We are working on an intimate back courtyard for this project in Novato. The new design expands the existing patio area, creating an outdoor room with integrated lighting, border plantings and fountain accent.
Monthly Archives: February 2010
From the Drawing Board: San Rafael Commercial Project
Here is a plan view of a commercial project we are working on in San Rafael. The existing walkways and patio spaces around the building needed to be expanded to better suit the use patterns of the space, and to update and improve the aesthetics of the property. In this working drawing we are exploring options for path and patio layouts, with suggestions for possible budget saving measures.
Client Design Feedback – Corte Madera Project
We are working on a design and installation project in Corte Madera, which had been through design iterations with a couple of other companies that didn’t fit the client’s needs for the project. The client’s decided to move forward with our design because of our client focused approach. Always nice to receive a note like this:
We spent some time last night looking at the design and both said ‘wow…yes, now we’re getting somewhere!’ I will spend some more time processing today to prepare for tomorrow, but clearly we are close and you have us on the right track. Thanks for taking the time to ask us what we want and then giving some time to process your work before our meeting on Friday. Impressive, this really helps.Thank you, thank you!
Turned Earth Turns 400!
We are happy to announce Turned Earth’s 400th post! For the last 5 years we have been blogging about landscape issues and our ongoing work. We look forward to continued exploration, reflection, and provocation!
Bay Friendly- Apologizing to the Bay!
After attending a recent Marin County Bay Friendly Landscaper training session, I was so thoroughly impressed with the curriculum of the Bay Friendly Program and the quality of the speakers for the training session. The Bay Friendly Landscape guidelines form a compelling framework for sustainable landscape construction and maintenance. The one area where the training could be enhanced is with a greater emphasis on the history of the Bay and why Bay Friendly efforts are so important. For anyone who hasn’t seen the 4 part documentary “Saving the Bay,” which aired on KQED, it is an indispensible primer for the ecological, cultural, and social history of the San Francisco Bay. With this in mind, here is one landscaper’s Open Letter to the San Francisco Bay–
Dear Bay,
First off, we would just like to say we are sorry. Sorry for what we did to your forests and your streams. Sorry to the Grizzly, the Prong Horned Antelope, and the rest of your creatures that roamed long ago. Sorry to Salmon, that we canned by the bargeful. Sorry to the soil, that continues to slip away- only to wait another 10,000 years to form. Sorry to the great San Francisco Bay, estuary of estuaries, harbor of harbors.
We are sorry for the Baylands we filled, the marshes we drained, the streams and rivers we dammed and damned. Sorry for the pollution, the dumps, the garbage, the sewage. Sorry for our brake pads, that with every morning drive hit the road, and from the road flow to the Bay.
We say that we have changed. We say that we will be your friend, or at least that we will be Friendly. You have the benefit of time and experience. You wait with a watchful eye, marking the tides of moon and man.
Before we start on our new way, before we change our ways, let us acknowledge what we and our forefathers have done. See and acknowledge our mistakes, understand what we did wrong. Say we are sorry. Then we can embark on a better way.
After attending a recent Marin County Bay Friendly Landscaper training session, I was so thoroughly impressed with the curriculum of the Bay Friendly Program and the quality of the speakers. The Bay Friendly Landscape guidelines form a compelling framework for sustainable landscape construction and maintenance. The one area where the training could be enhanced is with a greater emphasis on the history of the Bay and why Bay Friendly efforts are so important. For anyone who hasn’t seen the 4 part documentary “Saving the Bay,” which aired on KQED, it is an indispensible primer for the ecological, cultural, and social history of the San Francisco Bay. With this in mind, here is one landscaper’s Open Letter to the San Francisco Bay–
Dear Bay,
First off, we would just like to say we are sorry. Sorry for what we did to your forests and your streams. Sorry to the Grizzly, the Prong Horned Antelope, and the rest of your creatures that roamed long ago. Sorry to Salmon, that we canned by the bargeful. Sorry to the soil, that continues to slip away- only to wait another 10,000 years to form. Sorry to the great San Francisco Bay, estuary of estuaries, harbor of harbors.
Sorry to the Baylands we filled, the marshes we drained, the streams and rivers we dammed and damned. Sorry for the pollution, the dumps, the garbage, the sewage. Sorry for our brake pads, that with every morning drive hit the road, and from the road flow to the Bay.
We say that we have changed. We say that we will be your friend, or at least that we will be Friendly. You have the benefit of time and experience. You wait with a watchful eye, marking the tides of moon and man.
Before we start on our new way, before we change our ways, let us acknowledge what we and our forefathers have done. See and acknowledge our mistakes, understand what we did wrong. Say we are sorry. Then we can embark on a better way.