas Lagoon Preserve. The preserve includes over a thousand acres of natural habitat and is home to large colonies of nesting great blue herons and great and snowy egrets. The PlaceWorks plan includes new buildings, improvement of site circulation and access to trails, accessible trail segments, and facilities to accommodate existing and anticipated needs for educational and recreational programs.
Conceptual Design for Picher Canyon
PlaceWorks
Landscape Architecture
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TRAILS ASSESSMENT, MAPPING AND PLANNING LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION PlaceWorks assessed 200 miles of trails, and conducted GIS mapping for over 500 miles of trails in Los Angeles County. PlaceWorks completed a comprehensive inventory of the County’s trails, developed a geodatabase, provided findings and recommendations for maintenance, and produced trail maps and signage recommendations. This information is helping the County make decisions regarding trail improvements and maintenance, and also serves as the basis for a state-of-the-art interactive website and mobile application aimed at educating the public about County trail resources and promoting their use.
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DIRECTIONS: The most common starting point is just south of the reservoir: Trail ID Number: 4 exit Highway 57 at Via Verde and head east to enter Frank G. Bonelli Regional Length: 9.42 miles Park. The parking lot is on the left and nearby access to the trail is across Via Avg. Width: 10 feet Verde. Users can also use the trail head for the Antonovich trail: exit Highway 57 at Via Verde, head west, then turn right on San Dimas Avenue. The trail starts at an Elevation Gain: 390 feet unpaved pull-out on the west side of the street just past Paseo Aldeano.
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BONELLI TRAIL DESCRIPTION: Bonelli Trail is a 9.42 mile trail surrounding Puddingstone Reservoir in Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park. With a great variety of terrain and settings, users can hike the trail in the surrounding foothills to get exceptional views, take a relatively easy walk at lake level, or do the entire trail as a loop.
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Landscape Architecture
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TRANCAS CROSSING PARK AND NAPA RIVER TRAIL CITY OF NAPA PlaceWorks worked with the City of Napa to develop a new park and trail at the historic Trancas Crossing site. With a strong community design process, PlaceWorks developed a recreational amenity while also protecting sensitive biological resources. Trancas Crossing Park will be an environmental refuge along the Napa River, preserving and enhancing existing habitat while providing passive recreational opportunities. PlaceWorks based the design for this floodplain site on a strong understanding of the site’s geomorphology and hydrology so as to maintain the rich natural environment and respect environmental processes.
PlaceWorks
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FAIRMOUNT AVENUE STREETSCAPE CITY OF EL CERRITO PlaceWorks has prepared two Streetscape Master Plans for Fairmount Avenue: one for the commercial segment connecting San Pablo Avenue and the El Cerrito Plaza BART station, and a second for Upper Fairmount Avenue, a primarily residential segment. Together, the Master Plans establish a conceptual framework for improvements in the public realm that will facilitate a more active, safe and accessible street life along the length of Fairmount Avenue. For each project, PlaceWorks conducted community workshops to assess the needs of community members and stakeholders, develop a vision and gather input. PlaceWorks then developed conceptual street lighting plans, street tree plans and street furniture programs reflecting the unique characters of each segment. The Master Plan for Upper Fairmount Avenue also included a school crossing location and a gateway to statement at the street’s west end, where it enters El Cerrito. Through the use of curb bulb-outs and new tree wells, the Streetscape Master Plan for the western segment laid the groundwork for the development of a more pedestrian friendly street, while maintaining adequate parking capacity. PlaceWorks’ work on the Lower Fairmount Avenue Streetscape Master Plan led to a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for implementation and construction. Construction of the project was completed in 2004.
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FOOTHILL BOULEVARD STREETSCAPE DESIGN CITY OF OAKLAND PlaceWorks prepared a streetscape master plan and 35 percent construction documents for a one-mile segment of Fruitvale’s Foothill Boulevard to create a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, neighborhood-serving commercial destination. PlaceWorks’ design process incorporated previous design efforts by the Unity Council and integrates extensive input from the predominantly Latino community. The final streetscape design responds to the specific needs of local residents and reflects the unique multicultural character of the Foothill Boulevard corridor. PlaceWorks is currently preparing updated design development documents for the City of Oakland as the project moves towards implementation along the Foothill Boulevard corridor.
Simulation of improvements in front of César Chávez Park
César Chávez Park and intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Harrington Avenue
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Landscape Architecture
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BAY-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPE DESIGN RESOURCES AND ON-CALL DESIGN SERVICES STOPWASTE.ORG PlaceWorks is working with the County of Alameda’s StopWaste. Org team as an on-call consultant, providing technical review services, giving public presentations, and developing model policy language promoting the Bay-Friendly Landscape Program. BayFriendly Landscaping is a holistic approach to gardening that works in harmony with the natural conditions of the San Francisco Bay Watershed. Bay-Friendly practices foster soil health and conserve water and other valuable resources while reducing waste and preventing pollution. PlaceWorks is assisting the County with “The Bay-Friendly Landscaping for Member Agencies Project,” which provides training, design assistance, and grant funding to cities and sanitary districts in Alameda County.
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KEY STAFF
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Isabelle Minn, ASLA, LEED AP, Principal, is a Landscape Architect with over eighteen years of experience in community-based design and planning. Her work has focused on landscape architecture and urban design, with an emphasis on the protection of open space and natural resources, as well as on improving and greening our urban areas. She has managed a wide range of projects from large, open space master plans to urban forestry plans and site planning and design. She strives to create a balance between protecting resources and increasing public access. Ms. Minn has developed multidisciplinary studies addressing physical, biological, cultural, and policy issues that affect watersheds. She has also managed many trail planning and design projects, from large-scale trail master plans to construction documents, and she is an expert on the development of urban greening projects. Recently, Ms. Minn’s work has emphasized meeting park and open space needs in park poor communities. She served as the Principal-in-Charge of the Comprehensive Countywide Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment for the County of Los Angeles, the Concord Hills Regional Park Land Use Plan and EIR for East Bay Regional Park District, and the Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park General Plan for California State Parks. Sarah Gronquist, ASLA, BFQP, Associate Principal, has over 20 years of experience as a landscape architect, with a broad range of built work from Mendocino County to Silicon Valley. She has proven expertise in construction and permit documentation, and she is highly skilled in analysis and communication between disciplines, owners, and agencies. Through her extensive work in housing development and renovation, she has become adept at navigating requirements for ADA, pool health and safety, public egress, fire access, as well as negotiating with City and agency staff during contract documentation and construction. She is an experienced manager, successfully completing projects requiring cost-effective, durable design as well as those putting a premium on high design and aesthetics. She has managed commercial and institutional projects for non-profits and market rate developers, worked on residential projects for private owners, developed construction documents for publicly bid projects, and is skilled at understanding the unique needs of each client. Sarah provides design leadership and oversight for site-specific projects from preliminary design through construction. She was an early adopter of the Bay Area’s Bay-friendly watershed-based sustainable landscapes rating system, and continues to seek new ways to incorporate common-sense techniques for making landscapes more resilient and adapted to their environment while reducing water use and maintenance costs. She has also explored core design and construction issues with students and technical specialists. Her ongoing lecture practice serves as a vehicle for exploring emerging materials and technologies.
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Isby Fleischmann, ASLA, LEED AP, Senior Associate, specializes in landscape design, resource planning, and community outreach. Ms. Fleischmann has significant experience in managing master plans for parks and open spaces, including the Saratoga Quarry Park Master Plan and Initial Study Mitigated Negative Declaration for the City of Saratoga, the Mount Tamalpais East Peak Facilities Management Plan for California State Parks, and the Sanborn County Park Conceptual Use Plan for Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department. Complementing her focus on large parks and open spaces, Ms. Fleischmann brings expertise and experience in trail planning, interpretive programming, urban forestry, and urban greening projects. She served as the project manager for the San José Citywide Community Garden Study for the City of San José. She also has a strong background in public outreach, having worked as an outreach coordinator and as an environmental educator throughout California with a range of non-profit and public entities. Cynthia Greenberg, LEED AP, BFQP, Bay-Friendly Rater, Senior Associate and Project Manager, is a licensed landscape architect with 12 years of experience. She has provided design, community outreach and construction document services for numerous projects involving park and recreation facilities. Her experience in Santa Clara Valley including the Water Efficient Demonstration Garden for the Santa Clara Valley Water District and Motorcycle Park Site Plan Project for Santa Clara County. Ms. Greenberg is currently the project manager for Jean Sweeney Open Space Park the first phase of a 27‑acre park project on a historic Beltline for the City of Alameda and Lakeside Green Streets a $10 million construction project renovating Snow Park and the Lake Merritt trail and adjacent streetscapes for the City of Oakland. Ms. Greenberg also works as an On-Call consultant for StopWaste.org and the Bay-Friendly landscaping program where she provides technical assistance and plan check services to public parks throughout the Bay Area helping them attain their sustainable landscaping goals. Rob Mazur, GIS Manager, Northern California. Mr. Mazur has extensive experience creating maps and datasets for a range of planning projects. He specializes in all facets of geodatabase development, data management, web GIS, and spatial and tabular analyses for improved decision-making, information retrieval, and cartography. His experience in a wide variety of planning projects, coupled with his expertise in GIS and field data collection, make him a key asset to any team. Mr. Mazur excels at quantitative and spatial analysis, including buildout calculations, walkability, community health modeling, cartography, and land use scenario modeling. He works directly with clients and staff to develop effective, efficient, and informative GIS processes.
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Jesse Jones, Associate and Project Manager, brings a broad range of experience in landscape design and environmental analysis. Her areas of focus include landscape infrastructure, including low-impact design interventions, school gardens, and urban open space. At PlaceWorks, Ms. Jones provides research and design services, including construction documentation, conceptual design, and graphic production for a variety of project types. She worked on the recently constructed Pierce Street Neighborhood Park and Trail for the City of Albany and Shields-Reid Park for the City of Richmond. Currently, she is working on the Martin Luther King Jr. Tidewater Use Area Project for the East Bay Regional Park District, which includes a nature play area. She is managing the Wavecrest Trail Project for the Coastside Land Trust.
Spence Koehler, Project Designer, assists with site design, development analysis and graphic production, as well community outreach and facilitation. Mr. Koehler’s lifelong fascination with design and the outdoors inspire his work at PlaceWorks. He grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and studied design in San Francisco and Oakland. His areas of focus are parks, trails, and the urban landscape. He employs his design and rendering skills, as well as a strong knowledge of plants, materials and construction to develop conceptual designs, construction drawings and visual simulations for all phases of the design and planning process. Mr. Koehler has designed and managed residential design/ build projects that emphasized natural landscapes and native plant palettes.
Michelle Hook, Project Designer. Ms. Hook is drawn to the field of landscape architecture for its multi-disciplinary and systems thinking approach, which fuses her background in biology and environmental advocacy work with her creative interests and fascination for the built environment. As a Project Designer, Ms. Hook enjoys working in collaborative multidisciplinary teams where design collaboration promotes a synthesis between our urban infrastructure, architecture and environment. She brings forth her rendering and story-telling visual skills along with her strong plant, material and construction knowledge into all project phases.
Erin Voss, Planner. At PlaceWorks, Ms. Voss provides assistance to the Landscape and the GIS teams in the form of research, data analysis, design production, and plan development. She is interested in using spatial analysis technologies to inform open space planning and conservation decisions, with an emphasis on holistic systems. Ms. Voss creates illustrative and graphic materials for plan documents and presentations, and assists with community outreach efforts for a variety of projects.
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Landscape Architecture
“Creating Great Places.” ORANGE COUNTY
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BAY AREA
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CENTRAL COAST
1625 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 300 | Berkeley, California 94709 | 510.848.3815
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www.PlaceWorks.com