Tag Archives: cjmlandscapearchitecture

BELLA VISTA

WOODRAT THEATER UPDATE

Woodrat Theater, our collaborative project with MISC Workshop for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, is now complete and thriving! Selected as part of the Backcountry Casitas competition, this innovative outdoor playhouse has become a beloved feature of the garden since it’s completion in summer of 2024 – engaging children and adults alike in creative play and immersive learning.

Woodrat Theater provides a dynamic space for storytelling, exploration and environmental education. Families, educators, and visitors have embraced the structure, using it as a stage for imaginative performances and as a general gathering place to connect with nature. Designed with sustainability and resourcefulness in mind, the project continues to inspire conversations about the intersection of design, ecology and play.

We are proud to see Woodrat Theater making a meaningful impact in the community and we look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve!

THE POST

VIA TRANQUILA RESIDENCE

PERIWINKLE RESIDENCE 2

WOODRAT THEATER

We’re excited to announce that Woodrat Theater has been selected as one of the new Backcounty Casitas as part of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s 2024 design competition!  This open call for proposals occurs every two years, and celebrates the beauty of the outdoors through temporary and unique outdoor playhouses within the garden’s immersive Backcountry area.

A true collaborative effort, our office assisted MISC Workshop in refinements to the design and produced the renderings which ultimately led to a winning proposal.  Developed by Jianhua Chen, the renderings tell the story of the design and how children (and adults) might interact with the theater.

final rendering by Jianhua Chen

BRAEMAR RESIDENCE

CAL POLY WINTER SHADOWSHIP 2024

As part of our continued partnership with the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Landscape Architecture Department, early this year we hosted three student shadows at our office in downtown Santa Barbara.  The shadowship program was developed by the Landscape Architecture Department Advisory Council (LADAC), which Courtney has been an active member of for the past ten years.  This is a unique opportunity for students to visit professional offices in order to gain a better understanding of the profession as a whole and the multitude of practice types available to support their early career development.

Hosted by Designer Jianhua Chen, the afternoon started with an informal discussion and meet & greet with the team, followed by a property tour at our neighboring multi-family property Arlington Village.  We then gave the students an overview of our projects, after which each team member shared what they are currently working on.

As a team, we truly value our ability to provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to students of landscape architecture.  If you are interested in a shadowship, please contact us at info@cjm-la.com.

SANTA BARBARA HUMANE

BRISA29

The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern Receives Honor Award from SOCAL ASLA

We are thrilled to announce that our Inn at Mattei’s Tavern project has been recognized by the Southern California Chapter of the ASLA with an Honor Award in the Historic Preservation and Restoration Design category at the 2023 Quality of Life Awards!  This category recognizes constructed, site-specific works of landscape architecture that demonstrate the integration of historic value into the design process.

The new vision for Mattei’s Tavern has been years in the making, and we were honored to be selected as part of an incredible team to help develop a site design that respects this significant historic landmark while also bringing modern amenities to what is now part of the Auberge Resorts Collection.  Led by Nicole Horn, our team collaborated with DMHA Architecture, AvroKO, RRM, True Nature, and Ann Kale Associates to bring this incredible property to life.

The existing Mattei’s Tavern building, five cottages, and thirteen specimen trees were designated a historic landmark in 2010. More than one hundred years prior, Felix Mattei built the original “Central Hotel” in 1886 for travelers transferring from the end of the Pacific Coast Railway to stage coach.

Careful study of historic documents allowed the design team to reimagine how this significant landmark would continue to serve as the heart of the Los Olivos community for the next one hundred years.  Working with the surviving historic specimen trees, the landscape design pays homage to the rural western vernacular of the late 19thcentury with traditional Victorian-style plantings, expansive lawns, and formal walkways at the historic eastern side of the property. A new outdoor dining patio with overhead trellis was added to the Mattei’s Tavern building, in a similar style to the existing wood boardwalk and trellis at the main entrance. Visible from the dining patio are a new event barn, chef’s garden with painted brick planters, the refurbished historic water tower, and new event lawn.

Congratulations to the whole project team!

THE INN AT MATTEI’S TAVERN