Products, Vendors, CAD Files, Spec Sheets and More...
Sign up for LAWeekly newsletter
The Fab Five of Tralee Village, Dublin, Calif.
Tralee Village is a mixed-use community of shopping, apartments and townhouses on 10 acres in central Dublin, a suburban city of the East San Francisco Bay area of Alameda County.
Dublin has been developing as a bedroom community for over 40 years. The Tralee development, 233 residential units of row townhouses and apartments located above 55,000 sq. ft. of retail and commercial space, has helped define a new downtown element and central shopping core to what was a nondescript commercial corridor adjacent to the city civic center. The retail component sits directly on a structural podium slab that covers a large subterranean garage.
Unique to this development is the placement of five fountains, with design detailing by Robert Mowat Associates to give each on its own identity. The fountains have brought a new energy and civic life to a part of Dublin that languished for years as a former big box retail site. Two smaller fountains set within the village landscape provide comfort and respite. The Tralee?EUR??,,????'???s fountains are placed at key locations to help way finding and create community identity.
Main Entry Fountain The main entry fountain is a large concentric circular design with successive levels of brick steps supporting an 8-foot diameter precast concrete bowl. The brick steps help visually accentuate the water by aerating it as it moves downward to the basin. Colorful purple mosaic glass tiles surround the basin providing a remarkable amount of color that gives the vehicular entry an iconic, bold look.
The main entry fountain is a large concentric circular design with successive levels of brick steps supporting an 8-foot diameter precast concrete bowl. The brick accentuates the water by aerating it as it moves down to the basin. Colorful mosaic glass tiles with purple accents surround the basin. Kniphofia, Strelitzia and Tulbaghia surround the fountain as a colorful living complement to the tile brick and concrete.
Segmented Fountain Along busy Dougherty Road, an oval, blue mosaic glass tiled fountain with segmented boulders announces Tralee Village. The original fountain design envisioned a large boulder sliced into pieces and lit from within. The developer, however, had concerns about installation timing and cost of transporting a large 8-foot long boulder, choose to substitute a concrete replica. The replacement of real stone with handcrafted concrete does not seem to have lessened the effect of the concept, nor the overall aesthetics of the monument.
Sandstone Fountain At the entry to the Recreation Center is a concept fountain of uplit boulders, stacked sandstone and custom glass tiles that engages visitors as they drive through and arrive at the core of the village. The elevated sandstone raises the water level, which enhances additional water movement at a greater visible distance possible than with just a small basin and low jets.
At the entry to the Recreation Center is a fountain of stacked sandstone for a waterfalls effect, boulders and artist crafted painted tiles. The boulders appear to float at night, an effect created by uplighting them below with 110-volt, 250-watt brass submersible lights. The glass tiles for the development?EUR??,,????'???s five fountains were chosen to give individual character to each one, but also, the landscape architect notes, for their chemical resistance and the ability to fit upon odd concrete forms, such as circular and oval basins.
Enclosed Courtyard Fountain A fourth fountain is within a courtyard on a 10-inch thick structural concrete slab with a basin exterior of gray glass mosaic tiles. Its soft curve composes a series of custom designed planters, fountain basins and benching. Quickcrete of Norco, Calif. crafted the bowls and planters from the designs of the landscape architects. ?EUR??,,????'??No matter what unusual or difficult concept we bring to them, they always seem to make our visions become reality in ways more enticing than we initially envisioned,?EUR??,,????'?? said Robert Mowat.
Within an enclosed courtyard sits a custom concrete fountain, bowl and planters fabricated by Quick Crete from the designs of the landscape architects. The fountain is on a 10-inch thick structural concrete slab, with a basin decorated inside and out with gray glass mosaic tiles.
White Bowl Fountain The fifth fountain is a small circular bowl and basin of lime colored glass mosaic tiles that announces the intersection of a row house landscape corridor. This small fountain is like a locational beacon along the landscaped pathways of the architecturally similar townhouses. The fountain has helped provide an identity to the corridor that now differs from several others in the townhouse section.
The five fabulous fountains of Tralee Village add identity and aesthetics to the development. Each one is a unique jewel of individualized, colorful custom tile mosaics.
Project Team Landscape Architect: Robert Mowat Associates, San Francisco and the Napa Valley Principal in Charge: Robert Mowat Project Manager: John Dalrymple Landscape Designers: Taeko Kawasaki & Melissa Lee
Vendors Concrete, Precast (Fountains): Quick Crete Co. 110-Volt Lighting: 250-Watt Brass Submersible Lights, Cal Pump, Valencia, Ca. 12-Volt Uplighting: 20-Watts, Little Giant Lighting Pumps and Filters: NFS Pump Co. Pump Electronics: Intermatic Co. Tile: Galleria Tile & Daltile
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
Sign up to receive Landscape Architect and Specifier News Magazine, LA Weekly and More...
Invalid Verification Code
Please enter the Verification Code below
You are now subcribed to LASN. You can also search and download CAD files and spec sheets from LADetails.