studio life
Creativity, collaboration, and community in a spacious, open environment are the cornerstones of working at SSA.
In the studio, our designers come together to collaborate at ergonomic workstations in a communal, open workspace under 22-foot high ceilings. Small teams work on projects together, from start to finish, providing space for true collaboration and a sense of accomplishment.
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SALINAS GOES GREEN
SSA had the opportunity to design the planting and irrigation for the future home of the Salinas Valley Memorial's Sleep Center and Regional Wound Healing Center. SSA used native plant material and water-efficient irrigation on the 355 Abbott Street project to help it become a LEED-certified facility by the U.S. Green Building Council.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS KEEP UP WITH CHANGE!
Check out what Karen Weintraub, from the Boston Globe, had to write about the landscape architecture profession, especially as it relates to Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. Click 'Read More' for the full article.
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SSA VISITS UCSC ARBORETUM
The SSA team spent their lunch on a guided tour of the University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum with Stephen McCabe, Director of Education and Curator of Succulents at UCSC. The walk focused on native and drought tolerant plant material suitable for the public sector. Mr. McCabe also took the opportunity to show off the Arboretum's collection of over 500 rare and exotic succulents, which fill three greenhouses. Mr. McCabe's research in succulents has spanned several decades and taken him to remote parts of California, Mexico, and the Santa Barbara Islands. Click 'Read More' to keep up to date on Arboretum events or to make a donation.
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MEET YOUR PRESIDENT
The California Parks and Recreation Society District 6 hosted their Annual Awards and Installation Banquet on March 26th at the beautiful Seymour Marine Discovery Center in Santa Cruz. SSA Principal, Steve Sutherland, was installed as President of the CPRS for 2010-2011. Congratulations, Steve!
Other locals were given outstanding service awards, including Jesse Nickell of Barry Swenson Builders for his promotion and creation of bicycle parks in the city and county of Santa Cruz; Bill Simpkins for his donation to the Simpkins Family Swim Center to keep it from closing over the holidays due to budget cuts; and to Jon Sisk of Lighthouse Bank and Ken Whiting of Whiting Foods for their fundraising efforts (over $750,000) for the Santa Cruz High Track and Field project.