Kobe has a unique geographical context in Japan, with breathtaking views both inland to Mt. Rokko and to the broad expanse of Osaka Bay to the south. The landscape design of SunCity Tower Kobe, a landmark senior community in this newly developed city district, celebrates this environment. The tower is tucked into the northwest corner of the site, setting it away from a major public boulevard. This allows the low-rise nursing wing on the east perimeter and the single-story public program to frame a tranquil, on-grade stroll garden court that features a waterscape inspired by regional hydrology patterns. The development’s formal arrival court at the site’s southwest corner is set apart from adjacent “big box” retail by a generous landscape setback, providing a park-like backdrop for Sun City Hall and the Tea Lounge, two important public spaces. The property as a whole draws on Kobe’s striking mountain, city, and sea features while establishing a new standard of design, service, and care for seniors in the Kansai region.
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 ...
Stanford Branner Hall
Branner Hall is a three-story undergraduate dormitory built in 1924 by Bakewell and Brown, prominent architects of the time who were also responsible for San Francisco’s City Hall. The renovation design creates two significant courtyards: an entrance courtyard flanked with four-decades-old magnolia trees shading a seating area and an interior courtyard with a ...
SunCity Takatsuki
Located in a bedroom community midway between Osaka and Kyoto, this facility has both Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing levels of care. The landscape design, complementing the modernist architecture, is organic and fluid with meandering paths traversing various gardens on the south side of the building connecting feature terraces located at each end of the b...
Sonoma Residence
Set amidst a coastal oak grove in Sonoma, this modern residence provides a peaceful retreat for a family and their growing children. Selected for its trees and pond, the site offers a rural escape where the owners can connect with nature. SWA’s design integrates oak grassland, chaparral, and riparian planting over a clean, minimal hardscape. Native meadow gras...