SWA’s design for Foothill College is an exemplary model of site, building, and landscape harmony. The 100-acre campus bridges two hilltops, with parking and roadways relegated to the surrounding valleys. Buildings and landscape together form a series of courts and terraces connected by a continuous campus greenway. Overhanging wood eaves of the low profile buildings, together with the meandering paths and rolling landscaped meadow, create a classic pastoral campus setting. The College replaced its Student Center building that formerly sat on an earthquake fault, relocating it next to the Loop Road, providing an opportunity for the landscape to redefine the ceremonial entrance to the school. An orchard of Purple Leaf Plums now defines the front slope and pays homage to the land’s original orchard and farm. The main plaza for the campus, located at the edge of the buildings, serves as a stage for concerts and presentations. The master plan additionally provides an open plaza for various events, with an outdoor room centered around a glass-paned fireplace. The landscape helps create a serene space within an evergreen forest, with Camellias and Azaleas providing color. The Campus Center, along with the new South Slope buildings, is the first addition to the Foothill College campus since its original design in the 1960s.
Cañada College Kinesiology & Wellness
In collaboration with ELS, SWA designed a new landmark for Canada College: the Kinesiology & Wellness Center. The project replaced a windowless 1960s-era gym building and outdoor asphalt yard with the glassy new building and infinity pool deck on this hilltop campus with fantastic views. The project also created a new campus arrival and ceremonial overlo...
RIT Global Village and Global Plaza
Global Village, a pedestrian-only infill neighborhood adjacent to Rochester Institute of Technology’s academic core, and its mixed-use centerpiece, Global Plaza, create a social heart for 17,200 students and 3,600 faculty and staff. The landscape architects and architects collaborated on an urban design that establishes multiple “crossroads” ...
University of North Texas Frisco
The University of North Texas (UNT) envisioned a transformative greenfield campus in Frisco to support the region’s rapid growth and diverse economic needs. The site’s challenges, including topographical variation, stormwater management, and integration with natural and urban contexts, required a master plan that fostered innovation and sustainabil...
Coda at Tech Square
The Coda building in Technology Square represents a $375 million investment into Atlanta’s budding innovation district – the Southeast’s premier innovation neighborhood. The area has attracted industry innovation centers including AT&T Mobility, Panasonic Automotive, Southern Company, Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, Coca-Cola Enterprises, NCR,...