North Park Garden Gate, 1999
Commissioned by the City of San Diego, CA
 
Abandoned and neglected, the original site for this work was a textbook illustration of how a purely utilitarian design thoughtlessly inserted into a community's environment could profoundly affect the entire community's sense of well-being.
 
As designer and builder of this project, I focused on two key elements that form North Parks' identity. The community is strongly identified with its association with Balboa Park, and therefore the idea of a garden. The community also has a rich architectural heritage. Drawing from its Craftsman era aesthetic, the two gateway pergolas merge elements of the existing built environment with the idea of the garden. The organically shaped "tree capitals" are incorporated into a design based on the grid.