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06-17-25 | Feature
The first tenet, Mind/Body Connection, is embodied in quiet, contemplative spaces that facilitate reflection and mindfulness. The second, Movement/Exercise, pops up in various yoga spaces and a central "Wellness Walk" - a multimodal pathway with a dedicated bike lane connecting the building to the broader campus. Nutrition is the third tenet, supported by the edible plants in the kitchen garden that, when paired with the demonstration kitchen, becomes a living classroom for nutrition education. As the fourth tenet, the Physical Environment is manifest in a landscape that fosters a strong connection to nature, offering immersive outdoor spaces where users can pause, relax, and dwell within the environment. The final tenet, Relationships, is integrated into the many gathering spaces designed to invite human interaction - such as the auditorium, caf?(C), classroom, and flexible outdoor areas. By creating an environment conducive to relaxation, recharging, and meditation, the landscape experience imparts the same qualities as those of the building in support of holistic health.
Beyond human health, this project was also intended to support the health of the land. The existing landscape faced a range of challenges, including the dominance of invasive plant species and a loss of ecosystem services that once sustained adjacent native plant communities. Connecting the revival of natural systems to the renovation of the larger campus reinforces biophilic concepts that wholly align with integrative principles.
Multi-Layer Programming
The landscape reflects the diverse, multi-disciplinary nature of its user group, providing a range of spaces that support the needs of students, staff, and patients. Site strategies serve multiple purposes at different scales, including deck and lawn areas for yoga and tai-chi classes, meditation gardens with small-scale seating areas, rooftop decks for social interaction and group study, and a spacious event area suitable for graduations, symposia, and other large programs.
These layers are not just abstract, but also spatial. For example, there are several terraces on the second floor, including a semi-private infusion terrace that provides patient privacy in a garden-like setting surrounded by screen walls and plantings. The clinic's second floor waiting area also has an accessible terrace that utilizes the planting, rock mulch, and material from lower gardens as part of the vertical integration.
The Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing and auditorium rooftop include larger, more public terraces with private seating areas for study and relaxation. The auditorium roof is a larger space with seating and planters that can be arranged for private events or daily use. Half of this space is shaded by a large photovoltaic array with frameless glass for sun protection and clean, on-site energy generation. Concrete seat walls and planting along the edges serve as protection, enhancing building circulation and softening the plaza with green spaces.
The terraces on the fourth and fifth floors are made primarily of hard surfaces, able to host small events and attractive for their views of the courtyard, campus, and mountains beyond. The fifth floor also includes smaller, four-person decks with longer-range views and privacy from surrounding public spaces.
Climate Adaptation
All landscaped areas are arranged to leverage the Southern California climate. The central courtyard is designed to mitigate wind and noise, offering quiet, contemplative spaces in addition to more public zones. Some spaces allow individuals to bask in the sun, while others provide shade through trees or solar canopies.
The plant palette highlights pollinator species and medicinal varieties used in traditional and non-traditional pharmaceutical studies, offering educational and therapeutic use. The design also incorporates drought-tolerant plants that are native or well-adapted to the area, supporting the university's water conservation efforts. Plants are irrigated with reclaimed water, providing an opportunity to educate the UCI community about eco-friendly practices. The planting framework is designed to evolve over time based on educational needs, ensuring the garden remains relevant to the educational curriculum and the broader goals of the Health Sciences campus.
Designed For All
Universal design principles were employed to ensure accessibility for all users, emphasizing the design team's commitment to equitable access to outdoor spaces. As such, all walkways within the project have a slope of 5% or less. The Landscape Architects limited steep slopes to provide accessibility beyond basic code compliance, creating an area inclusive of all ages and abilities. Use of stairs onsite is minimized - primarily for convenience - and always located near a sloped walkway.
Project outcome
UCI College of Health Sciences illustrates the key role of landscape architecture in promoting health, wellness, and community engagement, highlighting landscape architecture's ability to balance functionality and aesthetics in a way that ultimately improves human well-being and environmental sustainability. Site features like outdoor classrooms, fitness areas, kitchen gardens, living walls, green roof planting, and on-structure gathering spaces make biophilic design elements directly accessible and visible for all site users. The design's focus on flexibility and integration with the surrounding natural environment demonstrates the ability of Landscape Architects to accommodate diverse user needs and leverage local climate conditions for optimal outdoor experiences.
UCI's Patient Experience Survey responses reflect a decrease in anxiety about upcoming health treatments and overall feelings of relaxation while visiting the facility, feelings the survey takes attribute to the design of the landscape and building.
This LEED Platinum project has received several national Sustainable Innovation and Design Build Excellence awards, as well as the 2023 DBIA Award of Merit in Healthcare and the 2024 San Diego ASLA Merit Award.
UCI Health Sciences
A Model for Integrated Health and Wellness in the Landscape
Completed toward the end of 2022, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) College of Health Sciences benefitted from the services of San Diego-based firm Spurlock Landscape Architects. Meandering paths, ranging in width from 5 to 8 feet, lead occupants to an outdoor fitness and yoga area as well as the terminus of a 600-foot "wellness walk" that connects to the School of Medicine. The circular fitness area features a 6-foot-tall, curved, freestanding, cast-in-place wall that provides privacy and shade. PHOTO CREDIT: INESSA BIENENBAUM
Trees like Blue Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia), Hong Kong Orchid Trees (Bauhinia x Blakeana), and Golden Rain Trees (Koelreuteria paniculata) provide shade and create smaller, more intimate areas within the courtyard. Among the plantings, smaller decorative rock mulch is placed along the outer edges while larger rock mulch is arranged in loose groupings toward the center, creating a dry riverbed effect.
The understory palette features Southern California-adapted plants with contrasting textures and colors, punctuated with locally sourced boulders and rock mulch. The paths are a blend of stabilized decomposed granite and cast-in-place, integral-colored concrete pavement. PHOTO CREDIT: INESSA BIENENBAUM
The building's main entrance opens to a two-story lobby with a vertical greenspace created by Spurlock and green wall consultant Gsky. Made of gypsum board and metal studs, the wall is designed to support 10 pounds per square foot. The nature theme continues with interior detailing like wall sconces, wallpaper patterns, and chandeliers that subtly mimic botanical forms. Natural materials like wood were also selected to bring warmth to the built environment. PHOTO CREDIT: INESSA BIENENBAUM
The exterior terrace was designed as an outdoor classroom and is easily accessible via an 8-to-10-foot-wide ramp and staircase. The planting features East African Yellowwood (Afrocarpus gracilior) trees and a selection of shrubs, including Firecracker plants (Russelia equisetiformis) and Fortnight Lilies (Dietes grandiflora). Enclosing the space, a sleek, concrete seat wall is filled with square, cast-in-place concrete pavers. PHOTO CREDIT: INESSA BIENENBAUM
The terraces on the second level serve as waiting rooms surrounded by a multi-purpose deck with freestanding fiberglass planters containing Cassa Blue Flax Lily (Dianella caerulea var. 'Cassa Blue'). Earthen mounds that buffer noise and ensure privacy contain low-water-use plants with fragrant blooms like Mountain Marigold (Tagetes lemmonii) and Golden Leaved Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans var. 'Golden Delicious').
The second-floor deck provides ADA-accessible lounge tables and chairs. Free-standing fiberglass planters divide the space into smaller gathering areas. All terraces and decks include lighting, power, data, and hose bibs to support special events, daily use, and maintenance.
The outdoor activity space includes a teaching kitchen and flexible event area. Boulders placed along the edge of the planting area disrupt the clean lines of the concrete paving, reinforcing the blend of natural and human-occupied spaces.
The graphic architectural screen of the parking structure harmonizes with the bold-colored foliage of Forest Pansy Redbud (Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy') and Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) alongside the playful geometry of planters, paths, and seat walls.
Linked by a universally accessible pedestrian path with a 25-foot grade change, playful hardscape geometry, and a colorful planting palette, the parking structure and building landscapes create a cohesive campus.
The multimodal "Wellness Walk" features two 10-foot-wide paths, with the pedestrian and cyclist areas separated by a 9-foot-wide median lined with stabilized decomposed granite and edged with redwood. Powder-coated steel bike racks provide convenient parking. Muskogee Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica 'Muskogee') trees are complemented by a resilient understory planting of Fortnight Lilies and Coast Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa 'Mundi').
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Located in Southern California, the new home for the College of Health Sciences serves as a gateway to the University of California, Irvine (UCI). The site is also a vital link to nearby natural systems, such as the UCI Ecological Preserve and the San Joaquin Marsh. As part of an integrated design-build team, San Diego based firm Spurlock Landscape Architects collaborated with the owner, user group, architects, engineers, and construction partners, resulting in a project that seamlessly blends the boundary between building and landscape.
Design Methods
The process began with a comprehensive analysis of the site's unique features, limitations, and opportunities. As a result, key concerns emerged regarding traffic noise, southerly winds, and undesirable street-level views - all of which could impact the experience of outdoor spaces. After discussions with the owner, stakeholders, and the design team, the Landscape Architects explored multiple building massing studies, ultimately arriving at an 'L'-shaped configuration that strategically shields the central courtyard from prevailing winds in addition to visual and acoustic disruption.
The site analysis also revealed that lowering the building's finished grade - below the Design Development Plan target - would better align with the natural topography. This decision reduced the need for excessive grading and minimized site disturbance, allowing the architecture and the landscape to further integrate into the existing terrain.
Communication throughout the entire process enabled the design team to integrate valuable insights from user groups. For example, edible plants were incorporated to support classes and teaching programs on site. The Landscape Architects also provided guidance and coordinated with other trades - such as site lighting, utilities, and signage - to ensure seamless site design.
A Circle of Wellness
The resulting facility fulfills the client's vision of a national model for integrative health. Grounded in the idea that prevention is key to health, the design draws from five tenets of the "Circle of Wellness" framework that draws from indigenous tradition and outlines the various areas involved in holistic well-being.
The first tenet, Mind/Body Connection, is embodied in quiet, contemplative spaces that facilitate reflection and mindfulness. The second, Movement/Exercise, pops up in various yoga spaces and a central "Wellness Walk" - a multimodal pathway with a dedicated bike lane connecting the building to the broader campus. Nutrition is the third tenet, supported by the edible plants in the kitchen garden that, when paired with the demonstration kitchen, becomes a living classroom for nutrition education. As the fourth tenet, the Physical Environment is manifest in a landscape that fosters a strong connection to nature, offering immersive outdoor spaces where users can pause, relax, and dwell within the environment. The final tenet, Relationships, is integrated into the many gathering spaces designed to invite human interaction - such as the auditorium, caf?(C), classroom, and flexible outdoor areas. By creating an environment conducive to relaxation, recharging, and meditation, the landscape experience imparts the same qualities as those of the building in support of holistic health.
Beyond human health, this project was also intended to support the health of the land. The existing landscape faced a range of challenges, including the dominance of invasive plant species and a loss of ecosystem services that once sustained adjacent native plant communities. Connecting the revival of natural systems to the renovation of the larger campus reinforces biophilic concepts that wholly align with integrative principles.
Multi-Layer Programming
The landscape reflects the diverse, multi-disciplinary nature of its user group, providing a range of spaces that support the needs of students, staff, and patients. Site strategies serve multiple purposes at different scales, including deck and lawn areas for yoga and tai-chi classes, meditation gardens with small-scale seating areas, rooftop decks for social interaction and group study, and a spacious event area suitable for graduations, symposia, and other large programs.
These layers are not just abstract, but also spatial. For example, there are several terraces on the second floor, including a semi-private infusion terrace that provides patient privacy in a garden-like setting surrounded by screen walls and plantings. The clinic's second floor waiting area also has an accessible terrace that utilizes the planting, rock mulch, and material from lower gardens as part of the vertical integration.
The Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing and auditorium rooftop include larger, more public terraces with private seating areas for study and relaxation. The auditorium roof is a larger space with seating and planters that can be arranged for private events or daily use. Half of this space is shaded by a large photovoltaic array with frameless glass for sun protection and clean, on-site energy generation. Concrete seat walls and planting along the edges serve as protection, enhancing building circulation and softening the plaza with green spaces.
The terraces on the fourth and fifth floors are made primarily of hard surfaces, able to host small events and attractive for their views of the courtyard, campus, and mountains beyond. The fifth floor also includes smaller, four-person decks with longer-range views and privacy from surrounding public spaces.
Climate Adaptation
All landscaped areas are arranged to leverage the Southern California climate. The central courtyard is designed to mitigate wind and noise, offering quiet, contemplative spaces in addition to more public zones. Some spaces allow individuals to bask in the sun, while others provide shade through trees or solar canopies.
The plant palette highlights pollinator species and medicinal varieties used in traditional and non-traditional pharmaceutical studies, offering educational and therapeutic use. The design also incorporates drought-tolerant plants that are native or well-adapted to the area, supporting the university's water conservation efforts. Plants are irrigated with reclaimed water, providing an opportunity to educate the UCI community about eco-friendly practices. The planting framework is designed to evolve over time based on educational needs, ensuring the garden remains relevant to the educational curriculum and the broader goals of the Health Sciences campus.
Designed For All
Universal design principles were employed to ensure accessibility for all users, emphasizing the design team's commitment to equitable access to outdoor spaces. As such, all walkways within the project have a slope of 5% or less. The Landscape Architects limited steep slopes to provide accessibility beyond basic code compliance, creating an area inclusive of all ages and abilities. Use of stairs onsite is minimized - primarily for convenience - and always located near a sloped walkway.
Project outcome
UCI College of Health Sciences illustrates the key role of landscape architecture in promoting health, wellness, and community engagement, highlighting landscape architecture's ability to balance functionality and aesthetics in a way that ultimately improves human well-being and environmental sustainability. Site features like outdoor classrooms, fitness areas, kitchen gardens, living walls, green roof planting, and on-structure gathering spaces make biophilic design elements directly accessible and visible for all site users. The design's focus on flexibility and integration with the surrounding natural environment demonstrates the ability of Landscape Architects to accommodate diverse user needs and leverage local climate conditions for optimal outdoor experiences.
UCI's Patient Experience Survey responses reflect a decrease in anxiety about upcoming health treatments and overall feelings of relaxation while visiting the facility, feelings the survey takes attribute to the design of the landscape and building.
This LEED Platinum project has received several national Sustainable Innovation and Design Build Excellence awards, as well as the 2023 DBIA Award of Merit in Healthcare and the 2024 San Diego ASLA Merit Award.
