The Schlumberger Well Services Austin Systems Center is a high-tech computer engineering campus located in a densely wooded 438 acre site in the hills of northwest Austin and will be among the sites visited by members of ASLA on one of the tours from the Annual Meeting in San Antonio in October.

The designers of the center were directed to create an atmosphere that would be conducive to creativity and innovation and to reconcile the large facility to its Hill Country site with the least possible disruption to the sensitive environment.

The 200,000 square foot, six-building complex occupies only 20 acres of the tract, but supports Schlumberger's worldwide field organization with new developments in computerized "wireline logging" for the oil and gas industry.

The facility is a linear aggregation of five office buildings behind an entry pavilion, following the stuttering twists of a narrow limestone canyon. The canyon includes such natural sites as three natural springs, a working archeological site, habitat for the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler and extensive native vegetation.

Parking for three hundred cars, interconnecting walkways, utilities and 13 storm water retention ponds had to be interwoven into the site. The final concept greatly exceeded the strict development controls enacted for the Hill Country site.

The French origins of the company inspired a formal entry courtyard, paved with gravel and accented with Bradford pears. In contrast, the surrounding landscape relies heavily on a palette of native plants. Plantings were designed for restoration of the site and to provide a colorful complement to the pink-gray stone clad buildings.

My role included collaborative development of the site plan in conjunction with architects and engineers, a site habitat and vegetation preservation program, master landscape plan for the 20-acre construction area, design of two courtyards, restoration plan for seven acres of native grassland and wildflowers, site lighting, irrigation design, interior plantings and informal walkway layout. I also served as construction manager for all the landscape development.

The significance of this project stems from Schlumberger going far beyond local, state and federal regulations regarding tree protection, cut and fill, slope protection, and habitat preservation and restoration. The presence today of the Golden-cheeked Warbler, many deer, raccoons, and other fauna speak to the successful efforts to "design with nature." Only 544 square feet of the seven acres of the landscape area is mowed, the remainder of the site is left in its natural state.

Recognition has been received from the City of Austin, the Texas Forest Service, the National Arbor Day Foundation, and the Texas Chapter/ASLA. It has also been featured on television specials and in several design and planning publications. Those attending the ASLA Annual Meeting can get a tour of the facility on Monday, October 10, from 11:30 - 5:00p.m. LASN