SWA was hired to help reclaim an abandoned quarry into an attractive residential village. The program called for 256du on 12.5 net acres, a density of 2.5 du/acre. The City of Larkspur required that 97 of the total units be family units. They defined family units as residences with two or more bedrooms and located not more than one level above grade. The City was very sensitive to livability issues related to this project. SWA’s approach was to freely reshape/sculpt the degraded site to maximize the site’s potential for the proposed residential use.The project required an interdisciplinary approach involving architects, civil engineers, geotechnical consultants and horticulturists. SWA was the lead designer responsible for the site plan, overall building massing, site grading, and open space improvements. Following the schematic phase, the landscape architects played an important role in coordination with the work of the architect and civil engineer; and continued this effort throughout the construction process. To achieve the design goals, the designers employed the following concepts: • Mass and site buildings to maximize offsite view potentials. • Create a pedestrian precinct within the development – emphasize the pedestrian connections and amenities. • Restrict vehicles to the perimeter of the site. Create a distinct identity within each courtyard cluster. • Given the City’s desire to create 97 family units, integrate these units with non-family units via building clustering and shared courtyards. • On a steeply terraced site, take up grade with building clusters and retaining wall. Generate usable outdoor spaces.
Vi Living (Formerly Classic Residence By Hyatt)
The Classic Residence by Hyatt in Palo Alto provides seniors with independent and assisted living facilities. The roughly 19-acre site is adjacent to the San Francisquito Creek, a shopping mall, and two in-progress SWA projects- Ronald McDonald House and Stanford West Apartments. Hyatt has been working closely with SWA as well as the City of Palo Alto and Stan...
The Sovereign at Regent Square
The Sovereign at Regent Square is a multi-family apartment building located within the first phase of the mixed-use Regent Square development along Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas. The project features an amenity deck with pool, offering framed views to Houston’s skyline and a panoramic view of the city. Outdoor living spaces surround a formal pool shaded by a...
South Waterfront Greenway
A bold new plan for the area along the Willamette River includes a 1-1/2 mile extension of the City’s downtown’s parks and the reclamation of the river’s edge for public recreation. Working closely with the City of Portland, developers, and natural resource advocates, the design team devised a rational plan that places access and activity in targeted nodes wit...
SunCity Yokohama
SunCity Yokohama is a continuum of care retirement community operated by Health Care Japan Co., Ltd., a leader in Japan’s fast growing senior housing communities. With Perkins Eastman Architects PC, SWA completed the master planning phase of the project and is providing schematic design. The plan consists of two single building “villages” connected...