ARTIC, the new 16-acre Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center in Southern California, forms a seamless gateway from Anaheim to all of Orange County, spurring economic growth and community redevelopment throughout the region. The landscape design establishes a unique and identifiable image for the ARTIC Mixed-Use District by complementing the site’s iconic architecture with a strong streetscape identity. A large central plaza, designed to evoke the feel of a European square, integrates passenger drop-off areas, a central pedestrian zone, and a forecourt for the terminal building. Artwork is incorporated into the overall plaza design adding aesthetic diversity and visual interest to the site. Rows of olive trees and succulent plantings on either side of the building and plaza further unify architecture and site. The olive trees provide shaded seating areas for riders waiting for their buses while the succulent garden adds vibrant color and texture to the space surrounding the building. Date palms and canopy trees provide a dramatic, shaded outdoor environment for civic events and informal socializing, and visitors are afforded a relaxing riverfront walk along the Santa Ana River. In the future, a continuation of the Date Palms along a pedestrian promenade in the center of the northern parking lot will establish a strong visual and pedestrian connection to the Honda Center, providing dappled shade with a colorful garden beneath as a setting for building and parking access.
Alief Park and Neighborhood Center
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Houston was compelled to reassess community preparedness. The 37-acre Alief Center, situated in one of the city’s most culturally diverse areas, addresses longstanding issues of disinvestment and environmental injustice while fostering physical and social resilience.
Elevated above the 100-year floodplain, the...
Buji River Urban Redevelopment Plan
The Buji River urban review master plan integrates strategies of recreation, reconnection, culture, and ecology to bring the river back to the people of Shenzhen. Based on a restored Buji River ecosystem, the urban review master plan for this flourishing environment aims to reconnect the river with the city.
The program is to be implemented at three sca...
Sonoma State Weill Lawn & Commons
Weill Lawn and Commons provide outdoor performance venues at Green Music Center, a world-class performing arts complex. The landscape architects prepared overall master planning and landscape architectural design. A simple, dramatic grading plan unifies project elements, directs circulation, and buffers concert venues from adjacent roadway traffic. Weill Lawn...
John Wayne Airport
SWA served as landscape architects at the new airport terminal located in urban Orange County. Landscape improvements, totaling 20 acres, consisted of a large open area adjacent to the terminal, and narrow planting areas framing the site. The particular challenge was to create an appropriate image and scale for a civic project of enormous scale, including park...