LJ Design & Consulting

Sloan residence

2012-01-24T14:27:00.000-08:00

This central Phoenix home was remodeled to give it a modern, clean look. The project required designing around an existing pool and ramada while adding a raised spa, fireplace seating area, BBQ bar and outdoor shower. The patio was finished in a honed travertine, while citrus trees and flowering desert shrubs were planted to soften the edges and add rich color to the project.

Concept Diagrams & Concept Plans

2012-01-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

Recently we completed a concept diagram and plan for a medical professional office in Tucson, Arizona. The concept diagram provides a quick, easy visual way to see how people use and move through the office buildings. It shows areas to visually screen, areas to highlight, and planting types within the site.
This moves us toward the next step, which is creating a concept plan. This shows more detail of planting throughout the site. Following design steps such as these help us and our clients to make informed design decisions and keep us all on track toward achieving a complete, cohesive, functional and beautiful design!

New website in progress

2012-01-22T10:35:00.001-08:00

One of our New Years resolutions was to freshen up and update our website. And we're doing just that. We've hired Blossom Design Studio (www.blossomaz.com) to update our projects, provide multifunctionality by linking our site to our Facebook and Twitter accounts and to overall make our website fresh and clean. We're looking forward to seeing the progress!

LJ Design sponsors local running race to benefit Pima Community College Track&Field and Cross Country teams

2012-01-04T14:24:00.000-08:00

LJ Design is proud to support the 2012 Sun Run 10k/5k being held at Reid Park in Tucson on January 22. Proceeds for this event go to Pima Community College Track and Field and Cross Country teams to help them purchase supplies, shoes and even books for needy student-athletes. You can be sure to find both Christine and me out there racing it up!

Come on, what better way to set a goal for your New Year's resolutions to get into shape - come on out and let's see what you're made of! And, if you get the chance while you're racing by, take a look at the clever erosion control and water harvesting designs that are located around the roads and pathways in the park...

Tumacacori National Historical Park

2011-12-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

We are working toward finalizing plans for the National Park Service's Tumacacori National Historical Park. Our work on this design-build project (with Westpoint Contractors) includes designing and installing colored concrete walkways to replace the worn-out stabilized pathways currently there. All the work is being constructed in the Main Mission area of the Park, and it is of utmost importance that we keep the construction footprint to a minimum due to abundant archaeological artifacts in the area.

The new walkways will be ADAABA compliant and will blend into the surroundings in form, color and texture. We will also include several pullout areas for bench seating, oriented to prominent views of the Misson and other historic structures. There will also be a new picnic area located under a shady mesquite bosque and next to the old Orchard Garden.

Construction will begin early next year and we are excited to see it come together. Check back in a few months for progress photos!

main Mission buildings

Church/Mission building

One of our projects featured at 2011 Architectural Home Tour

2011-10-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

We hope you all enjoyed touring one of our recently completed front, back, side and courtyard projects located at 1810 Potter Place. Such an incredibly interesting home designed by Will Bruder. We freshened up the back and front yard mesquite grove, removed some outdated elements, added a fabulous rust finish corrugated metal fence, went completely Zen in the courtyard :) and added interesting highlights in the front yard to feature sculpture and the entry to the home.

We added more landscape lighting, some plantings, all new rock ground cover, steel steps from the back porch and key areas of mexican beach pebbles with golden barrel cactus. We think the overall look is just stunning - and the homeowners agree!

One of the homeowners is a professional photographer - we're waiting for some great pictures from him to share with all of you. In the meantime, you'll just have to wait to see in case you didn't make it out to the Home Tour yesterday!

Centro garage dedication a success

2011-09-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

We attended the Centro parking garage dedication this morning, of which we were the Landscape Architects. Aleks Istanbullu (architect) and Daniel Martin Diaz (public artist) did a great job designing and enhancing the structure, which is slated to have retail space developed on the ground level and University of Arizona housing on top.

As a parking garage, it is a great and needed addition to the east side of downtown Tucson. It will also help alleviate some parking issues for those wanting to hang out on 4th Avenue. I think this is a great perspective of the building, walking through the Underpass. The art panels at the corner of the structure will be backlit at night too. We'll get pictures of that for sure!

Planting space was a bit limited on this site. We had a few key spaces to work with, namely planters located on the 3rd floor containing vines that will grow up the screens adjacent to the art panels. We look at these vines as a way of providing more greenery to the structure and offsetting the metal artwork. It will take a little bit of time before the vines get to this point, but we think it will look great when it does!

Incorporated into the on-street layout was a future Modern Streetcar stop, so when that project is finished, you'll be able to take the streetcar right to/from this location.

We also produced a plan and calculated water usage/storage as part of the City of Tucson's Water Harvesting Ordinance. All planting areas were recessed to capture water runoff and rainfall. We also used drought tolerant plants throughout the site, but didn't sacrifice on texture or adding seasonal color in areas.

Hope you enjoy the new addition to downtown Tucson! We do.

Plaza Centro Parking Garage Dedication

2011-08-19T11:31:00.001-07:00

September 8, 2011 8:30am

Downtown Tucson at the NE corner of 4th Avenue/Congress Street

See you there!

What the heck do Landscape Architects DO?

2011-08-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

What if, for just one day, we all decided to let everyone know what the heck landscape architects do. That we create the very places used to live, work and play. That we connect cities. That we create experience. That landscape architecture is your environment - designed.

August 17, 2011 is that day.

Use this map to find out what's happening or contact us for further information.

Stop by our office for a meet and greet and to ask us what the heck we have done or are doing!!

Yarn Bombing...

2011-08-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is just too much fun to not take a look at....

Yarn bombing or "grandma grafitti"!

Much preferred to the spray paint version...

Progress made at residential design

2011-08-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the courtyard at one of our residential projects. We still have a temporary nursery set up to relocate cactus and our perimeter fence is going up - corrugated metal that will rust over time. This project required a lot of vegetation cleanup before we could even get started. But when we're finished, we hope to capitalize on the original design intent of this 1990's Will Bruder designed home in Tucson.

Our goal for the courtyard was to remove any and all visual clutter and focus on mass plantings that were bold and placed in a Fibonacci sequence of numbers. This courtyard is highly visible from the guest house as well as the living, dining room and kitchen of the main house; viewing from many angles was critical to its success, as well as creating an inviting place for the homeowners to lounge during the day and entertain small groups at night.

courtyard before....

courtyard after (picture taken standing on the concrete pathway) We enjoyed using the mass planting of golden barrel cactus in a sea of black rounded decorative rock. It provides a stunning visual next to the mixture of galvanized and rusted metal from the house. We will post some pictures of the courtyard at night; it really is a great place to hang out!

New Location!

2011-05-06T16:25:00.001-07:00

We've moved! Please stop by and visit us at our new location...

1430 E Ft. Lowell Road #200
Tucson, Arizona 85719

Our phone number stays the same at 520-591-9992
We now have a fax number of 520-320-0157

We're in the process of updating our website with new projects and photos, but in the meantime please call or email us if you have any questions about what we can do for you!

Thanks-
Lisa and Christine :)

Progress being made at Plaza Centro parking garage

2011-03-26T07:19:00.001-07:00

Construction is coming along on the Plaza Centro parking garage in downtown Tucson - the scaffolding is finally coming down and you can really start to see how the building is going to look. The plans to continue with residential development on top of the structure looks promising too! Public art is planned for the corner facing Congress Street, designed by Tucson artist Daniel Martin Diaz, and will feature large rolled steel panels with water jet cut designs. The panels will be mounted onto the corner of the building, surrounded by vines, and will be backlit at night.

We think it will make for a striking piece at the apex of Congress Street and will post pictures of the concept soon.

Here is a picture of the progress, looking east at the garage, from Maynards Market parking lot. Planting around the building is still a little while off, but we'll be sure to get pictures just as soon as they go in the ground!

A variety of projects...

2011-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

We here at LJ Design take pride in designing projects not only for homeowners, residential communities and developers, we also do a fair bit of design and consulting work in the public sector. We are currently working on a number of projects for Pima County and City of Tucson that involves inventory of native plant species and taking random samples (releves) of the project area to determine species type and density. From this information, we are better able to develop a plant design and palette that keeps more with the natural plant variety and density that is found in the project area.

We also strive to create designs that help reduce water usage and maintenance over time, once the project is built. There is just not enough maintenance personnel or funding available currently to upkeep all the area that these agencies are responsible for, so anything we can do through design or specification of innovative products to reduce the need for extra maintenance is important to us and our clients.

We enjoy a variety of projects, from large scale roadways and masterplanned developments, to small, initmate couryards and are always willing to help our clients achieve their goals, no matter what the project!

Residential "Zen" garden cleanup and reorganization

2011-02-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

This residential project is all about the subtle details. This front yard needed a facelift and a bit more cohesiveness to complement the homeowner's lifestyle and home interior. Once the house was repainted a striking palo verde green, all we had to do is finish it off with some additional planting and expansion of the 'zen' garden feeling as guests walk toward the front door. The polished black pebbles really help the golden barrel and columnar cactus stand out and make a statement. We moved a few of the existing sculptures around for a better visual flow and feeling in the space (those round concrete pieces weren't light!!) We'll be adding a little more planting in the spring and doing some final touches with succulents in landscape containers, but the homeowners are well on their way to having a striking entry to their home!

new polished pebbles and addition of golden barrel to entry area

expansion of polished pebbles and golden barrel to other side of entry walkway in progress

front yard before painting and addition of polished pebbles and plantings

front yard before reorganization and shifting of concrete sculptures

Completed residential backyard design

2011-02-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

With all but the planting left to be installed (we are waiting until it warms up in the spring), this backyard has just about everything: handmade tile accents, beehive fireplace, textured/colored concrete, hot tub, built-in BBQ and sink, open ramada, vegetable planter, artificial turf, landscape lighting and extra space for additional seating and plantings! We found the project to be a success and we think the homeowners agree.

Sahuarita residential project almost finished!

2010-12-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a few long months of planning, deciding and construction, but we're within about a week of finishing a fabulous backyard/frontyard design in Sahuarita, Arizona. Complete with open ramada, built-in BBQ, beehive fireplace, raised vegetable garden and spa, this backyard has it all - complete with lake views!

Take a look at the progress:

not much to begin with in the backyardsome erosion problems in the front yard

erosion and access problems fixed with some steps!

the guys building the beehive fireplace and forming the concrete patio and BBQ area

beehive fireplace, hot tub and concrete patio in place, now just the BBQ and open ramada above!

More pictures to come in about a week when everything is finished!! We will put in the plants first thing in the spring, when the frosts have stopped. Too cold to plant now!

Sabino Canyon Tram Stop #9

2010-10-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

This ARRA project reconstructed the last tram stop on the Sabino Canyon paved trail/roadway that ushers thousands of tourists and locals alike up the 3.7 mile path. Due to massive flooding, washouts and rockslides several years ago, much of the route was blocked by rubble and debris and was unsafe for passage.

Now with new drainage and retention systems, there are seatwalls, benches and shade trees to welcome visitors at the top of the canyon. Strictly native plantings indigenous to the Sabino Canyon area were used and a temporary irrigation system fed by a 1,000 gallon water tank will water the plants until they are established.

Plaza Centro Groundbreaking!

2010-09-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

Join us tomorrow morning (Friday October 1) for the Groundbreaking ceremony for the new Plaza Centro parking garage located at Congress/4th Avenue in downtown Tucson! LJ Design was responsible for the planting, irrigation and water harvesting plan for the project and coordinated with Aleks Istanbullu (architect) and City of Tucson's Parkwise throughout.

Plans for the site include future retail at ground level and residential units above. The building will be integrated with the recently completed 4th Avenue underpass and will be a prominent feature for those travelling into downtown from the east on Broadway Boulevard. We'll post pictures of the event tomorrow!

See you there!

Design Update

2010-05-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
It's been a little while since we've posted, but we're still out there busy with some new and exciting designs!
We're completing a water harvesting design/water budget and planting plan for a new parking garage in downtown Tucson, following the City of Tucson's newly approved Water Harvesting Ordinance requirements.
We've completed a planting and irrigation design for the last tram stop at Sabino Canyon, featuring all native plantings and a 1000 gallon water tank to irrigate the plants, since there is no water source that far into the canyon.
And, we have several residential designs finishing and being installed as I type...
We just completed a great courtyard planting design this past weekend, in the Mercado District on the west side of Tucson.

Stop by Broadway Boulevard/5th Avenue in downtown Tucson and check out the new streetscape design that is complete! While you're at it, take in a spin class at O2 Modern Fitness!

We will be posting photos of these projects and more very soon!

Front courtyard photo rendering

2010-03-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the before picture with a photo rendering of the courtyard plan that we posted about a week ago - the concept is coming together nicely! What a great way to see how things could look before a shovel ever goes into the ground...

Front/Back yard design in Tucson Country Club

2010-03-18T06:09:00.000-07:00

We are currently working on a concept plan for a renovated residence in Tucson Country Club. Features of the design will include: preservation of some large and impressive mesquite trees and cacti, grading for visual interest and to highlight plant groupings (as well as provide adequate drainage), brick patio around an existing pool, outdoor shower and bathroom, turf area and dog run, raised planters and a spectacular outdoor kitchen! Plantings will be transitional in nature to enhance the California bungalow style the homeowners are seeking.

Front courtyard concept design

2010-03-09T07:30:00.001-08:00

This design-in-progress will create a much more dramatic entry to the front yard of this home, located on the northwest side of Tucson. The homeowners were looking for an old-world, Santa Fe style entry that would detract from their large garage doors, currently dominating the view of their home. The design is progressing to include a radial, tumbled paver pattern with a large fountain as the central feature, a smaller, more intimate seating area off of the guest bedroom, colorful plantings, tilework and an overall lush feel. A new entry gate will open into the courtyard and the fountain will be placed so it can be seen from the entry gate, front door and kitchen window. We will soon post a photo rendering of the courtyard, as it will look from the new entry gate.

Broadway/5th Avenue streetscape planting!

2010-03-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

Plants are now going in along Broadway Boulevard/5th Avenue in downtown Tucson, for our streetscape project. It is nearly complete and what a difference the trees make!

Tucson Receives TIGER grant funds for Streetcar

2010-02-18T18:51:00.000-08:00

US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood stopped through Tucson today to celebrate Tucson's award of $63M through TIGER funding toward building the Modern Streetcar to connect the University through downtown to the west side.
Tucson was one of only 51 projects that recieved the funding, and there were 1400 applications - so this is a great big step for the Old Pueblo.
We are most excited at this opportunity and look forward to seeing more progress downtown!!

Take a look through our blog to see projects we have worked on in downtown already that will become integral parts to the new scene!

Downtown Tucson construction progress

2010-02-03T04:59:00.000-08:00

Streetscape construction continues downtown Tucson as the southwest corner of Broadway/5th Avenue gets new sidewalk poured, site furnishings, and within the next few weeks - plants will be installed. A much needed upgrade and difference to the original street presence!

Backyard residential design progress

2010-02-03T04:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some progress photos of our backyard design on the east side of Tucson. The hardscape and planters have been formed, pool and hot tub have been poured, and the irrigation and lighting are being installed. Up next will be plants and the final touches as spring comes around - compare the progress photos with the rendered image we did many months ago to see what the project could look like prior to construction!

Happy New Year! Projects coming...

2010-01-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
Hope everyone had a great holiday!
Well, now that they are over, we all get back into the swing of things. We have several projects on at the moment, and over the next few days we will be sharing more progress pictures and very soon some finished pictures!
We have projects happening with the City of Tucson, Pima County and a few residential projects that will be starting construction in the next month or so, so keep any eye out for those!

Once those projects are finished, we will add them to our website as permanent fixtures in our portfolio.

Courtyard concept plan

2009-11-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

Here's some progress work for a courtyard plan we are currently working on. The client wanted a grand entry to the house (but not TOO grand to be annoying!) as well as some new colorful plantings and a redesign of the front yard to give it more curb appeal. Below are some photo renderings of front entry gate options...

Downtown Tucson Streetscape progress

2009-11-13T21:07:00.001-08:00

Streetscape is being installed at Broadway/5th Avenue in downtown Tucson. Here are some images of the work in progress - the first image is a rendering of the streetscape plan. Demolition continues and soon new concrete will be poured, lights installed, and plants brought in. We'll show you how it is progressing!

More before/after photo renderings!

2009-10-24T06:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photo renderings to help clients get a feel for how a site would look with artificial turf placed in areas that are currently not used very often and are costly to maintain. We have found that images like these are becoming more and more useful to our clients!

Stay tuned for more project updates - we have some back yard shade structures, concept plans and pool/wall/hardscape projects along the way!

'Efficient' Projects = Setting & Sticking to Project Goals

2009-09-24T12:40:00.000-07:00

Tucson Weekly named a project I managed (from the landscape architecture side, of course) as the best example of an efficient design/construction project for the City of Tucson. I have to agree (well, why wouldn't I?). Check out the link below:
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/best-example-of-city-efficiency/BestOf?oid=1360541

Any downtown project, anywhere in the world, can be rife with delays and controversy. There are just too many people affected (or not really affected, but just want to have a say) and too often designs, budgets and schedules suffer as a result.
But the Scott Avenue Streetscape project went more smoothly than any other public project I've worked on so far. There was an honest, genuine effort to inform stakeholders so they understood what the project was all about. The design team stuck to overall project goals at every turn - which was a great way to help keep us all on track. When you set your goals (and make them known) at the onset of the project, anything that comes along can be balanced against them to determine whether it is worth pursuing or including at that time.
I have often been told that the Scott Avenue streetscape project should be the benchmark for the rest of the redevelopment of downtown. That is incredibly flattering and alot of thanks goes to all the City staff, designers, stakeholders, and construction crew for making it happen!
If you live in town, you should take a stroll down Scott Avenue sometime...the blog post just below this one shows the curb openings on Scott Avenue collecting water during a rainstorm...

PS: In the interest of full disclosure, I was working with another local landscape architecture firm at the time I managed this project.

Water harvesting in downtown Tucson

2009-09-09T05:24:00.000-07:00

Water harvesting via curb openings - in action!

Here's a video of a recently completed project we managed in downtown Tucson (Scott Avenue streetscape project). We had a nice monsoon rain last night, so of course we ran down to get pictures and video of the curb cuts in action!

Recent Before-After images

2009-09-08T07:27:00.001-07:00

Here are two more before/after images we have created to illustrate to our clients what the proposed design could look like - this is a great way to make design decisions and get a preview of what their project will look like installed!

Bridge aesthetics

2009-08-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

On my way back from a recent trip, I travelled through Albuquerque by car. Over the years, they have been widening and rebuilding a stretch of I-40 in the city, which includes several bridges over the interstate. I snapped pictures of most of the aesthetic bridge elements I saw along that several mile-long stretch of road. There is always the debate of whether artistic/aesthetic elements should be added to a bridge or whether the bridge structure itself should be the art - I have to admit I do believe that first and foremost, the bridge structure should aim to be the artwork (I am particularly fond of arch wall bridges). But, if that is not feasible and there is opportunity to add elements to a standard bridge structure, it can be a great way to make it more interesting and inviting to the travelling public (maybe even educational or a public art opportunity) - only if done very judiciously. Decide for yourself which of these you like or don't like...!
1
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Before & After

2009-08-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a front yard design and install that we just recently finished. We created a before and after image to show the client what the new fence would look like, and it turned out pretty close to the graphic!
The old wooden fence was crumbling, so we installed a new one with a gate to match detailing on the front door, we removed some of the overgrown vegetation, installed a new driveway and walkway to the front door. The planting quantity was trimmed back a little from the original design, but overtime the owner plans to fill it in according to plan. Also in the future, the owner plans to repaint the house trim and install new window shutters to coordinate with the new fence and gate. A successful upgrade to a front yard landscape!

The before

The graphic of proposed fence

The after - pretty close to the graphic

The front with new drive and walkway

Perfection

2009-08-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
This is probably a favorite quote when it comes to defining good design. It is so tempting to cram all those ideas into a new project: those ideas that went unrealized in previous designs, those that you see while you're out and about or travelling, or those that you dream up while out on a bike ride in the morning.
Taking one good, solid idea and thoroughly developing it is far superior than taking a dozen so-so ideas and hoping that the collection of them will make something worthwhile; it never does. And it is obvious when this has happened on a project.
Bad design is noticed immediately, it feels awkward, clunky, or it just may feel like something is off a little. Good design, however, goes unnoticed more often than it is noticed, and always takes a lot more work. I think today we'll go for Door #2, Monty.

LJ Design mentioned in Hotel Congress plaza construction article

2009-08-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

'Parisian plaza' downtown
By Joe Pangburn, Inside Tucson BusinessPublished on Tuesday, August 04, 2009
http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2009/08/04/construction_real_estate/doc4a7330b2f099b325272361.txt

Hotel Congress PlazaHotel Congress downtown is in the midst of making a plaza on a triangled-shaped area outside the north entrance of the historic hotel. “We wanted to create the ambiance of a delightful Parisian plaza, with brick- on- sand pavers and lots of trees to provide shaded areas where the public can meet, eat, drink and enjoy the urban experience” said Shana Oseran, who with her husband Richard, own Hotel Congress. “In Europe, plazas are where people gather and enjoy life. We hope this will set a trend in downtown Tucson where these open spaces are so needed”. The new plaza will more than triple the outdoor seating available for patrons of the hotel’s Cup Café and bar.The triangular shaped parcel was originally a portion of East 10th Street. The Oserans purchased the parcel several years ago to be used as the hotel parking lot. The parking is being reconfigured into a V-shape extending into the north part of the triangle formed by Fifth Avenue on the west, Toole Avenue on the northeast and the hotel on the south.

The plaza, which can also be used as a venue for outdoor concerts and other events, was designed by architect Bob Vint of Vint & Associates. Jeff Rhody and Lisa Ribes consulted on the landscaping, and the project is being built by NAC Construction of Tucson.Completion of the plaza is being timed to coincide with the Aug. 20 re-opening of the Fourth Avenue underpass.

Backyard masterplan for "do-it-yourselfers"

2009-08-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

This home in Oro Valley, Arizona was in need of a masterplan for a family of skilled do-it-yourselfers. They wanted to tackle their backyard projects one at a time, but needed an overall plan to guide them as they went along. We discussed with them what their ultimate goals were and put it to paper for them to use while they planned their next home improvement project. We suggested plant and hardscape materials, layout, sizing and spacing of all the major elements of the backyard for them. Now is where the sweat equity comes in.
These homeowners are a great example of what many can do for their own yards - having a masterplan helps you to organize your thoughts and tackle your projects one at a time to achieve your ultimate goal.
We were happy to be able to provide them the "blueprint" to their future success!

photo of backyard currently

Masterplan of future backyard elements

Progress in Downtown Tucson

2009-08-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

Some of the progress photos from the 4th Avenue Underpass project and a parking lot conversion to a plaza at Hotel Congress.

4th Avenue Underpass project

Hotel Congress parking lot/plaza conversion

Graphic renderings: before & after

2009-08-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

An exercise in using graphic renderings to get an idea of the finished product. Here's the before and after:

The before

The after