Elderly residents at SunCity Kashiwa are no longer at a loss for dinner conversation: an underutilized terrace outside their extensive ground-level common spaces now features a dramatic pond and mountain-inspired rock formation with multiple cascading waterfalls. Everyone wants a window seat. The striking water feature crowns a new four-season view garden designed to complement a current architectural renovation, undertaken 15 years after the facility’s opening. Strategic grading purposefully elevates the landscape and allows maximum benefits from both deciduous and evergreen tree plantings, with the dense trees screening the south residential wing and the single-family residential neighborhood beyond from view of the main public spaces. The mechanical bunker for the water feature is adjacent to the water elements, greatly reducing running costs and providing a foundation for the rocks and topography. Other new attractions include the addition of an entry canopy, repaving the arrival court, and updated project signage.
Zakin Residence
SWA worked closely with the client and architect in siting the house to maximize views and preserve opportunities in which to develop the landscape. The varied program for the landscape included a small family vineyard, a multi-use field, flower gardens, fountains, terraces, a koi pond, swimming pool and spa, tennis courts, courtyards, a heli-pad and guest par...
Pine Lake Residence
This site is a 1300-acre ranch situated in East Texas, approximately 100 miles from Dallas. The site consists of pine and hardwood forests with an occasional hay field and two lakes. The project completely renovated an existing ranch house and cottage situated on one of the lakes, added a two-story guest house, two-story boat house, a large pool and gardens. T...
Larkspur Courts
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 ...
Birla Arika
Within Birla Arika, the development is designed to encourage exploration and celebrate activity. In Gurugram’s Sector 31, 30 kilometers southwest of New Delhi, where high-rise towers border a forest preserve, the new residential community spans 13 acres, prioritizing flexible greens and pedestrian corridors, bringing accessible greenery into a densely situated...