SIFTING THE SANDS OF TIME: THE LANDSCAPE DESIGNED BY WALTER HOOD

Given that the amount of the de Young’s site available for gardens and other landscaping was limited to what was left over after the building was designed, the landscaping around the building and tower had to rely on what is known in Japanese gardens as “borrowed scenery” to expand its scope. Walter Hood used this strategy to extend the visual reach of the west side Sculpture Garden to the neighboring Japanese Tea Garden. By adding new pines, cypresses, and redwoods to those existing on the site’s northern edge he also expropriated the larger treescape across the John F. Kennedy Memorial Drive .

The domed skyspace, Three Gems, by James Turrell is hidden in the man-made sand dune planted with native grasses in the northwest corner of the Sculpture Garden; it recalls the park’s historic typography. Sculptures animate the planted space, the Gingko and Japanese maple trees add seasonal color, and hedges frame the lawn. The impression of the garden’s area as generous results partly from its being an extension of the cafe terrace on the same ground plane. The landward slope of the roof cantilever also directs attention away from the building. (See the photograph on page 5.)

In contrast, both the nine-story tower on the building’s eastern side and the building itself tended to dominate the garden site. Its location above the garage entrance road also limited its planting posibilities by weight and soil requirements. Since the donor of the Garden of Enchantment wanted it to offer a variety of experiences to the children for whom it was intended, Hood created some canopied and enclosed spaces along the paths. He has since noticed that children are not the only visitors who want to be secluded from public view.

View of the Garden of Enchantment from the tower.

“I really don’t know what this garden will look like in a decade or so,” Walter said. It will assume its own character, and I expect to be surprised.”

Credits

• Primary Designers: Herzog and de Meuron
• Principal Architects: Fong & Chan Archiects
• Landscape Architect: Walter Hood, Hood Design
• Structural, Civil, and Geotechnical Engineers: Rutherford & Chekene
• General Contractor: Swinerton Builders
• Mechanical, Electical and Plumbing: Ove Arup and Partners, California
• Lighting Design: Ove Arup and Partners, London
• Administration and Tower interiors: Studios Architecture

Related sites:

• De Young Museum, San Francisco
• Landscape Architecture Magazine

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