Success Academy’s first ground-up campus brings together elementary, middle, and high school under one roof in the South Bronx—a community historically underserved by public infrastructure. The project establishes a dignified and aspirational new presence for one of the nation’s largest and highest-performing public charter networks. Designed by SOM, the six-story, 310,000-square-foot building is set back from the street to create generous plazas and shaded outdoor areas, making an important contribution to a neighborhood with limited public green space.
On a compact urban site, the landscape design extends the school’s welcoming character from the ground plane upward through four rooftop terraces, each tailored to its age group while maintaining a cohesive, elevated design aesthetic. The terraces are designed for flexibility, accommodating both everyday play and special events, with maximum opportunities for social interaction, low maintenance requirements, and a material palette that complements the custom green-glazed masonry facade. Planted areas throughout the site navigate significant grade changes through deep tree pits and sculpted terrain, threading greenery and outdoor learning space through every level of the campus.
Columbia University Landscape Master Plan
As part of a larger development framework plan by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, Thomas Balsley Associates was commissioned to prepare a landscape master plan for this important historical campus.
The work began with extensive historical research into the original McKim Mead & White plan and Olmsted writings as well as an assessment of current camp...
CSULB Liberal Arts Courtyards
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 ...
Sheikh Khalifa Medical Center
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City is a massive new medical complex located in the Center City of the coastal city Abu Dhabi. The mega-project consists of four major hospitals and numerous outbuildings sited on a sprawling 90-acre medical campus. As the future flagship for the Emirates national medical system design excellence, cultural sensitivity, and advanced sust...
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...