The programming and design of the Liberal Art Courtyards were the result of the successful landscape master plan for 322 acres, completed by SWA in 2012 and enhancing the existing campus aesthetic and experience while improving functional relationships for its students, faculty, and community. Considerations included a wealth of open spaces largely devoted to parking, plus existing buildings and infrastructures and the complex systems that operate within the physical environment, such as ecological systems, social interactions, and circulation patterns. The CSULB Courtyards exemplify the modern educational experience by providing inter-connectivity at all levels. Providing outdoor Wi-Fi capabilities and electric outlets plus electronic key card access to enhance safety, the Liberal Arts Campus is now a technology-driven space. The three courtyards share plant and material palettes, while also being flexible enough to adapt to distinct programs. Populated by movable furniture, custom-designed seating, and bike racks, the courtyards may easily become outdoor classrooms and study areas.
Work attributed to SWA/Balsley principal Gerdo Aquino with SWA.
Montclair State University Student Center and Quad
SWA/Balsley collaborated with DIG Architects and Montclair State University to reimagine the campus student center, adjacent quad, and connections to the surrounding campus. Through site analysis and project stakeholder meetings, key pedestrian and vehicular circulation routes were identified for resident students, daily commuters, and University staff. The st...
Stanford University Campus Planning and Projects
Over the past 20 plus years SWA has been working with Stanford University to reclaim the 100-year-old master plan vision of Leland Stanford and Frederick Law Olmsted for the campus. This series of campus improvement projects has restored the historic axis, open spaces, and landscape patterns. With Stanford Management Company, SWA designed the Sand Hill corrido...
Medgar Evers College
This new quad provides a unifying pedestrian connection between Bedford and Franklin Avenues and between existing and new campus buildings, finally providing the campus with a cohesive identity and sense of place. With the dramatic transformation of a parking lot into more campus green space comes the opportunity to integrate a series of sustainability strateg...
New Jersey Institute of Technology Green
This campus, like many others, has suffered from the lack of a coherent plan, rendering its campus experience to a series of passages through disconnected interstitial spaces. A key component of the landscape master plan was the identification of new building sites on campus that would shed light on a comprehensive assessment of open spaces and movement system...