Hicks Mountain Ranch is a 900-acre sustainable ranching operation in West Marin County. The watershed, which includes grassland, wetland, and riparian habitats had been impacted by decades of grazing. In addition to developing a home on the property, plans were instituted to restore the ecosystem and mitigate the impacts of development. In addition to undertaking comprehensive ecological restoration of the site, SWA designed landscape for the main residence, and potential (future?) pool house, ranch manager’s house, and barn site, as well as a bridge to prevent future impacts to the stream. The main residence features an internal courtyard to mitigate the extremes of the West Marin climate, organized around a raised hot and cold pool that look like a water feature. The design draws inspiration from the spring boxes and water troughs of the surrounding pastoral landscape, fulfilling the owner’s desire for a distinctive family gathering place while restoring the site to its pre-use ecological condition.
Vineyard Estate
Nestled against a natural rock outcropping, the estate and vineyard commands a panoramic view over the town of Sonoma with extended views to San Francisco. SWA developed a master plan that recommended relocating the house before its construction. This wine country residence features dominant roof forms and the tight integration of interior and exterior spaces ...
Chongqing Dongyuan 1891
This unique linear site is sandwiched between the Yangtze River and Nan Mountain. The design concept of the model area that unites a one-kilometer retail/commercial corridor with four high-rise residences is to create the experience of Shangri-La in an urban center. The spatial layout is characterized by a series of courtyards offering different experiences in...
Ping Yuen Public Housing Renovation
The San Francisco public housing projects known as “pings” are widely viewed as successful. Part of this success is a direct result of their ties with the wider Chinatown community: they are comparatively low-crime, and their tenants are well-organized. Composed of four buildings with 434 units, 2,000+ residents, and five acres of landscape, the Pings are a pa...
Park WellState Nishiazabu Tower
With over a third of its population above the age of 65, Japan has the oldest population of any country in the world. To meet the growing needs of seniors, innovative companies across the country have created elder-focused developments and programs that center core values of dignified, social, and active aging—including Park Wellstate, the senior division of h...