The Hollister Courthouse

designed by Cliff Lowe Associates /

Location: California / USA / Type: Corporate/Company Garden / Public Gardens / Squares and Plazas / Built: 2014 /
Show on Google Maps / Published on April 20, 2015

Cliff Lowe Associates: The Hollister Courthouse is located in an agricultural area near California’s Central Valley. The landscape design was inspired by the long, linear patterns of the local vernacular landscape. These patterns seem at once to be the essence of the modern and of the archaic, as can be seen in the context photos. They call to mind the fascination that American agricultural structures held for early modern architects such as Le Corbusier and Adolf Loos. The landscape design is centered on a 41,000 sf civic plaza.

The plaza includes four interconnected spaces: a bosque of cherry trees that recalls the gridded orchards of nearby commercial cherry farms; a paved civic plaza for events and community gatherings; a linear garden with galvanized steel planters, which reference the simple and rugged structures of the local vernacular; and a civic lawn with shade trees and seating. Lawn areas were minimized to conserve water, and low-maintenance, native and/or drought tolerant plants were used to further reduce water use. Storm-water detention areas were incorporated to maximize on-site water retention and infiltration. Large-scale shade trees in the parking areas were selected to reduce the heat-island effect. It is anticipated that the project will be LEED certified.

Project: Hollister Courthouse, Superior Court of California
Landscape Architecture: Cliff Lowe Associates
Architecture: Smith Group JJR
Design Year: 2009
Construction Completion: 2014
Total Construction Costs: $29,681,000
Landscape Construction Costs: $1,245,000
Photography Credits: ©2013 Bruce Damonte. All rights reserved.