SWA provided full landscape architectural services for this mixed-use development, which includes a 120-room luxury hotel, five villa residences, a supporting office complex, fitness center, spa and multi-use space. The Sand Hill Hotel and associated offices are nestled onto a dramatic hillside that slopes toward the Santa Cruz Mountains immediately beyond I-280. that runs from Crystal Springs to Los Gatos, it has become an extension of that very California hilltop landscape. The existing native mix of valley oaks, coast live oaks, madrones, redwoods and olive trees extend onto and around the site perimeters, visually connecting it with the adjacent environment. Canary Island palms mark the grand hotel drop-off, and site-wide plantings include bright swaths of lavender, sage, or flowering indigenous perennials, with usable grass provided in the larger courtyards for multi-purpose activities and events. A large, central swimming pool and terrace and several ornamental fountains are located among the hotel townhouse and office courtyards, providing the refreshing sound of water.
Work attributed to SWA/Balsley principal John Wong and his team with SWA Group.
Flushing Commons
This ten-acre mixed-use development with parks, plazas, and retail will become the center of social and retail activity in downtown Flushing. Driven mostly by an influx of immigrants from East Asia, Flushing is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse neighborhoods in the US. Abuzz with shopping and socializing at all hours of the day and evening, its stree...
Lanchi Aqua Garden Hotel
Thomas Balsley Associates was invited to design one of six hotel villa sites near the ancient city of Xi’an. Collaborating with Joel Sanders Architect, the design draws inspiration from the lifestyle and design principles of traditional Chinese gardens. Like these ancient private retreats, this hotel site is also organized around a series of landscaped courtya...
Brentwood Town Centre
Following SWA’s development of a 2013 master plan for a new town center adjacent to the existing Brentwood Shopping Mall, the firm was enlisted to design the project’s public realm and expand its role as an integrated, sustainable, urban community. With key connectivity to main vehicular arteries and a high-speed train line, the new development functions as a ...
Samsung R&D Campus
Comprised of six buildings on two adjacent parcels in the Umyeon neighborhood of Seoul, South Korea, the Samsung R+D design delivers on a complex program requiring a low maintenance landscape that provides restorative outdoor spaces at a variety of scales, visually unity for the campus and an enhancement of safety and security.
Site design focused on th...