Capital Group
The Capital Group corporate campus in Irvine has an extensive series of garden spaces in which the office buildings are nestled. Many years after construction, the planting was in need of a refresh. Working with the original designer, Dan Kiley, we introduced California adapted plants to help personalize the garden rooms in front of each of the buildings, while maintaining the integrity and design intent of the original design. Using solar aspect, microclimate and campus guidelines as our parameters, we individualized the planting on all 3 sides of the Great Lawn while carrying a thread of continuity throughout the garden rooms.
Irvine, CA
Each side of the Great Lawn was planted with groupings of trees to help identify and personalize the patio spaces. The west side (which faces south east) was planted with Palo Verde to take the hot southern sun. The south side was planted with Arbutus to work with the north facing spaces. The east side was planted with Geijera to ensure the western sun was tolerable.
The shrubs played a different role. Each building frontage was planted with drifts of shrubs that would tolerate the hot sun or the north facing, shaded spaces. This allowed the drifts to continue from one building to another, tying the entire planting together as it winds around the lawn while using the trees as the identifier for each of the building pairs. The hot and sunny south and west facing gardens were the ideal setting for Westringia and Pittosporum while the north facing gardens flanking the entry court evoked a more woodland setting by using Cousin Itt Acacia and White Lantana.
By using a simple palette of adapted plants with individual markers to help with wayfinding, the landscape of the campus was reinvigorated, providing new garden spaces for the campus.
Wrapping the entire central lawn are covered walkways that were being swallowed by Trumpet Vine. Enhancing the concept of using planting for wayfinding, new vines were proposed for each of the three sides of the lawn that are distinct and add a flush of color when in bloom.
Client
Capital Group
Size
34 Acres
Team
Cannon Design