Originally designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin, downtown Los Angeles’ iconic Bunker Hill Steps connect neighborhoods over a series of grade changes. Under new ownership and with increased traffic from residents and office workers, the space was in need of new life – and more shade from the Southern California sun. SWA updated the planting palette and introduced custom bull-nosed planters that fit tightly into the cascading staircase, establishing new canopy among the steps’ series of terraces and landings. The reinvigoration of this important pedestrian route (complemented by an escalator on the west side) provides enhanced accessibility and appeal for the cafes, shops, and dining areas for which the original development is famed.
Century Metropolis
Century Metropolis is a civic development that serves the public interest of the Pudong district, the City of Shanghai, and all of China. More than a commercial complex, the project is an integrated development of public transit, cultural programs, open spaces for people, meeting and social gathering functions, business, hospitality, and shopping uses. Earmark...
Grand Candela Memorial
The “Grand Candela” commemorates the victims and survivors of the August 2019 mass shooting tragedy at Walmart’s Cielo Vista store. Inspired by the motif of an everlasting candle and set in a plaza within the store’s parking lot, the memorial offers a dedicated place of healing and remembrance. Columns of perforated metal, one for each life lost, are joined to...
Nanjing International Youth Cultural Centre
SWA was retained to design the landscape of this mixed-use development collaboratively with Zaha Hadid Architects. It contains performing arts, hotel, residential, office and retail functions. Located adjacent to SWA’s Nanjing Youth Olympic Park, the design strives to merge architecture, the park landscape, and people at this iconic focal point. Landform...
Luohu Station
Luohu Land Port and Train Station is a border control area and the busiest place in Shenzhen, China. As such, the city was faced with the challenge of moving as many as 600,000 people per day and determined to build a subway. Under the auspices of the Shenzhen Municipal Planning Bureau, a team of consultants from eight different countries worked together on th...