The elegant and the everyday coexist harmoniously in Dubai’s new Opera District, is a stylish cultural destination set to promote culture and the arts, stimulate global exchange, encourage local talent, and serve as a vibrant events venue. Dramatic view corridors lead to both to the opera house and to the adjacent spectacle of the world’s tallest building—the Burj Khalifa. Anchored by the namesake opera house at the heart of the development, three distinct mixed-use areas layer landscape architecture to differentiate each urban space with a distinct character that evokes music and water. This theme extends throughout the many residential, retail, boulevard, promenade, event, and park spaces that comprise the region, creating a distinct sense of place while mingling elegant and quotidian experiences, from enjoying a world-class symphony to mingling with friends in a garden.
Santana Row
SWA provided full landscape architectural services for the development of a neo-traditional town center near downtown San Jose. The client’s vision called for a variety of design styles to create a town center with an impression of growth over time. This theme is expressed in building elevations as well as landscape design. The restaurants and boutique r...
Bunker Hill Steps
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 ...
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...
Downtown Jebel Ali Landscape Master Plan, UAE
Downtown Jebel Ali is a new development located 35 kilometers southwest of Dubai, along an 11 km stretch of Sheikh Zayed Road. Representing the first phase of a major mixed-use development on the outskirts of Dubai, the project includes two high-rise office buildings and two high-rise apartment buildings with access to Sheik Zayed Road. Mixed-use buildings and...