Kikuchi & Associates

Kikuchi & Associates is a Northern California landscape architecture firm that was founded in 1984. The company operates from a seven-person office in Half Moon Bay, Calif. Most of Kikuchi & Associates' work is within the San Francisco Bay Area. Steven T. Kikuchi is the senior principal and president and Chris Kankel is the junior principal and vice president. Together they bring together 42 years of professional experience. The firm has elected to remain a relatively small office in order to provide direct principal-and-project-manager involvement throughout all phases of a project.

Private Residence, Atherton

The site is nestled in the heart of an oak-studded neighborhood on the San Francisco peninsula. The project began as a simple house remodel and quickly bloomed into a full-site renovation complete with a new garage, guesthouse, and outdoor entertainment area. One problem addressed was the driveway location and entry to the house were not sensitive to existing oak trees and did not present the house well to visitors. With a temperate climate and nearly four seasons available for outdoor enjoyment, the owners wanted the yard to be an extension of the house and function as an outdoor room.

Campbell Technology Park, Campbell

Located on the site of an old drive-in movie theater, Campbell Technology Park is a complex of buildings providing office spaces for hi-tech companies of the Silicon Valley. Parking lots contain extensive trees for shade during the hotter months as well as dense plantings to compliment the buildings. A fitness course is interwoven into the landscape and ties to the adjacent park. Fountains were designed at two of the building entries to add interest as well as provide soothing noise that helps mask the sound of the nearby freeway. Adjacent to the fountains are seating and gathering areas for workers on break, at lunch, or meeting outside.