The Human Dimension A three-dimensional land planning approach to each project has earned The SWA Group quite a reputation for designing attractive, functional plans that get approved and built. Careful to avoid any prescriptive design philosophy, SWA partners apply their multiple perspectives to "every broad issue and small detail." And, perhaps because of this multi-layered approach, each of the firm's offices in Sausalito, Laguna Beach, Dallas, Houston and South Florida attracts highly talented professionals who would surely achieve individual success, yet choose to be part of the creative interchange and dynamics of a group practice. As Sausalito Managing Principal John Wong, RLA, ASLA, explains, "we prepare much more than just a document; we show every high point, low point, and transition in between." Equal consideration of the horizontal (the lands, roads and streets), the vertical (buildings and landscape), and the human (the people who will use the site) gives shape to a common vision for the image and "feel" of each site. A case in point is an open-air courtyard enclosed by eighty California live oaks which serves as a ceremonial entrance for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs. Hired as a consulting firm by Stubbins Associates Architects, The SWA Group provided site planning, landscape design, construction documents and construction observation for this quiet tribute to California's former Governor and our nation's 40th President. Sited on a flat knoll in Ventura County, the 130,000 square feet mission-style complex houses a library, archives, a theater, an exhibit hall, and a public affairs center for research and study. Completed in 1991, a detailed, complex approval process eventually led to a simple, strong and elegant landscape design-- a breathtaking image of an elegant building sitting quietly atop a barren hillside. Wong strived to imbue the project with an aura of historical significance and to "symbolize the stateliness, dignity, enduring strength... and timeliness of the man we [were] honoring." Inspired by the vast, open rural hilltop property of shrub and grasslands, he chose a palette of California native plants and 30' tall, mature live oaks as a tribute to the President's own Santa Barbara ranch. As the flat site limits the amount of grading and necessary intrusion, the Landscape Architects were able to protect the native grasslands and keep the property as part of the natural landscape. A long, quiet roadway winds through the surrounding hills, a private drive reminiscent of early California ranches. In addition, outdoor terraces offer a contemplative view, a small rose garden features the Former First Lady's favorite varieties, and an internment garden will memorialize the First Couple. All in all, the site grows out of its unspoiled environment to integrate the functional needs of the exhibit with three dimensions-- the distinction and authority of the Presidential office, the legacy of the Reagan Administration, and spirit of the man being honored. From small urban plazas and parks to large, mixed-use developments, SWA approaches all projects as puzzles to understand the market-driven and environmentally sensitive solution for each particular piece of land. Perhaps this philosophy was most tested when the firm was retained to build The Water Garden over an underground parking structure. Challenged to create a garden that features water in many ways, SWA established a "park-like atmosphere" for the 1.3 million square foot office development. Outside glimpses into this urban oasis reveal a three-tiered use of reclaimed water: a small lake stores the "really first-rate water," that is used in turn for the fountains and cascading water features, and again for irrigating the heavily landscaped perimeter of the Santa Monica corporate center. Working at the "micro level," the SWA team integrated "soft" elements like water and plant materials and "hardscape features" like walkways, fountains and site furnishings into a colorful panorama of landscape unequaled in the city. And, as the planting material matures, visitors to this garden on-grade with the street do not even notice the three-story parking structure anymore... SWA credits its successful track record to an unwavering focus on design services. While other large firms are branching out into other disciplines, trying to be all things to all people, SWA concentrates on what it does best-- land planning and landscape architecture. This unwavering focus proved a valuable commodity when designing Fashion Island in Newport Beach, for instance. Having completed the original landscape for Fashion Island in 1968, two decades later, the firm was retained to transform the 1960's-style, open air shopping center into the hub of Newport Beach. Firm planners were charged to balance three seemingly contradictory forces: to satisfy the Irvine Company's original vision for this successful retail complex, to maintain the property's open courtyards and civic quality, and to meet the requirements of contemporary retail design. Inspired by the opportunity to create a totally different world, Landscape Architects created a garden environment that offers a full range of activities and recreation. Drawing upon the archetype of a European village that has been built over time, SWA worked closely with the architects to give each Fashion Island "neighborhood" a distinct character through the consistent use of planting, paving and lighting. A main street runs through the village, linking each distinct "neighborhood." The anchor tenants occupy large "villas" with forecourt plazas fronting on the main street. The Mediterranean style preferred by the client, The Irvine Company, makes this open-air facility a "real pleasant place to be," enthuses Laguna Beach Senior Principal Richard Law, RLA, ASLA. Law considers The Village of Woodbridge to have "more of a sense of community than any other Irvine Company development; its full range of community services... make it a total environment for living." When he takes clients on tours of the development, he finds that meeting residents who want to describe their great community as "a very rewarding experience... [is] quite gratifying and unique." To the residents and the client, SWA presented what the firm proudly calls "value-added Landscape Architecture"-- a recreation-oriented community and an environmental corridor-- all within a self-contained, small town. Woodbridge is also an excellent example of SWA's vast experience in building highly desirable environments and "3-D land planning approach." Individual projects are useful and pleasant, while large, master-planned communities reveal an understanding of how people will live and use the community. Law elaborates, "We bring more than diagrams to our planning sessions... this kind of understanding goes into everything we do." For SWA, the nineties are proving a very exciting time to be in practice. As environmental designs increasingly raise the level of consciousness of developers, the firm brings a great deal of knowledge to help countries all around the world grow into the 21st century, proving landscape to be an increasingly more important part of that growth. Looking forward to the future with confidence, John Wong sums it all up: "The profession is growing. Landscape Architects are now key players, not just consultants any more. Soon we will dictate and input every step of the way, and will come in at the beginning-- not the middle or the end-- of the project."