Landscape Architect Articles

Enhancing the Office Outdoor Ambience01-09-24 | Feature

Enhancing the Office Outdoor Ambience

Irvine, California
by Colleen M. Nolan, Landscape Architect - Photos: Ware Malcomb and Orco Block

Located in Irvine, California, is the mixed-use development known as the Irvine Concourse. In the center of this is 2050 Main, a 314,074-square-foot, 13-story office building with a 5,000-square-foot outdoor plaza that the owners wanted to upgrade. The international design firm Ware Malcomb was selected to help via their architectural design services. Colleen M. Nolan, who has her own full-service landscape architectural firm, was brought aboard as the Landscape Architect for the project, which included a wide variety of decorative hardscape along with new landscaping, lighting, and covered structures with heating, fans, seating, and TVs. Other features include a ping pong table and raised planter beds. About 50% of the original hardscape was kept in place, and new paver areas were carved out of the existing areas.

This area was installed with 12" x 24" micro-chamfered paving stones in the colors of gray, charcoal, and tusk in a standard finish. These pavers were installed in a runner pattern. Sue Pursche with Tangram Design Studios specified the site furniture.

Custom raised planters were built out of Cumaru tropical hardwood with powder-coated steel frames. To help make sure that plant growth was optimal and maintenance was efficient, each planter features fiberglass drop-in boxes. The surface here is concrete pavers in the tone of smoked pine.

These pavers are in the same style (gray, charcoal and tusk with a standard finish, micro-chamfered, and installed in a runner pattern) as the larger pavers but these measured 4" x 24". All the palm trees were preserved from the existing landscape. The water feature in the middle of the photo was existing and used by the designers as the edge to the plaza design. Some of the walls of the water feature needed touch-ups, which was provided by the contractors.

In this covered structure are concrete pavers made to look like flagstones. There were four different shapes - each around two square feet with a thickness of about 60 mm. The structure is built from CMU blocks with nothing on their surface but will eventually be sealed once the efflorescence is gone. The existing concrete bands were kept as the edge of the new paver areas, along with the some of the original paving (middle of the photo), so that new concrete didn't have to be poured.

The old site had Lagerstroemia indica / Crepe Myrtle trees in the tree wells that were disappointing as canopy trees. In an attempt to provide larger canopies to help shade the outdoor plaza, 36" box Cinnamomum Camphora trees were substituted for the existing trees.

The goal to produce continuity between the portions of the outdoor plaza that were going to be retained, such as pathways, and the amenity areas that were going to be newly built, was the main stimulus behind the layout and functionality of the design. The aesthetic that the owner desired made the potential of specifying handrails to meet ADA accessibility standards a challenge. To solve the issue, a 5% grade was specified throughout the site.

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Irvine, California, a master-planned city located about 50 miles south of Los Angeles, is a new center of innovation and business growth. The mixed-use development known as the Irvine Concourse has been hailed as one of the most attractive spaces of its kind in the county. Located in the heart of this development is 2050 Main, a 314,074-square-foot, 13-story, Class A office building with the prestige of being at the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Main Street.

Ware Malcomb, an award-winning international design firm, recently provided architectural design services for the makeover of the 5,000-square-foot outdoor plaza within the facility. The renovation features new landscaping, hardscape, lighting, and three 240-square-foot canopy structures. In addition to Ware Malcomb's services, the company hired Colleen Nolan to serve as the Landscape Architect for the project, which includes the Zen Den Pavilion, Diamond Pavilion, Walk Thru Pavilion, and a large deck area.

A full-service landscape architectural firm founded in January 2009, Colleen M. Nolan, Landscape Architect, provided this venture with design, landscape construction documents, reviewing submittals for the planting and irrigation during the construction process, and working with the hardscape supplier to specify the pavers for the plaza.

Defining the Objective
The goal of the project was to create an outdoor amenity area for the adjacent high rise office buildings that are inviting and enjoyable for users of the space.

Within the space, users can enjoy numerous amenities including canopies with heating, fans, seating and TVs, along with a ping pong table and design features that include raised planter beds. The layout and functionality of the project was driven by the desire to create continuity between the existing pathways of the buildings and the new amenity area.

The Hardscape Palette
Products specified by the Landscape Architect included concrete paving stones, segmental retaining wall units, specialty mortars, outdoor fireplace units and natural stone. They were selected in part because their products contribute to Low Impact Development (LID), drought tolerant, and LEED solutions.

The construction included 12" x 24" and 4" x 24" paving stones in the colors of gray, charcoal and tusk. The pavers were micro-chamfered, in a standard finish, and were installed in a runner pattern. The project also included flagstone-looking concrete pavers. There were four different shapes - each around two square feet with a thickness of about 60 mm.

The planters were constructed from Cumaru tropical hardwood with powder-coated steel frames, and designed to seamlessly blend nature and architecture, and to add to a tranquil environment. Meticulously designed to fit the space, each planter features fiberglass drop-in boxes, ensuring optimal plant growth and easy maintenance.

Nolan strongly promotes the end result of the planters by enthusing, "This remarkable fusion of materials and functionality demonstrates a visionary approach to urban green spaces, leaving a lasting impression on all who use this unique outdoor space." The design of the raised planters for the project were at the direction of Tom Giacinto.

Addressing the Access Issue
Handicap accessibility proved to be a challenge in designing the space. Due to the design aesthetic that the client was looking to achieve, the use of handrails was not an option. Instead, to make the space handicap accessible, Ware Malcomb incorporated a 5% grade throughout, avoiding the need for handrails to ensure
handicap capability.

Additionally, Ware Malcomb needed to get rid of an existing planter bed because it was cutting through part of the current site. Demolition of the planter bed allowed for one continuous space throughout the plaza.

Filling in the Spaces
The plant palette utilized low water requiring plant material per the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) guidelines, the purpose of which is to enhance water efficiency and make overall conditions more eco-friendly in the built environment.

As stated by the California Department of Water Resources, "Landscaping should be valued beyond the esthetic because landscapes replace habitat lost to development and provide many other related benefits such as improvements to public health and quality of life, climate change mitigation, energy and materials conservation and increased
property values."

The existing Lagerstroemia indica / Crepe Myrtle trees in the tree wells were underperforming as a plaza canopy tree. The trees were replaced with beautiful 36" box Cinnamomum trees that will provide large canopies for the open plaza. Shrubs like Agave, Callistemon, Lavandula, Salvias and a number of other shrubs provide color, texture, and interest in the planting beds throughout the plaza.
Sue Pursche with Tangram Design Studios provided the specification of the site furniture, including the high-tech ping pong table.

Weighing the Outcome
The renovation has been a major success as hundreds of tenants from the adjacent buildings are utilizing the new plaza every day. The entire development of 2050 Main Street was rewarded with The Outstanding Building of the Year Award (TOBY) from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Orange County, California. The award was created to honor high-quality constructions and excellence in property management in the commercial real estate industry.

TEAM LIST
Landscape Architect: Colleen M. Nolan
Landscape Architect:
Ware Malcomb - Hector Bello, Tim Reed, Eric Namisniak
Owner/Property Management team:
RiverRock Real Estate Group, Michael Coleman
Site furniture specification:
Sue Pursche, Tangram Design Studios