A MODERN GARDEN FOR THE SONORAN DESERT: SUNNYLANDS CENTER & GARDENS
E D U C AT ION S ESS IO N H AND O U T ASLA 2012 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPO | PHOENIX MO N - C1 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
ASLA 2012 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPO | PHOENIX
A MODERN GARDEN FOR THE SONORAN DESERT: SUNNYLANDS CENTER & GARDENS
Mary Irish, Jim Burnett, and Dillon Diers will present the unique 15-acre Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage, CA. The Center is an extension of the 200-acre desert retreat of publisher, diplomat and philanthropist Ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife Leonore. The Office of James Burnett has designed a 9-acre interpretive desert garden that expresses the beauty, color, form and texture of the Sonoran Desert. Originally conceived as an extension of the Estate’s formal landscape, OJB worked closely with Mrs. Annenberg and the Annenberg Trust to create a sustainable desert botanical garden.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: •
Explore the progression and increasing use of Sonoran natives and deserpt plants in the Sonoran Desert.
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Understand the design and creation of a 9-acre desert botanical garden using over 50,000 native and adapted trees, shrubs, cacti, succulents and perennials.
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Learn the challenges of developing a 15 acre Center that embraces an ethic of environemtal sensitivity in the Sonoran Desert.
ASLA 2012 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPO | PHOENIX
JAMES D. BURNETT, FASLA PRINCIPAL, THE OFFICE OF JAMES BURNETT James D. Burnett, FASLA, founded the Office of James Burnett in 1989 and has dedicated his career to creating meaningful spaces that challenge the conventional boundaries of landscape architecture. He has taken a multi-disciplinary approach to his practice, often working closely with design teams of well-known architects, planners, artists, doctors, scientists and other professionals. Jim’s work is noted for its crisp spatial arrangements, rigorous attention to detail and promotion of healthy living.
DILLON D. DIERS, ASLA, LEED AP VICE PRESIDENT, THE OFFICE OF JAMES BURNETT Dillon Diers is a Vice President passionate and devoted to the design of timeless sustainable gardens and landscape. A graduate of California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, his knowledge and admiration for plants and construction methods has been an integral part of the design for the Sunnylands Center & Gardens. He is currently overseeing the design and project management for the 32 Acre Arboleda MixedUse development and the Sofia Tower in Monterrey, Mexico.
MARY IRISH, HORTICULTURALIST / GARDEN WRITER Mary Irish has worked in the desert regions of the Southwest for 25 years as a writer, consultant, and educator. She authored six books on desert gardening; the latest due in 2012. She served 11 years as Director of Public Horticulture at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. She has consulted on the Sunnylands Center & Gardens, Myriad Botanical Garden, City of Scottscale downtown renovation, Xeriscape Demonstration Garden (Glendale, Arizona), and numerous private gardens. She was educated at University of Texas at Austin, and Texas A & M University.
ASLA 2012 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPO | PHOENIX
PRESENTATION OUTLINE: INTRODUCTION •
Presenter Introduction o James Burnett, FASLA o Dillon Diers, ASLA, LEED AP o Mary Irish, Horticulturalist
HISTORY OF THE ANNENBERG ESTATE • •
Character of the 200 acre Rancho Mirage estate Sunnylands Estate as an icon of 60’s California Modernism by A. Quincy Jones
AN OVERVIEW OF THE SUNNYLANDS CENTER & GARDENS • • •
The visitors and interpretive center A modern landscape to the desert Mission of the Center
DESIGN CONCEPT & DEVELOPMENT • • • • • •
Leonore Annenberg’s vision for the Center Collaboration with Frederick Fisher & Partners to establish a dialogue between Center and Garden Planting design Inspiration from the Annenbergs’ impressionist art collection Design layout of the site Guiding your client towards environmental awareness and sensitivity Collaborating with renowned horticulturalist and garden writer Mary Irish
ASLA 2012 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPO | PHOENIX
SUSTAINABLE SITE ELEMENTS •
Achieving an ethic of environmental sensitivity within the Sonoran Desert
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Achieving LEED Gold in a Desert Environment
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Sustainable strategies in the desert
PROCUREMENT & CONSTRUCTION •
Evaluating nursery practices in the desert
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The nursery and plant procurement process
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Collaborating with growers and nurseryman
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Executing the design vision with the construction team
EXPLORING THE GARDENS •
Documenting the process
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A photographic tour of the garden
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Time lapse of construction
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Video tour of the garden
Q&A SESSION (REMAINDER OF TIME) •
Q&A (moderated)
REFERENCE/SOURCE MATERIALS 1.
www. ojb.com/projects/
2.
http://sunnylands.org/page/2/center-and-gardens
3.
http://www.asla.org/2012awards/576.html
4.
http://www.architypereview.com/25-pavilions-parks/projects/1013-sunnylands-center-and-gardens
ASLA 2012 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPO | PHOENIX
SESSION SUMMARY: Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage, California is an extension of the 200-acre desert retreat of publisher, diplomat, and philanthropist Ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife Leonore. In the mid-1960s, the Annenbergs hired Los Angeles-based architect A. Quincy Jones to create a Midcentury Modern residence in Rancho Mirage. In 2006, the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands commissioned The Office of James Burnett to design the Gardens for an interpretive center that tells the story of the Annenbergs and their commitment to serving their country, to philanthropy, to education, and to the arts. Sustainability figured prominently into planning and design of the project and the Center has achieved LEED Gold Certification. In addition to the selection of regionally-appropriate plants, the project features a desert habitat, high-efficiency capillary irrigation system, soil moisture monitoring, storm water retention, geothermal wells, a solar field, and a green waste recycling program. The project also proactively meets the specifications and requirements for the use of reclaimed water ahead of the implementation of Rancho Mirage’s citywide initiative. Working closely with Mrs. Annenberg, James Burnett and his team developed a scheme that transitions from an orderly, geometric composition adjacent to the Center and becomes progressively more organic and free flowing as one moves further into the Gardens. Burnett sculpted the earth and used more than 53,000 plants and trees in a painterly fashion across the landscape. The Gardens were carefully conceived to provide varied experiences with the seasons. Trees were strategically positioned throughout the site to ensure that ample shade is provided. Care was given to the placement and visual composition of understory plantings.
ASLA 2012 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPO | PHOENIX
SESSION SUMMARY: The Gardens connect to the historic estate through the use of similar features such as the entry monument walls and gates. A generous entry drive meanders through a series of rich, undulating desert plantings before delivering visitors to a formal entry court anchored by specimen Sweet Acacia. After dropping off their passengers, guests park their vehicles in a formal landscaped parking court integrated into a grove of hybrid mesquite trees and proceed along a pedestrian promenade to the main entry. In collaboration with architect Frederick Fisher and Partners, the Center building was sited to frame panoramic western views of the 10,000-foot-plus San Jacinto Mountains. Inside the Center, guests explore a variety of exhibits including those that address design, construction, and sustainable features of the Gardens. A terrace along the west side of the building extends the Café and lobby into the landscape and accommodates special events. Complementing the crisp architectural composition, twin stainless reflecting pools mirror the expansive desert sky, lower the ambient temperature, and provide the soothing sound of running water. Sized specifically to support large event programming, a Great Lawn is the central organizing feature of the west garden. Framed by a double row of Desert Museum palo verde trees, the promenade walk connects guests to a series of private gardens that feature quiet seating nooks, rich desert plantings, and a labyrinth for contemplation. Throughout the Gardens, Leonore Annenberg’s love of the Sunnylands’ yellow is punctuated in springtime when the palo verde trees erupt with blooms. Thornless mesquite and palo brea trees provide protective shade to arid-landscape plants. Geometric grids of golden barrel cacti spines become backlit against the dramatic desert sunsets and sunrise, capturing the shifting light. Throughout the Gardens are serene places to sit, relax, and enjoy nature.
