Registration Eligibility
Open to landscape architecture professionals, allied designers, and the general public.
Start Date
04/29/2023
End Date
04/29/2023
Description
This iconic Lutah Maria Riggs house features walls of glass, a large biomorphic fireplace built of stone taken from the property, and an ideal siting and orientation to capture the spectacular mountain and oak forest views. Thomas Church's concomitant garden design completed a stunning inside-outside living experience central to midcentury architecture.
Over the years, the original Thomas Church landscape had fallen into disrepair, having experienced substantial modifications and devastation due to drought. A collaborative effort by Susan Van Atta and the current owners re-established a garden incorporating the remaining Thomas Church features, including an original espaliered magnolia tree, a majestic stone bridge, boulder walls, and many other elements. A koi pond features a wooden crossing with a signature Church zigzag form.
Adjacent to the house, original Church hardscape areas and small planting wells were restored, and an original curved, paved path system was adapted and extended in Church fashion. Convenient gardens were replanted to grow kitchen herbs and butterfly-attracting flowering plants. An expansive grove of California oaks was returned to its initial naturalistic setting.
The current owners worked with Van Atta Associates and Blackbird Architects to ensure subtle, elegant approaches to design and sustainability in response to the site and the program. As a result of these efforts, the original character of the home is re-established in the spirit of Thomas Church, recreating a unified Modernist house and garden environment as he and Lutah Maria Riggs first envisioned it.
This garden is featured in Thomas Church’s Gardens Are for People (pp.70-71, third edition) and was included in a recent Lutah Maria Riggs documentary.
This Garden Dialogue will be led by the project’s landscape architect Susan Van Atta, FASLA, and the projects’ architect Ken Radtkey, FAIA.
Light refreshments will be served.
Location
Santa Barbara, CA
Distance Learning
No
Course Equivalency
No
Subjects
Horticulture / Plants
Project Management
Residential Design
Site Planning
Water / Stormwater Management
Health, Safety and Welfare
No
Hours
2.0
Learning Outcomes
1. Learn how successful landscape architects collaborate with their residential clients to identify and meet their needs.
2. Learn about the design process for developing the landscape and the planting plan.
3. Learn about appropriate plant selection for residential landscapes in this region and zone.
Instructors
Susan Van Atta, FASLA, Ken Radtkey, FAIA
Course Codes
GD2023SantaBarbara
Provider
The Cultural Landscape Foundation