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PROJECTS

In Design

Alpine Hills Tennis & Swimming Club, Portola Valley

The Site:

Kikuchi & Associates is currently preparing construction documents for this major renovation to the Alpine Hill Tennis and Swimming Club.   Originally constructed in the 1960’s the club has undergone numerous additions over the years, however this Master Plan reflects the current and future needs of its 600+ family membership.   

Kikuchi & Associates has acted as the lead planner in the siting of a new 2500 sf Fitness Building, a Clubhouse addition of 1500 sf, a Central Deck, a new training lap pool and other site improvements.

Design highlights include a 5,000 sf multi level deck that will serve as a major outdoor and dining area, built-in stadium seating around the swimming pool facilities, a new tennis pedestrian promenade and new site security fencing and gates. 

Kikuchi & Associates also acted as the lead consultant in processing the designs through the Town of Portola Valley’s Architectural Site Control Committee and the Planning Commission, gaining approvals in August of 2005.

The project will be implemented in 4 phases over a two year time period, with construction commencing this spring.

Bldg. Architect:Joel Cantor AIA

Under Construction

Region Medical Center of San Jose

The Regional Medical Center of San Jose is a 36 acre hospital campus occupying a majority of a city block at McKee and Jackson Streets.  Now owned by HCA, Hospital Corporation of America, the hospital was initially constructed in the mid 60’s and has expanded over the years.  With Hanes and Oakley as the lead architect, it is currently undergoing a major renovation including additions to existing buildings, construction of new facilities and associated parking on adjacent properties, and a pocket park to be shared with the neighboring community.

The Program:

Overall campus master planning was provided by the architect.  Subsequent refinements, including courtyard design and park design, fell under the scope of Kikuchi & Associates.  Additionally, Kikuchi & Associates provided planting and irrigation design for a majority of the 36 acre campus.  As part of the design there were several considerations to be made.  There are currently many codes and ordinances for both City and State that that insure the environment is minimally impacted by new construction and renovations.  City codes require parking lot trees for the purpose of reducing the amount of sun falling on the paving and consequently the amount of heat radiated back into the urban environment.  Trees were placed in groups throughout the parking lots and around the perimeters for this purpose.  The state requires that rain water falling on the site be directed into the ground and cleaned before being allowed to overflow into storm drains.  The project civil engineers designed bioswales throughout the parking lots for the purpose of retaining and absorbing as much water as possible.  The swales will be planted with plant material that is not only attractive and ornamental, but also tolerant of extended periods of wet soil and the presence of pollutants.

Our role was not limited to planting and irrigation alone.  Two courtyards were created with the building expansion.  The result is two separate spaces completely surrounded by building but still open to the sky above.  The courtyards are accessible to patients, visitors, and staff.  The courtyard spaces were designed with the users and their circumstances in mind.  Patients, visitors and staff need a place to retreat to within the hectic and stressful conditions of a hospital.  Private benches for seating, fountains with tranquil sounding water, lush plantings, and gentle, curving lines all help create a peaceful and tranquil setting within the sometimes chaotic and overwhelming environment of a hospital.

A large portion of the hospital frontage is adjacent to a residential neighborhood.  It is along this side of the project that a park has been included as part of the overall campus design. The purpose of the park is not only to provide a place for families with children visiting the hospital and facilities to actively pass time as they wait, but also to give families of the adjacent neighborhood a park to gather and play in, since the nearest park is several blocks away and across a major six lane boulevard.  The park provides an extensive play structure with surrounding seating, connecting paths from both the hospital campus and from the neighborhood, and ample lawn for play.

Completed

Residence, Los Altos Hills

The Site:

Kikuchi & Associates stepped in as landscape architect for this project with the task of adopting another firm’s design and refining it.  Maintaining the site features and the Town approvals was necessary for the project to be completed successfully.  Construction of a new house and detached garage (connected by a subterranean tunnel), pool cabana, and guesthouse began as the design was refined.  The site slopes downward from the street and has sweeping westward views of the coastal hills.  The design utilizes extensive screening at the property perimeters to give the family privacy, while maintaining the views to the hills.  The extensive use of water features helps to prevent any ambient noise from intruding onto the site.

The Entry:

In assuming the approved design concept of another firm, Kikuchi & Associates was committed to providing a large autocourt that serves as an emergency vehicle turn-around.  Colored concrete with a large scale scoring pattern helps to keep the autocourt understated and prevents it from becoming an overwhelming space.  Drivable turf was used at portions of the perimeter to reduce the amount of necessary concrete.  Stone paving that matches the pedestrian paving was integrated into the driveway to add a human scale and to blend the pedestrian and vehicular entry together.  The placement of the square stones subtly mimics the sandblast pattern on one of the building windows.  Once visitors leave the autocourt and approach the building, they cross a bridge over a pond with two distinctly different water features, each with its own unique character to be enjoyed from different rooms as well as from the entry courtyard itself.

The Backyard:

A strong indoor-outdoor connection is key component of the design.  To provide this, an extensive bluestone patio connects several rooms at different elevations across the back of the house.  Circulation in and out of the house and across the back patio as well as seating areas, seat walls, a barbeque, and a spa were all accommodated.  The spa is situated at the edge of the patio on level with the upper terrace.  It appears to spill into a stream which flows across the edge of an extensive lawn and finally over a waterfall into a small pond down at the pool cabana level.  It is from the pool cabana that one can sit and enjoy the view of the watercourse, the architecture of the building, and the grass edged pool.  The pool has it’s own private seating areas covered with a steel arbor complete with two 10’ spillways into the pool.  If an additional retreat is necessary, a secret shade garden is situated beneath existing elm and plum trees behind the guest house.  It is here that one can find shade and peacefulness amongst the Japanese style garden.

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