SWA

Today, Fast Company highlighted SWA’s work with the Clear Lake City Water Authority to create Exploration Green—a 178-acre former golf course transformed into a public park and critical flood risk reduction infrastructure for Houston. Completed last year, the design incorporated a monumental detention pond capable of storing over half a billion gallons of stormwater, hemmed with 39 acres of wetlands and a meandering trail system that has become a popular nature destination where visitors can watch migratory warblers dart through an emerging canopy of bald cypress, sweet gum, and other native trees. After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, communities across Houston were devastated by floodwaters—but at Exploration Green, where the water authority proactively removed a dam to let water flow through, “about 200 houses that normally flood did not.” With full buildout, it can protect around 3,000 homes from flooding. Beyond infrastructure, “it’s functioning like a native landscape,” according to resident Jerry Hamby, who now volunteers for the park. “Hundreds of species of birds, from herons to bluebirds, now migrate through the area or nest there. Multiple species of butterflies, bats, turtles, cottontail rabbits, and other animals live there. While some other neighborhoods in Houston have to spray for mosquitoes, fish and birds in the park control mosquitoes in Clear Lake.” 🔗 Read more about the park at Fast Company—and visit our website to learn more. https://lnkd.in/eH4B6raJ

SWA Laguna Beach's Dhaval Barbhaya recently spoke on a panel at the Realty+ Harit Bharat Leadership Summit, where he explored the influence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors on commercial developments in India. Dhaval shared insight from his work in the region, including a transit-oriented development in Haryana and a residential community within an eco-city near Bengaluru.

Last week on 88.9 FM / KUCI RADIO, Sean O'Malley, Managing Principal of SWA Laguna Beach, discussed our ongoing work on Great Park, which will span over 1,300 acres of revitalized open space for Irvine, CA, once completed.  Listen to the full interview here: https://shorturl.at/yoUMT

SWA Principal Dhaval Barbhaya will serve on the Grand Jury panel at the 2nd Realty+ Harit Bharat Leadership Summit & Awards. Join Dhaval at the Taj Santacruz in Mumbai on July 24.

Congrats to the American League on their win at last night's Major League Baseball All-Star Game! The game was held at Globe Life Field, designed by HKS, Inc. with landscape architecture by SWA. The design provides insight into the rich history of the Texas Rangers, welcoming attendees as they approach their entry points. A destination in itself, the main plaza hosts fairs, farmers markets, festivals, movie nights, and music events. Drought-tolerant plants, representing the Texas climate, adorn the plazas, while the hardscape features a modern design with traditional brick and limestone. Upcoming events at Globe Life Field include Rangers ballgames, concerts, and The American Rodeo.

The two bridges of Poly Zhuhai International Plaza connect Hengqin Mountain with the city's urban core, spanning a waterway and a multi-lane road. Continuing the gradient change of the mountain, the plaza's design evokes rolling hills, serving as a transition from nature to the city. While the Poly Zhuhai building is elevated six to seven meters above street level, the site features retail spaces, two sunken plazas, and parking access at the ground level. SWA's design utilizes this multi-level structure by creating organic landform "fingers" that stretch from the mountain over the water and roads. The building's utility vents are disguised with large green roof pavilions, reinforcing the layered design and providing shading points throughout the plaza, with additional space for food and beverage outposts. Marking the main entrance to the building, the paving pattern transitions from dark to light, alternating on a large scale from staircase to staircase, leading to the elevated lobby. This transition continues down to the tile-by-tile detail, dissipating in color in a pixelated fashion.

In recognition of their professional excellence, leadership, and continued contributions to the growth and success of the firm, SWA is pleased to announce the promotion of 19 individuals across our eight studios. Read more about the promotions here: https://lnkd.in/eaFzVndD

As the commercial and creative heart of West Vancouver, Ambleside is known for its waterfront, art scene, and year-round roster of events centered along the shoreline. In 2018, West Vancouver's Official Community Plan identified a coastal site in Ambleside as one of three special development areas eligible for higher height, density, and architectural expression. Through this plan, Grosvenor Ambleside was born, arranging a layered public realm around diverse retail frontage with sweeping views across the Burrard Inlet. Along the street edges and through the retail-focused Galleria plaza, colored concrete bands add interest and variety to the ground plane. Maple trees unify the street edge and provide continuity with the existing canopy along Marine Drive. A focal point is Douglas Coupland's Tree Snag, accompanied by additional sculptures and art installations, which serve as thresholds that help define the pedestrian-focused realm and the neighboring streets and plazas. In 2021, the project received a ULI Award of Excellence for the team's collaborative design iteration process, led by Grosvenor and James KM Cheng Architects, and the development's use of a pedestrian public realm to break up the massing mid-block.

Travel + Leisure Co. named two SWA projects among their Top 10 Best Resorts in Mexico. The outlet's readers ranked Las Ventanas Al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort in San José del Cabo second, and the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas 10th in the annual World's Best Awards survey for 2024. Read the full list here: https://lnkd.in/gJKpbjkt

With the hypergrowth of new cities across rural China, agricultural landscapes have taken a back seat to rapidly emerging metropolitan hubs—but in Nanhu, a city defined by its agrarian legacy, a new model for agricultural living was established from the earliest stages of planning. Building on an existing tapestry of small farms and canals on the edge of Jiaxing, a city of three million people in the Yangtze River Delta, the plan for Nanhu consolidated a dense urban housing area alongside open parklands and a variety of farming operations, from large-scale productions to tourist- and family-oriented farms. Using the canal system as its organizing logic, a network of open spaces is anchored in a central park that winds through the city's heart, branching out into smaller corridors, plazas, and amenity spaces supporting nearly 37,000 new residents. This space is both an ecological and a community hub, featuring a flexible amphitheater to host concerts and festivals, sprawling gardens, and a library and community center. For large celebrations or national holidays, residents gather on the main bridge to watch fireworks over the water. With the recent addition of a high-speed rail line putting Jiaxing just a 20-minute ride from Shanghai and Hangzhou, the area is positioned for even further growth—and Nanhu serves as a paradigm shift for other emerging cities along the same line, creatively balancing the stress of rapid urbanization with ecological and cultural sensitivity to rural areas across China.