2024 Class of Fellows, Joni L. Janecki, FASLA, Northern California Chapter

Joni L. Janecki & Associates, Santa Cruz, CA
by Joni L. Janecki & Associates

Northern California Chapter - Category: Works

x

Northern California Chapter - Category: Works

Joni Janecki's four decades of nationally recognized work demonstrate her commitment to integrating cultural, historical, and ecological strands into meaningful, timeless designs that connect people and nature. Whether in urban mixed-use developments in San Jose, habitat restoration projects in rural Watsonville, or residences in the wildland/urban interface, Janecki continues to support a cascade of connected species, from microbes to mountain lions. Over the course of her career, her intention has been to develop timeless landscapes that are evocative, ecological, and inspiring, spaces that strengthen connections between people and landscapes. Janecki has many long-term relationships with clients and professionals, most notably with the University of California, Santa Cruz, for whom she has completed more than 70 projects over the last 30 years. From award-winning projects like the Engineering 2 Building to seismic and infrastructure improvements, she has created settings of quiet beauty on the 2,000-acre campus of complex geology and distinct ecosystems. At the David & Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters in Los Altos, California, Janecki's landscape design of the 1.5-acre site celebrates the richness and beauty of the nearby plant communities - riparian, grassland/meadow, and woodland - achieving a 95 percent native landscape. At the iconic Sea Ranch development in California, Janecki's design intent for an award-winning family retreat was to blend the built landscape seamlessly into its habitats and plant communities. Completed in two phases, the project occupies adjacent parcels, the first primarily meadow and the second skirting a rich riparian zone filled with head-high coastal native feather grass.