Bishop’s Lodge Resort is a 66-acre parcel situated along valleys and ridges in the high New Mexican desert, four miles from downtown Santa Fe, known for its history, natural beauty, outdoor activities, and isolated location. The core of the resort is composed of a number of individual lodge-style buildings, along with the historically significant 150+-year-old Lamy Chapel. SWA’s renovation includes remodeling the resort’s buildings and the addition of 20 new units. The site is complex, consisting of ridges, valleys, floodplains, and thickets of natural vegetation.
Before renovation, this beloved destination had suffered the decline of its usable exterior spaces, failing hardscape, patchwork grading solutions, and numerous drainage issues. The renovation included preserving and maximizing native vegetated areas and linking exterior functional spaces to their surrounding context. New landscape also incorporates drought-resistant native species, reducing the resort’s need for irrigation – which is supplemented by water harvested from the roofs. Permeable pavement will be used for hardscape areas.
Hanwha Yangpyeong Resort
SWA won a master plan competition for this 900-hectare resort focused on the beauty of the forest and mountains, preserving and enhancing creeks, expanding trails, and experiencing nature. Five villages are proposed within five separate valleys, connected by a common trail system, ponds, and gondola. Existing hot springs will anchor a five-star, Korean-themed ...
Desert Ridge
SWA provided site planning and full landscape architectural services for this 1,000-room desert resort hotel on a 54-acre site. The project also includes five restaurants, a day-spa facility and a conference center. The landscape design provides a desert theme contrasted with water in the form of lakes, pools and lush foliage, and the desert theme provides a d...
Las Ventanas al Paraiso
On the Baja peninsula a seemingly lifeless landscape meets the Sea of Cortez in a dramatic vista of eroded mountains, sand and sea, creating one of the most diverse biomes on the planet. The term “sustainable” was not typically in use at the time Las Ventanas al Paraiso was conceived nearly 20 years ago, but the landscape architect nonetheless inherently recog...
Kyoto Hotel
This project transforms an old elementary school site into an iconic destination for visitors and community. SWA reinterpreted the traditions and culture of Kyoto and proposed a poetic landscape design for this former schoolyard, transforming it into a welcoming community garden and courtyard.
The courtyard, as a public space, is designed simply, provid...