The Yerba Buena Street Life Plan won the Research, Analysis, Planning + Communication Award.

Marin Country Day School won an Honor Award in the Design: Cultural + Institutional category.

See the ASLA 2012 Awards website with further details here.

CMG + Public Architecture's team has advanced to the final stage of the Waller Creek Design Competition. To read more about the team and approach, see below.

http://wallercreek.org/stage-ii-update

In Stage III, we will compete against three other teams to develop design concepts and a proposal to serve as the starting place for the project implementation.

Sunnylands is a Midcentury Modern estate designed in 1963 by A.Quincy Jones for Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The estate consists of close to 400 acres of property in the Coachella Desert. The actual estate features 200 acres, including a Dick Wilson-designed golf course. Over the years, the Annenbergs welcomed presidents of the United States, heads of state from several foreign countries, and leaders from government, business, media, science, and the arts. Upon the death of the owners, the estate was put into a trust and will be used as a “Camp David of the West” where retreats will be held to advance world peace and facilitate international agreements. The new Sunnylands Center & Gardens will describe the life of the owners and estate with guided tours; the estate will continue its legacy as a VIP retreat destination.

CMG has simultaneously provided long-range planning as well as the first phase of implementation. The work includes: a Cultural Landscape Report that documents the historic resource value of the estate; construction documents for the reconstruction of the historic house landscape; master plan studies for long-term programmatic development opportunities; designs for a new retreat campus by rehabilitating existing historic employee housing to provide a distinct but complementary sustainable campus landscape and includes a new campus social center, pool house and meeting space; landscape tour descriptions; tour routes and associated improvements; and participation in discussion of relevant sustainable practices and advising on estate-wide planting including fresh water bird habitats. Participating in the transformation of a resource-consuming, exclusive retreat to a public environment that strives to reconcile its historic material value with the most aggressive sustainable practices has been a fascinating and rewarding experience. The project is a Sustainable Sites Initiative pilot project.

CMG's Sunnylands: Annenberg Estate project in Rancho Mirage, California, has been getting increasing press in anticipation of its opening to the public March 1, 2012. The Annenberg Estate has been for many years, a private retreat for politicians and celebrities.

Background:

Sunnylands is a mid-century modern estate designed in 1963 by A.Quincy Jones for Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The estate consists of over 900 acres of property in the Coachella Desert, with 200 acres developed over 40 years as the private estate. One of its primary uses has been as Camp David West, a retreat for Presidents and dignitaries such as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Upon the death of the owners, the estate was put into a trust, and is now being developed to recast the site with sustainable practices. A new museum will describe the life of the owners and estate with docent-led tours; the estate will continue its legacy as a VIP retreat destination. CMG has simultaneously provided long-range planning as well as the first phase of implementation.

Articles:

In The New York Times: A Retreat for the Rich and Powerful is Opening its Doors to the World

In Forbes: Walter Annenberg's Sunnylands Estate to Become A 'Camp David West'

In Palm Springs Life: Return to Sunnylands

Willett and Scott will be leading the TCLF tour of the Sunnylands Estate on Saturday, October 29, 8am-5pm.

Chris will speak Tuesday, November 1, 1:30-3:00 on Temporary Urbanism.

Kevin will speak Wednesday, November 2, 8-9:30 on Street Life.

TCLF Modernism in Palm Springs - the Sunnylands Tour

The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands and The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) will offer an exclusive preview of the soon-to-open Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California. The former home of Ambassador Walter and Leonore Annenberg and landmark of California modernism, designed by A. Quincy Jones, is scheduled to open to the public in November 2011. Because of TCLF’s important role in this project, a limited number of guests have been invited to preview the Sunnylands garden tour in advance of the official opening. In addition to Sunnylands, the daylong excursion will include visits to several other modernist jewels in the region. The capstone on the day will include a guided tour of the estate and a festive luncheon. Visit www.tclf.org/event to learn more.

Street Life

Streets are the most important public spaces in urban areas, be it New York, Melbourne, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. To prioritize pedestrians over automobiles, this presentation examines the work of Gehl Architects internationally and CMG Landscape Architects in San Francisco on a range from planning projects to temporary installations.

• Learn how redesigned streets are the primary public gathering spaces within cities.
• Study living street projects at a variety of scales, from master plans to temporary interventions.
• Understand the partnerships that process and organize street redesign projects.

Featured Speakers: Kevin Conger, ASLA, CMG; Oliver Schulze, Gehl Architects; Neil Hrushowy, City and County of San Francisco

Temporary Urbanism: Experiments and Improvisations

Temporary landscape strategies are being deployed and celebrated around the world to create civic space and address mobility issues. At the same time, crises and migration lead to improvised landscapes of necessity. This survey of temporary interventions frames DIY urbanism as a new conceptual approach to urban landscape.

• Discover the history and recent innovations of temporary landscape interventions.
• Examine current trends, methods, and practices related to temporary and improvised landscapes.
• Learn to apply temporary landscapes and improvisation to address urban development and crisis.

Featured Speakers: Elizabeth Meyer, FASLA, University of Virginia; Christopher Guillard, ASLA, CMG; John Bela, Rebar Group

CMG's Pacific Commons stormwater treatment wetland and trail system featured in the newly launched LandscapeUrbanism.com. Read on: http://bit.ly/oBJsnS

Today's "Great Idea" at Dwell.com: Yerba Buena Street Life Plan and Parkmobiles.

Click here to read the full article and view the slideshow.

The first Parkmobiles and the Yerba Buena Street Life Plan Exhibit opened on August 2nd at SPUR's Urban Center amidst crowds of people who came to see the project that has been growing momentum in the Yerba Buena Neighborhood.

To learn more, read the full Yerba Buena Street Life Plan here.

The SPUR Exhibit is open until August 24. For more details, click here.