Paseo de Colachis
San Diego
The new Paseo de Colachis expands the central pedestrian promenade at the University of San Diego by closing down an existing two way vehicular street with a median and continues the outdoor plaza and pedestrian mall to serve as an inviting gathering and activity place for students and staff. Vehicular drop-offs are integrated into the design of the plaza at both the west and east ends of the site to accommodate the University's tram service which allows students, staff and visitors access to the rest of campus. The site is arranged in three distinct landscape spaces: the lawn, the garden, and the plaza, and includes formal gathering plazas with casual furnishings, outdoor classroom spaces, lawn for free play and community events, an overlook area, and a native demonstration garden. Accessible paths to buildings were accommodated with integrated terraces, formal ramps and stairs to account for the significant grade changes across the entire plaza. The design team worked closely with university design and construction staff to integrate the plaza with the future development based on the campus master plan and also to accommodate current programs and activities. The design was executed so that future expansions of the business school and the library, both sitting on the edge of the plaza, and a future roundabout at the western end, can be seamlessly integrated and connected to the plaza. With a cohesive Spanish Renaissance design theme throughout the campus, the team blended the aesthetics of the plaza while incorporating emergency service access throughout the plaza and general service access for campus deliveries, food truck events, trash pickup, and maintenance.

Paseo de Colachis
San Diego
The new Paseo de Colachis expands the central pedestrian promenade at the University of San Diego by closing down an existing two way vehicular street with a median and continues the outdoor plaza and pedestrian mall to serve as an inviting gathering and activity place for students and staff. Vehicular drop-offs are integrated into the design of the plaza at both the west and east ends of the site to accommodate the University's tram service which allows students, staff and visitors access to the rest of campus. The site is arranged in three distinct landscape spaces: the lawn, the garden, and the plaza, and includes formal gathering plazas with casual furnishings, outdoor classroom spaces, lawn for free play and community events, an overlook area, and a native demonstration garden. Accessible paths to buildings were accommodated with integrated terraces, formal ramps and stairs to account for the significant grade changes across the entire plaza. The design team worked closely with university design and construction staff to integrate the plaza with the future development based on the campus master plan and also to accommodate current programs and activities. The design was executed so that future expansions of the business school and the library, both sitting on the edge of the plaza, and a future roundabout at the western end, can be seamlessly integrated and connected to the plaza. With a cohesive Spanish Renaissance design theme throughout the campus, the team blended the aesthetics of the plaza while incorporating emergency service access throughout the plaza and general service access for campus deliveries, food truck events, trash pickup, and maintenance.

Westgate Hotel Green Wall Mural and Rooftop Garden
San Diego
The 3rd floor Westgate Rooftop Garden and Pool is surrounded by views of downtown San Diego. The pool design and aesthetic emphasizes sophistication, refinement, and quality, supporting the hotel's desire to create a serene environment for well-being and relaxation. The exclusive outdoor space features a heated lap pool, Jacuzzi, and a 1/10th mile running track. The pool culminates in a major vertical garden, picking up on San Diego themes of blue skies, waves, and sun in a rich tapestry of plants, executed flawlessly. The Westgate vertical garden is a painterly, varied, rich, textured mural where function meets form. Perhaps most importantly, people who experience this landscape perceive the green world in a way they have almost never seen before, raising the profile of landscape architecture in a major way to an influential, thoughtful demographic. Along with the 22'x11' central vertical garden green mural, KTUA was responsible for other on-structure planting and irrigation work, integrated with glass architectural features about the pool deck. The installation and size of such a large, environmentally challenged landscape art piece in southern California is nearly unprecedented. The process required adherence to strict engineering requirements, careful coordination among consultants and the specialized vendor, pre-planting of species, and rigorous inspection of the installation throughout the process. KTUA worked closely with the hotel owner and entire design team, including the mechanical, electrical and structural engineers and architect, to ensure the success of this 3rd floor on-structure environment created on an existing roof.

Westgate Hotel Green Wall Mural and Rooftop Garden
San Diego
The 3rd floor Westgate Rooftop Garden and Pool is surrounded by views of downtown San Diego. The pool design and aesthetic emphasizes sophistication, refinement, and quality, supporting the hotel's desire to create a serene environment for well-being and relaxation. The exclusive outdoor space features a heated lap pool, Jacuzzi, and a 1/10th mile running track. The pool culminates in a major vertical garden, picking up on San Diego themes of blue skies, waves, and sun in a rich tapestry of plants, executed flawlessly. The Westgate vertical garden is a painterly, varied, rich, textured mural where function meets form. Perhaps most importantly, people who experience this landscape perceive the green world in a way they have almost never seen before, raising the profile of landscape architecture in a major way to an influential, thoughtful demographic. Along with the 22'x11' central vertical garden green mural, KTUA was responsible for other on-structure planting and irrigation work, integrated with glass architectural features about the pool deck. The installation and size of such a large, environmentally challenged landscape art piece in southern California is nearly unprecedented. The process required adherence to strict engineering requirements, careful coordination among consultants and the specialized vendor, pre-planting of species, and rigorous inspection of the installation throughout the process. KTUA worked closely with the hotel owner and entire design team, including the mechanical, electrical and structural engineers and architect, to ensure the success of this 3rd floor on-structure environment created on an existing roof.

Coastal Meander Trail
San Diego
KTUA collaborated with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Diego staff in the planning, design, and construction of the Biological Grade segment of the University's Coastal Meander Trail. The public access trail, a segment of the California Coastal Trail, was partially funded by the California Coastal Conservancy. Developing a design solution that had a 'light' hand on the existing environment was a fundamental design goal for the project. KTUA developed site assessments and preliminary design concepts that navigated the steep terrain, minimized impacts to sensitive habitats, and provided separated pedestrian access where they were currently sharing the road with vehicles. Due to the site constraints, the project used a combination of elevated stairs and boardwalk sections to change elevation before transitioning to an on-grade decomposed granite trail built to federal outdoor recreational access guidelines. The resulting project is a safe public access corridor that blends into the site, creates coastal habitat, utilizes durable materials, and provides majestic views towards La Jolla Cove and the Pacific Ocean. Minimizing environmental impacts, meeting construction budget constraints, and complying with access guidelines proved the most challenging aspects of the project to balance. Full compliance with ADA accessibility for the on-grade portion and California Building Codes for the stairs and boardwalks caused the original project to have a larger environmental footprint and exceed the University's budget. Redesigning the project to comply with federal outdoor recreational guidelines benefited the project's footprint and budget, without compromising the public access benefits.

Coastal Meander Trail
San Diego
KTUA collaborated with Scripps Institution of Oceanography and UC San Diego staff in the planning, design, and construction of the Biological Grade segment of the University's Coastal Meander Trail. The public access trail, a segment of the California Coastal Trail, was partially funded by the California Coastal Conservancy. Developing a design solution that had a 'light' hand on the existing environment was a fundamental design goal for the project. KTUA developed site assessments and preliminary design concepts that navigated the steep terrain, minimized impacts to sensitive habitats, and provided separated pedestrian access where they were currently sharing the road with vehicles. Due to the site constraints, the project used a combination of elevated stairs and boardwalk sections to change elevation before transitioning to an on-grade decomposed granite trail built to federal outdoor recreational access guidelines. The resulting project is a safe public access corridor that blends into the site, creates coastal habitat, utilizes durable materials, and provides majestic views towards La Jolla Cove and the Pacific Ocean. Minimizing environmental impacts, meeting construction budget constraints, and complying with access guidelines proved the most challenging aspects of the project to balance. Full compliance with ADA accessibility for the on-grade portion and California Building Codes for the stairs and boardwalks caused the original project to have a larger environmental footprint and exceed the University's budget. Redesigning the project to comply with federal outdoor recreational guidelines benefited the project's footprint and budget, without compromising the public access benefits.