Category Archives: news

SB Beautiful Golden Leaf Awards

We are thrilled to have our Dune parklet awarded a Santa Barbara Beautiful ‘Golden Leaf Award’ through our participation with Allen Construction‘s ‘Locals Helping Locals’ program. Thank you Allen Construction, Dune Coffee, Santa Barbara Beautiful and the Santa Barbara community for showing creative resiliency throughout this pandemic.

KEEPING SANTA BARBARA BEAUTIFUL DURING COVID-19
SB BEAUTIFUL “GOLDEN LEAF AWARDS”
CELEBRATING 55 YEARS OF BEAUTIFICATION

WHO:   Santa Barbara Beautiful continues a 55 Year tradition of beautification with “Golden Leaf Awards”.
WHAT:   SBB honors local businesses & organizations who showed leadership during this challenging time of Covid-19 Pandemic to enhance public space & support the arts.
HARD NUMBERS: (60) Hand-Calligraphed Awards Certificates for “Outstanding Community Support”
QUOTE:  “We’re honored to celebrate our 55th Anniversary with Golden Leaf Awards – dedicated to the strength of our community & the individuals who have given joy to our city during difficult times. Congratulations to each and every one!”  ~ Penny Haberman, President SB Beautiful.

WINNING PROJECTS & PARTICIPANTS:
  1. “Light It Blue”: City of Santa Barbara – Nina Johnson, Project Coordinator
    1. Project Description: Local landmarks lit up in blue during the month of May to show gratitude to healthcare & essential workers.
    2. Host Facility Sponsors: Arlington Theater; Lobero Theater; SB Museum of Natural History Sea Center; Cottage Hospital Santa Barbara; Mission Santa Barbara.
    3.  Coordinators/ Artists/ Sponsors: Andrew Gartner, Gartner Design Co. (Coordinator); Lani Ballonoff, SPARK Creative Events (Sponsor); Kym Cochran & Jonathan Smith, The Environment Makers (Participating Artists); Casey Caldwell, SB Arts Collaborative/CAW) (Sponsor); Jake Hanson, Bella Vista Designs (Sponsor); Ethan Turpin Art & Design (Participating Artist); Nina Dunbar (Coordinator).
  2. “Locals Helping Locals”: Allen Construction – Lindsay Helmick, CFO Project Coordinator
    1. Project Description: Building Pro Bono Outdoor Parklets; Seating; ADA Ramps, etc.
    2. Community Partners: Hayward Lumber; Mission Audio & Visual; CJM::LA; Evergreen SB
    3. Local Businesses: Brass Bear Brewing & Bistro; Dune Coffee; Holdren’s Steaks & Seafood; Kunin Wines; Little Kitchen; Mollie’s Restaurant; Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro Montecito; Restaurant Roy; Valley Project; Villa Wine Bar.
  3. “2020 Design Charette – Downtown State Street”: AIA Santa Barbara Chapter, Project Coordinator
    1. Project Description: Reinvigorate, Reinvent, Reimagine, and Repurpose our Downtown with housing, energy, and life.
    2. Charrette Committee Co-Chairs: Cass Ensberg FAIA & LEED AP; Detlev Peikert AIA, LEED AP BD+C; Ellen Bildsten AIA LEED AP; Matt Beausoleil AIA & 2020 president AIA SB.
    3. Steering Committee: Alex Pujo AIA; Amy Fitzgerald-Tripp AIA; Paul Rupp AIA; Dennis Thompson FAIA; John Campanella; Karen Feeney, Hon. AIASB; Nina Johnson; Tony Tomasello; Jasper Jacobs P.E.
  4. “2020 Awards for Responsive Works to Covid-19~Artists’ Stipends”: County of SB Office of Arts & Culture – Sarah York Rubin, Executive Director
    1. Project Description: In recognition of artists’ essential contributions, up to 20 stipends of $500 each to local artists who created work in response to this unprecedented time of COVID-19.
    2. Dennis Smitherman, County Arts Commission; Karen Kerns, SB Bowl Foundation.  Project Participants:   “#WeMakeEvents” “#RedAlertRESTART” .
  5. Project Description: Local participation in a nationwide event of Red illumination of performing arts & culture venues on September 1, 2020 in support of live entertainment industry during Covid-19 pandemic.
  6. Host Facilities Event Sponsors: SB Bowl: Rick Boller, Executive Director; Eric Shiflett, Program Director. Arlington Theater: Tammy Steuart (Metro Theaters)
  7. Project Coordinator: Christopher Darling
  8. Lighting: SPARK Creative Events
About Santa Barbara Beautiful

Since 1965, Santa Barbara Beautiful has planted over 12,000 trees, provided over $500,,000 in grants to support local art and design projects, funded scholarships to students majoring in environmental horticulture & architecture, and celebrated numerous individuals, residences, and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional efforts to make Santa Barbara beautiful.
The purpose of Santa Barbara Beautiful is to stimulate community interest and action toward the enhancement of Santa Barbara’s beauty as a complement to current and future government and private activity.
Santa Barbara Beautiful is an organization of volunteers dedicated to beautifying our area in a variety of ways not only by working independently but also by cooperating with city departments, neighborhood association and other agencies. Formed in 1965 by concerned civic leaders, Santa Barbara Beautiful is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation. Contributions are tax-deductible

THE CLASSROOM DRAWINGS OF ORRA WHITE HITCHCOCK

We are so inspired by the drawings of Orra White Hitchcock – her use of simple line and color to depict soil profiles and other geological forms is a beautiful way to represent scientific ideas.

Orra White Hitchcock (1796 – 1863) was one of America’s earliest women scientific illustrators and artists. Between 1828 and the 1840s she made hundreds of large and striking classroom charts used as lecture aids by her geologist husband Edward Hitchcock.


This show, organized by the museum’s chief curator, Stacy C. Hollander, proves Hitchcock to be an artificer as much as an observer, imagining dramatic new ways to express the world’s beauty and, as she saw it, its sacred order. It also demands we drop some of our contemporary assumptions about academic disciplines, to understand an age when “science” was not so rigidly delimited, and stretched beyond the natural world to encompass theology and art.

Book:
The Classroom Drawings of Orra White Hitchcock
Palatino Press
March 28, 2014

Read Full Article:
Mushrooms, Magma and Love in a Time of Science
July 26, 2018
The New York Times

Images courtesy of Amherst College and Palatino Press

The Therapeutic Power of Gardening | Nature, Joy and Human Becoming

Read Full Article:
The Therapeutic Power of Gardening
August 17, 2020
The New Yorker

Wiltshire Garden, Tom Stuart-Smith

“A garden, Stuart-Smith suggests, can be a Winnicottian “in-between” space that allows the inner and the outer worlds to coexist simultaneously—“a meeting place for our innermost, dream-infused selves and the real physical world.” The meditative and repetitive aspects of gardening can function as a form of play for grownups who have otherwise stopped playing…”

 

Listen to podcast:
Nature, Joy and Human Becoming
August 27, 2020
On Being

Wiltshire Garden, Tom Stuart-Smith

“500 generations of what we call civilization and the 50,000 generations when we were part of nature, and your argument is that that is “where we evolved; where we became what we are, where we learned to feel and react,” “where the human imagination formed,” “where we found our metaphors and similes.”

UNITY | PROGRESS

Located across from Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden for over 60 years, Unity of Santa Barbara is an integral part of the Santa Barbara community.  We recently had the pleasure of working with Unity on the renovation of their downtown campus.  CJM::LA worked closely with both the Unity leadership team and congregation to develop a new design for their “front yard” space.  What was once a traditional lawn with limited event capacity is now a beautiful courtyard suitable not only for outdoor services, but also weddings and other community events.  Thank you to Allscape Design + Installation for an incredible job with the landscape installation, Stone Concepts for hardscape installation and VE Builders for carpentry work.

BEFORE | AFTER :

Unity courtyard before

Unity courtyard after | new permeable pavers, olive trees and custom wood benches

PROCESS PHOTOS:

CJM::LA verifies hardscape, gravel and wood samples on site

Stone Concepts lays Hydro-Flo permeable pavers by Pacific Interlock Pavers

Allscape installs olive trees in the courtyard

hardscape and olive trees installed in the courtyard

VE Builders installs custom mangaris benches in the courtyard

completed courtyard

Islay Pool Progress

Construction of this downtown Santa Barbara home, winner of a 2019 Santa Barbara Beautiful award, was completed last year. This spring, pool contractor California Pools began installation of the integrated pool & spa. See more about the home and construction process in the owner’s blog.

finish grading before pool construction

pool framing and plumbing

the outdoor fireplace, a remnant of a prior home on the property, is resurrected in a new pool-side terrace

California Pools place rebar for the pool deck

A First Look at our SOMOfunk Project

Read Full Article:
First Look at the Blockbuster Development Proposed for the Funk Zone
April 27, 2020
SITELINE

We are excited to share some initial drawings for the SOMOfunk project via this recently published article.  The SOMOfunk project will bring a new energy to the Funk Zone on Santa Barbara’s waterfront.  Following is an excerpt from our landscape narrative:

FUN[KY]
THE LANDSCAPE DESIGN IS INSPIRED BY ITS NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT.  WHAT IS TODAY KNOWN AS THE FUNK ZONE, HAS PREVIOUSLY EXISTED AS AN INDUSTRIAL AREA, A WORKING CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD, PART OF THE EL ESTERO SWAMPY MARSH AND A VIBRANT TRADE HUB.  REMNANTS OF THESE USES REMAIN IN THE BUILDINGS, THE LAND, THE HARDSCAPE, THE PLANT MATERIAL AND THE SOUL OF THIS PLACE.  THESE REMNANTS WILL BE RE-PURPOSED FOR USE AS HARDSCAPE, FURNISHINGS AND SCULPTURAL ELEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT SITE.  WHAT MAKES THE FUNK ZONE FUNKY IS ITS ABILITY TO SHAPE-SHIFT AND ADAPT, WHILE MAINTAINING ITS OWN IDENTITY SEPARATE FROM, BUT IN CONVERSATION WITH, THE LARGER SANTA BARBARA COMMUNITY.  THE EXTERIOR SPACES AT THE PROJECT FIT SEAMLESSLY INTO THE FABRIC OF THE FUNK ZONE BY IMPLEMENTING FUN, COLORFUL AND QUIRKY ELEMENTS INTO THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.

Click here to read the full article.

WLAM | Landscape Architecture Myth Busting – Part 2

Part 2: More myth-busting as we continue to address common misconceptions about landscape architecture.

Myth #3. Density means eliminating urban green space

FALSE: We can have both density & greener, healthier cities

Larger, denser cities are cleaner and more energy efficient than smaller, suburban towns. Suburban and rural towns may have immediate access to open space and wildlands outside city limits because of their more dispersed organization, but large cities can emulate natural ecologies.

Street trees, courtyards, green roofs and living walls, along with botanic gardens and parks provide a network of outdoor spaces that enhance the biological diversity of our cities and help provide essential infrastructure. This framework of planted spaces is able to capture and treat urban run-off, lower temperatures, improve air quality and provide resilience against climate change. Gardens and community farms also provide food and improve human health.

At CJM::LA, we help make our cities healthier and greener by advocating for more planting and functional outdoor space, especially in our densest multi-family housing projects; designing public parks, paseos, and green roofs; and improving city streetscapes.

transplanted Mexican fan palms line the stairs at Bella Riviera workforce homes in Santa Barbara, CA

plant pockets and climbing vines beautify the drive aisles at the East Beach Collection in Santa Barbara, CA  | architect: WHA

live roof at the Hilton Garden Inn in Goleta, CA

textural plantings line the sidewalk at the Arlington Village apartments in downtown Santa Barbara, CA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

entry plantings at homes designed for Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County in downtown Santa Barbara, CA

citrus trees within over-structure planters create a beautiful courtyard at Bella Riviera workforce homes

mediterranean plantings within raised planters help create opportunities for outdoor seating

neighborly gifts grown in downtown Santa Barbara, CA

Myth #4. Planting shouldn’t be done in a drought because plants use water

FALSE: Drought resilience is improved by planting smarter & better managing water resources

During a prolonged drought, there is less available water in the natural ecosystem, which negatively impacts human food and water security. Less water available in aquifers and other natural water bodies means less water for the agricultural industry and for our cities.

Landscape architects provide drought resilience by designing systems to comprehensively and efficiently manage water resources. By implementing bioretention basins, rainwater cisterns, efficient irrigation, greywater recycling and use of climate-adapted and native plants, we optimize our water resources and reallocate the potable water supply for drinking use.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but plants improve our ability to resist the impacts of drought by improving soil health, allowing soils to better capture and store water. Plants also sequester carbon, lower air temperatures, and if used in applications like green roofs, reduce building energy use and reduce the urban heat island effect. We shouldn’t eliminate plants because they use water. Instead, we should be smarter about how we supply plants with water and which plants we elect to use.

Want more info? See these additional links about drought resilience and using green infrastructure to mitigate the impacts of other hazards, like wildfires and climate change.

bioretention plants treat stormwater runoff at the Direct Relief headquarters in Santa Barbara, CA.

 

WLAM | World Landscape Architecture Month

April is World Landscape Architecture Month (WLAM), a worldwide celebration of the impact this profession has on our daily lives.

As a part of our ongoing stewardship of the profession, this month we’re showcasing landscape architecture to the world and inviting the public to learn about what we do!  People hold profound connections to the spaces where they live, work and play.  This year we are celebrating the relationship between us and our environment.  We look forward to demonstrating the impact that thoughtful design solutions have on our collective quality of life.  Each week we’ll be posting something new, stay tuned!

 

 

We encourage you to join us in celebrating the landscape architectural profession by posting pictures from your neighborhood that highlight landscape architectural design with the hashtags #WLAM2020 and #LifeGrowsHere.
Be sure to tag @NationalASLA

 

TO LEARN MORE

Find out more about Landscape Architecture educational opportunities here.

Are you a K-12 educator interested in sharing landscape architecture with your students?
Learn more about Landscape Architecture education for teachers here

Are you hosting a virtual story time for your child?  Check this out:
Green Trees and Sam by Shannon Gapp, ASLA/Bolton & Menk.

Mar Monte Hotel | Waterfront Construction Almost Complete!

Renovations are underway at what will soon be known as the Hyatt Mar Monte. As this project nears the end of the construction phase, the CJM::LA continues to oversee the revitalization of this historic hotel with Young Construction and Steve Hanson Landscaping.  This project combines layered textural plantings with historic Spanish Colonial detailing, ensuring a natural cohesion with the Santa Barbara waterfront.

demolition of the existing parking lot and impermeable brick paving

converting the existing parking lot into a pedestrian promenade and lobby placita

decorative columns taking shape!

framing the fountain

setting the mediterranean fan palm in place at the pool deck

converting the existing pool deck into a lush paradise

careful restoration of the original hotel entry

putting the finishing touches on our lobby placita fountain. tile provided by NS Ceramic.

 

ArchitecTours Wrap-Up

We were out in full force last Saturday, giving tours of our Direct Relief project as part of the Santa Barbara AIA’s ArchitecTours.  After an in-depth presentation by Michael Holliday, architect for the project, Courtney and Nicole led community members on a tour of the exterior of the property.  Our design for the new headquarters includes innovation and reflection gardens, courtyards for events and employees, and stormwater infiltration features such as bioretention basins, bioswales and permeable pavers.  The overall design language for the property features a “reed” pattern which reflects upon the history of this region as part of the Goleta Slough.  Details such as the trellises, gates, and formliner panels which imprint the concrete tilt-up walls reflect this language.  The planting design includes a subdued color palette and focus on form, texture and pattern in the plant material.

We received so many questions about the species of plants used throughout the property, so offered to share our plant palette which you can view below.  Thank you Direct Relief for allowing us to open your doors to the community, and to everyone who came out for the tour.  We love to share the story behind our work!

Nicole Horn Promoted To Associate Principal

We are excited to announce that Nicole Horn has been promoted to Associate Principal at our Santa Barbara design studio!

Nicole joined CJM::LA in 2016. With both Masters of Landscape Architecture and City and Regional Planning degrees, she has brought expertise in urban planning, resource management and landscape architectural design to the CJM::LA team. This interdisciplinary background has enabled her to bring forward not only innovative design solutions, but also strategic planning solutions to help guide our projects through the entitlement, permitting and construction processes.

Over the past three years, Nicole has demonstrated her leadership capabilities through the implementation of a number of contributions to CJM::LA and our extended community. Her role as a board member of the Ventura Botanical Gardens has allowed her to advocate for climate-appropriate design and resilience. Her involvement in our studio has resulted in a collaborative design approach that prioritizes environmental, economic and social sustainability to the benefit of our community and clients. Nicole pushes herself and others to take risks, innovate and surpass conventional design roles and traditions.

In her new role as Associate Principal and Director of Operations, Nicole will lead our design team in the implementation of a series of objectives to help better streamline our workflow and expand our creative output. She and our President, Courtney Jane Miller, will continue to push the boundary of the expected as they lead CJM::LA towards a successful future.

CJM::LA Team Expands!

We are excited to announce the return of our Design Intern, Mariella Dentzel, at our Santa Barbara design studio!

Mariella comes to us with experience in product, furniture and installation design and fabrication.  While at CJM::LA, she has begun to apply the creative problem solving skills she developed as part of her degree in product design to the field of landscape architecture.  Mariella values the sense of place that successful designed spaces bring to our collective experience of the environment around us.  In her free time, Mariella enjoys exploring new environments on her bike and climbing mountains!