CLIENT:

Helix Water District

LOCATION:

La Mesa, California

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

WaterSmart Demonstration Garden at the Helix Water District Administrative Office

A collaborative effort between McCullough and the district allowed the decade-long and awaited project to come to fruition.

Positioned in a highly visible corner, on University Boulevard in La Mesa, CA, the project aimed to transform the administrative offices’ surrounding landscape into an inspirational garden that would draw attention and invite users to learn about water wise options.

Lead by example

The district prides themselves not only in being an industry leader, providing high quality water, but also a progressive leader dedicated to sustainability. A main point of focus was to give customers a resource that could effectively demonstrate achievable design elements of water conservation.

For McCullough that meant deploying elements that through the years we have observed successful water-wise landscape to have and these are the pillars that informed the design in the early concept stage.

1.  Limit turf to areas needed for practical purposes / programmed spaces

2.  Rainwater as a resource - consider rainwater harvesting and bio-filtration 

3.  Climate appropriate plant selection - use native and low-water-use plants

4.  Hydro zones - group plants according to their water needs

Design

With the main goals in place, McCullough set out to curate a unique experience that would incorporate the educational, more practical, aspect with a garden that would show case the beauty of what is possible through landscape. It is comprised of four garden typologies with an interwoven ribbon of stone that helps tie the gardens together. The first, a Mediterranean garden on University Ave, exhibits a collection of agaves, salvias, and aloe specimens. The eye-catching plant material dances along the hillside layering varied textures and color highlights to achieve a long-lasting impact at the most visible corner of the project.