1. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
EDUCATION
• Harvard University Graduate School of
Design, Master of Landscape Architec-
ture, 1986
• Colorado State University College of For-
estry and Natural Resources, Bachelor of
Science in Landscape Architecture, 1983
COMMUNITY
• ACE Mentor Program Board, 2003 - 2011
• Mesa College Advisory Board 1994 -2008
• San Diego Commission for Arts & Cul-
ture– Public Art Committee, 1999-2003
• San Diego Historical Resources Board,
1999-2008
• The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Board, 2007-2011
• ASLA Legacy Project Chair, 2011
• Urban Land Institute - Technical
Assistance Panel: Downtown Tijuana, B.C.,
Revitalization Plan, 2013
• Urban Land Institute - Advisory Services
Panel: Healthy Places: Designing an
Active Colorado, 2013
ACADEMIC
• Urban Park Network as Infrastructure
for Community Health, American Public
Works Association, 2013
• Building Green on Brown - Incentives:
SB375, AB32, LEED & the Sustain-
able Sites Initiative (SITES), National
Brownfield Association, 2010
• Design Review Committee, Colorado
State University 2006 – 2008
• NewSchool of Architecture and Design -
Studio 2012-13
LICENSED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
• CA #3514 (1990)
• CO #117 (2008)
• LA #08-596 (2008)
• WY #LA-0110C (2008)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
• Burnett Land & Water 2011 –
• Burton Studio, Solana Beach, CA 2014 -
2015
• Wallace Roberts & Todd, Inc., San Diego,
CA 1991 - 2011 Principal
• Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects
San Diego, CA 1988-1991
• Coe Lee Robinson Roesch, New York, NY
1987
• SWA Group, Laguna Beach, CA 1986
• Sasaki Associates, Watertown, MA 1985
• Dames & Moore/Wirth Associates,
Denver, CO 1984
• State of Colorado, Energy Impact Assist.
Office Denver, CO 1983
HONORS & AWARDS
• Governor’s Historic Preservation Award
for 2015, and California Preservation
Foundation Preservation Design Award
in 2014 for the Audrey Geisel University
House Rehabilitation Project
• 2012 American Society of Landscape
Architects, San Diego, Award, Torrey
Pines City Park General Development Plan
• 2010 American Planning Assoc.
National Planning Achievement Award,
New Orleans City Park Vision Plan
• 2007 ASLA, San Diego, Honor Award,
Design, Caltrans Headquarters
• 2004 ASLA Landscape Architecture Firm
Award – WRT
• 2003 California Preservation Foundation,
Outstanding Achievement, Sikes Adobe
• 2002 ASLA, National Honor Award for
Design, South Beach Santa Monica, CA
• 2000, LA Conservancy Royce Neuschatz
Preservation Award, South Beach &
Palisades Park
• 1993 ASLA San Diego, President’s Award,
APA Merity Award - Balboa Park East
Mesa Precise Plan
• 1983 Certificate of Honor, ASLA
LAURA BURNETT, FASLA, LEED AP
PRINCIPAL / LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Laura is a landscape architect and urban designer skilled at integrating sophisticated
designs with the functional requirements of her projects. Her work in the planning and
design of urban communities, parks, campuses, transit-oriented facilities, and regional open
space networks results in rich and exciting environments where infrastructure, buildings,
and landscape work as a coordinated whole. A gifted designer and skilled project manager,
Laura brings to her work a strong commitment to the principles of sustainability and the
cultural, functional, and aesthetic interface of human activity and natural systems.
2. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
California State Parks
Culver City, CA
As senior landscape architect, Laura Burnett
with WRT, designed the overlooks, trails
and related site facilities for the 57-acre
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City,
California. This State Parks project is located
midway between downtown Los Angeles
and Los Angles International Airport. The
trails are designed to provide distinct
experiences for visitors moving through the
sequence of spaces defined by sculpted
landforms and plant composition. Trails are
accessible in and around the visitor’s center.
Overlooks will provide offers sweeping
panoramic vistas from the San Gabriel
Mountains to Catalina Island, and most of
the Santa Monica Mountains and the Los
Angeles Basin. Ms. Burnett worked closely
with the team of architects, engineers
and interpretive consultants to develop
outdoor exhibits featuring the history of the
land including Native Americans, Spanish
settlement, and oil development. The plant
palette is entirely native species associated
with precontact period of significance
(1750).
Architecture by Safdie Rabines
The overlook draws a diverse community
3. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Bay to Bay Link Feasibility Study
San Diego Bay to Mission Bay
San Diego, CA
Laura Burnett, as principal with WRT, led
the community and her team of consultants
to explore the feasibility of creating a
navigable channel between San Diego Bay
and Mission Bay. The idea of a Bay-to-Bay
link has long intrigued both city leaders
as well as prominent urban designers
as a way of fulfilling the promise of an
underutilized land resource. Given the
complexity of the assignment, the team
included economists, waterfront engineers,
civil, geotechnical, hazardous materials
and traffic/transportation engineers as well
as environmental, and cultural resource
consultants. WRT was the lead consultant
responsible for strategy, outreach, urban
design and planning.
Alternative 3 was the recommended plan to
provide a park land connection between the bays
utilizing public land as the economic catalyst for
the redevelopment area.
4. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Ms. Burnett, as senior landscape architect
with WRT designed the 11-acre campus
landscape to compliment and interpret
the significant cultural context. The site,
located between the San Diego River and
Old Town—a district listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, includes
designed mosaic of entry courts, pedestrian
plazas, children’s play areas and parking
lots. The trees along Taylor Street are a
compendium native species and those
introduced to Southern California through
the Mission, Mexican, and American periods
of historical significance since 1769. The
parking lots’ curved forms of native riparian
plants and boulders echo to nearby river
elements.
The project was designed to meet
California’s Green Building Initiative and
is LEED Gold. Native and drought tolerant
plants thrive with minimal irrigation.
Permeable pavement allows stormwater
to infiltrate to the underlying groundwater.
Trees are quickly growing to shade the
parking lots.
2007 ASLA Honor Award for Design, from
the San Diego Chapter.
Bioswales in the parking lot clean stormwater.
The new civic facility fits into the historic cultural
landscape.
Caltrans District 11 Headquarters
San Diego, California
Pavement design is of the adjacent intersecton
interstates 5 & 8
5. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
San Diego City College
Business and Humanities Quad
San Diego, CA
Bio-retention basin to
collect and cleanse
stormwater runoff
Central Plaza
Roof Deck
C
Street
B
Street
16th Street
Street Plaza
Central Green
As principal with WRT Ms. Burnett designed
the new public open spaces at the entrance
to the downtown campus as a sequence of
urban plazas that step up the hill between
the business and humanities buildings.
The entry plaza at the intersection of C
and 16th Streets includes cafe seating,
gathering areas, bicycle parking and the
primary building entries. Steps up through a
palm canyon reach the central plaza which
provides an amphitheater and a variety of
gathering spaces, outdoor art gallery, and
market space.
The landscape architecture introduces new
and innovative best management practices
for collecting and cleansing the site’s 11,000
cubic feet. of stormwater. Aerial view at installation
6. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
New Orleans’ City Park is one of the coun-
try’s oldest and largest urban parks. Estab-
lished in 1891, its 1,300 acres dramatically
illustrate the challenges and successes of
the city’s remarkable history. The Vision
Plan 2018, prepared by Laura Burnett with
WRT, in 2004 guides park development for
the next fifteen years based on five closely
related themes:
• Expanded recreational opportunities
• Strong sense of community
• Integrated natural and functional systems
• Distinctive identity
• Financial self-sufficiency
Using the historic park structure to meet
current and future user needs, the plan re-
stores bayou and lagoon habitat; creates 30
miles of trails plus equestrian and boating
facilities, and festival ground: expands and
organizes cultural and sports facilities. A
pedestrian promenade will link existing and
new cultural and family oriented facilities.
The ‘Great Lawn’ on the pedestrian prom-
enade will be the heart of the park, available
for concerts, events and informal play.
The new Zemurray Trail extends out over Big Lake
Following the vast devasta-
tion of Hurricane Katrina the
Trust for Public Land initi-
ated the rebuilding of City
Park with Ms. Burnett for
the design for Big Lake, the
26 acre corner of the park.
The shallow lake was hand
dug in 1898 in the shape of
Lake Pontchartrain. The site
has served as part of the a
golf course since 1910. The
Vision Plan called for it to
be open for public use with
a multi-use trail around the
lake, picnic groves, festival
City Park Vision Plan & Big Lake
New Orleans, LA
The Vision Plan received a 2010 National Planning
Achievement Award, American Planning Assoc.
grounds, a water plaza, a boat dock, fishing
piers and the expansion of the New Orleans
Museum of Art. The lake topography has
been sculpted for the introduction of native
marsh, Louisiana iris, and upland freshwater
habitat – while preserving its historic shape.
The design process engaged intrepid groups
such as the Louisiana Sea Grant’s regional
coastal advisory for fisheries, Louisiana
State University AgCenter, and the New
Orleans Botanical Garden.
The schematic plan
of Big Lake inspired
investment from across
the country.
7. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Campus Aesthetic Guidelines
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO
Planning diagrams for the Foothills Campus, left,
and Main Campus
As principal with WRT Ms. Burnett prepared
the Aesthetic Guidelines to establish design
standards for the development of the
Main, South and Foothills Campuses. The
Aesthetic Guidelines Program is meant to
implement the recommendations of the
campus master plan by:
• Establishing the framework to incremen-
tally build new facilities.
• Reinforcing the patterns of campus open
spaces, edges and features.
• Setting criteria for building composition
and materials.
• Developing a consistent palette of site fur-
nishings, including signage, paving, light-
ing, and furniture (benches, trash, etc.).
Site specific design studies were conducted to
address functional issues and enhance the
character of the campuses.
The palette of materials expresses the unique
aspects of each campus within an overall concept.
8. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Central Park Mall
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
As a landscape architect with Burton Studio
Laura Burnett led the concept development
for a park within an enclosed mall in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates.
Computer generated images were prepared by
Squint/Opera.
9. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Balboa Park
East Mesa Precise Plan
San Diego, CA
Ms. Burnett served as the senior landscape
architect with WRT, technical specialists and
two artists, prepared the Precise Plan for
Balboa Park’s East Mesa. Comprised of over
600 acres, nearly half the size of the park,
East Mesa has largely been used for active
sports, and as a landfill. With its adjacency
to residential neighborhoods and downtown
San Diego, it must serve as both a part of a
regional park with national significance and
as a neighborhood and community park.
Given the parks diverse roles, the Precise
Plan maximizes the current recreational
functions and provides for the natural
resources that have remained in the park,
emphasizing a new level of recreational
amenity. Wildlife habitat and natural areas
will become educational and recreational
opportunities, residents will be drawn to
the attractive views at the mesa’s edge, and
hikers and cyclists will move freely through
diverse portions of the landscape.
The Precise Plan details a vocabulary of
improvements, capturing the spirit of the
craftsman era found through expressions
of character and form in the surrounding
neighborhoods, yet addresses new materials
and construction techniques. Trellises,
promenades, and new facilities are designed
to capture the vast expanses of sky and
open space that are increasingly rare in
urban San Diego.
Recognizing the need to maintain natural
areas and expand upon the recreational
potential, the Precise Plan seeks to balance
the recreational demands with open
parkland, the neighborhood uses with
regional activities, and the environmental
philosophy with cultural activities.
10. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
McLaughlin East Shore State Park
General Plan
Alameda County, CA
California Department of Parks and
Recreation, East Bay Regional Park
District and the California State Coastal
Conservancy worked with WRT to
prepare a master plan and comprehensive
environmental assessment for a new State
Park along San Francisco Bay’s eastern
shoreline. Encompassing 1,800 acres of
water and upland area, the park extends
8.5 miles from the Bay Bridge in Oakland
to Marina Bay in Richmond, and passes
through the jurisdiction of five different
cities. Blessed with dramatic Bay views
and some of the most sensitive salt marsh
habitat in the Bay Area, the park is located
in a densely urbanized area, with most
of the upland area being the result of
municipal landfill practices over the past half
century.
Laura Burnett, with WRT prepared the site
design and illustrative graphics used in
the planning process of extensive citizen
and local government participation in the
development of this project.
11. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Master Plan for Parks, Trails & Open Space
Escondido, CA
As the project landscape architect with
WRT, Laura Burnett led the consultant team
of biologists, archaeologists, and econo-
mists in the development of the Master Plan
for the City of Escondido in north San Diego
County. The project established an open
space system for the city which integrates
outdoor recreation needs, protection of
natural resources and biodiversity, and
protection and interpretation of landscape
character and quality.
Prepared in 1994 - the plan remains the guiding document
https://www.escondido.org/Data/Sites/1/media/pdfs/Planning/MasterPlanPTOSept99.pdf
Following preparation of the detailed plans
for the open space system which defined
the boundaries of future urban growth in
the city, the team prepared an implemen-
tation program addressing capital costs
projections and phasing, operations and
maintenance projections, and identified of a
range of financing opportunities.
12. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
HabiTAFT Garden: ASLA Legacy Project
Taft Middle School
San Diego, CA
The American Society of Landscape
Architects and the ACE Mentor Program
joined forces to design and build a garden
for an underserved school. The design
included a concrete and boulder seat wall
to hold the slope of new native plants,
raised beds, a greenhouse, potting tables,
irrigation, entry trellis, and a picnic table.
Laura Burnett was a co-chair of the project.
The committee set criteria and selected
a project from a variety of applications.
High school students from the ACE Mentor
Program were led through a community
design and construction process. Funding,
materials, and heavy equipment were
donated by landscape contractors and
design professionals.
Garden opening day festivities and planting
13. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Oasis of Mara Visitor Center
Joshua Tree National Park
San Bernardino County, CA
The Oasis of Mara Visitor Center is located
near the northeastern entrance to Joshua
Tree National Park, Twentynine Palms, CA.
Built in 1953, it is named for the rare desert
oasis that characterizes part of the 34-acre
project site. It also serves as the Park’s
administrative headquarters. In order to
update the Visitor Center in a cost-effective
manner, the National Park and the City of
Twentynine Palms have joined forces to
renovate and expand the facilities dedicated
to providing information, orientation,
community-use spaces, and services to the
visiting public.
Laura Burnett, Principal in charge with WRT
led the landscape architectural schematic
design. The site program will support
additional interpretive opportunities and
provide recreational opportunities for
visitors, community members, and staff. The
site program proposes entry plazas, staging
areas, courtyards, outdoor classrooms and
amphitheaters, outdoor picnic areas and
staff areas, and interpretive gardens. The
designed landscape will focus on the four
following principles: emphasize the Oasis
of Mara; foster appreciation of the desert
landscape; direct views and circulation; and
reinforce sustainable featurres of the Visitor
Center.
14. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Lambert Park Master Plan
El Monte, CA
Lambert Park is a 9 acre site serving the
community of El Monte. Ms. Burnett
prepared the Master Plan through a series
of public meetings and strategic outreach
with stakeholders including the adjacent
elementary school, little league baseball and
adult soccer leagues. She worked closely
with the city’s park and recreation staff as
well as the public works department.
The Master Plan calls for the:
• Reworking of the baseball fields to fit a new
soccer field
• Enhancing the perimeter trail with lighting and
exercise stations
• Protection of the mature oak trees around the
park perimeter
• New gardens to collect, cleanse and reuse
storm water and interpret native vegetation of
the San Gabriel River Valley
• Play areas and splash pad
• A composition of new small buildings (conces-
sion, youth group, restroom and maintenance
to create a central plaza.
The Master Plan has been used to win State and local funding.
15. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Las Flores Adobe National Landmark
Cultural Landscape Initial Study
Camp Pendleton, CA
In 2012, for the first time an initial study of
the Las Flores Adobe contributing cultural
landscape was undertaken to understand
the historical function and use of the land-
scape in the context of the buildings, struc-
tures, and circulation to meet the guidelines
of the National Park Service.
Recommendations for the rehabilitation
of the landscape include representation of
each of the periods of significance.
Las Flores
Asistencia
Las Flores
Adobe
NHL/NR Boundary
StuartMesaRd.
Las Pulgas Rd.
1 2
3
4
6
25
parking
The siting of the Las Flores Adobe and grounds
traces back through layers of cultural history to
the local resident Kumeyaay Indians. The adobe
was built in 1867 for the Forester family within
the largest rancho granted during the Mexican
Republic era, Santa Margarita y Las Flores. The
historic record documents extensive changes
to the landscape over time through the aegis of
three governments; Spain, Mexico and the United
States. Coastal and riparian vegetation were deci-
mated by cattle grazing, mostly to the north, and
extensive farm lands to the south.
16. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Mater Dei High School
Chula Vista, CA
Mater Dei High School is a new facility
designed for the Catholic Dioceses on
a 50-acre site in Chula Vista, California.
Laura Burnett, as principal with WRT,
was a member of the Design Build team
and responsible for ther preparation of
the site design, landscape architectural
design, documentation, and construction
administration.
The campus is organized along a central
promenade with distinctive courtyards,
a large open lawn for multiple uses and
sacred gardens. The site also includes a
football stadium, soccer, baseball, softball
fields, multiple parking lots, and integrated
access for service and emergency vehicles.
The campus plant materials include
species native to the region and those that
represent the early history of Southern
California.
Campus entry and drop-off plaza.
Academic courtyard
17. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
United States Navy, Comprehensive Neighborhood Plans
Senior Officier Family Housing
San Diego, CA
Laura Burnett, as a senior landscape
architect/project manager with WRT, led
the consultant team of architects, engineers
and scientists in the preparation of
Comprehensive Neighborhood Plans (CNP)
for On-Station Housing for the following
installations:
• Anne’s Alley Point Loma Naval Submarine Base
• Fleet and Industrial Supply Center
• Naval Amphibious Base
• Rockwell Field National Historic District, Naval
Air Station North Island, Coronado, CA
This work was part of the Navy
Neighborhoods of Excellence program, a
directive from the commanding officers
to improve the quality of life standards
and amenities for military family housing
comparable to private sector housing.
The plans provided extensive inventory,
Recommendation for rehabilitation of the gar-
den space at Anne’s Alley move planting and
irrigation away from the building foundation and
create outdoor living amenity.
assessment and guidance for development
or revitalization.
The Neighborhood of Excellence philosophy
guided the revitalization towards
improvements that were aesthetically
pleasing, functional, and compatible with
the environment. Revitalization focused
on the economics of construction and
maintenance while meeting the standards
for naval housing. The CNPs served as tools
for decision makers by providing evaluation
of concepts and recommendations for
Capital Improvement Projects to be
implemented as funding became available.
18. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Master Plan
Golden, CO
Following principles for a
sustainable campus and
to express the mission
of NREL though physical
form Ms. Burnett led the
discussion toward a posi-
tive interface with the
community.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) is a world leader in the research
of renewable energy technology and
applications in photovoltaics, wind energy,
biomass-derived fuels and chemicals,
energy-efficient buildings, advanced
vehicles, solar manufacturing, industrial
processes, solar thermal systems, hydrogen
fuel cells, superconductivity, geothermal,
distributed energy generation and waste-
to-energy technologies. Laura Burnett, as a
principal with WRT, provided site planning
and design for the NREL as part of their
2003 Master Planning efforts for the 327-
acre main campus and the National Wind
Testing Center (NWTC).
19. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Otay Valley Regional Park
Interpretive Signage
San Diego, CA
WiLDCOAST contracted Burnett LAND
& WATER to develop 32 sign panels to
interpret the cultural resources, natural
systems and recreational opportunities of
the Otay Valley Regional Park.
The signs were designed to meet grant
funding goals to engage park visitors to
understand and enjoy their park.
WilCOAST provided bilingual text, and
photographs. The City of San Diego’s
park rangers and the Citizen’s Advisory
Committee approved the work at key stages
of development.
SouthBay NationalWildlifeRefuge
HollisterPond
BalboaPark
SanMiguelMountain
CowlesMountain
MissionTrailsPark
BlackMountainTorreyPines
MissionBayPark
RangerStation
HollisterSt.
FentonPond LeMayPond
FinneyOverlook
PoggiCreekHeartPond
PalmAve.BeyerBlvd.
MainSt.
I-5 I-805
SanDiegoBay
DenneryCanyon
OtayLakesCountyPark
PacificOcean
TijuanaRiver
BeyerWay SR-125
OtayMountain
JohnsonCanyon
OtayValleyRegionalPark
ParqueRegionaldelValledeOtay
HeritageRd.
TijuanaSlough
NationalWildlifeRefuge
LyonsPeak
CulturalHistory
HistoriaCultural
ClimateChange
CambioClimatico
WatershedProtection
Proteccióndelacuenca
RiverEcology
Ecologiadelrio
LandUses
UsodelaTierra
Saved and SafeThe Otay Valley Regional Park is home
to many rare plant and animal species.
The Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP) provides
habitat and a protective corridor for wildlife from the Otay
Mountain and Lakes area all the way to San Diego Bay.
The MSCP is a long-term habitat program adopted by many
jurisdictions including the County of San Diego, and the Cities of San
Diego and Chula Vista. The program protects wildlife, preserves natural
vegetation communities, and protects environmentally sensitive areas.
The Otay Valley Regional Park is completely within the MSCP Planning
Area.
Sensitive species in the park include plants such as the Otay tarplant,
Orcutt’s bird-beak, San Diego barrel cactus and Otay Mesa mint, animals
like the arroyo toad, orange-throated whiptail lizard and Southwestern
pond turtle, and birds like the Southwestern willow flycatcher, least Bell’s
vireo and the California gnatcatcher.
El Plan de Conservación para Múltiples Especies es un programa de hábitat a largo plazo adoptado por
varias jurisdicciones incluyendo el condado de San Diego y las ciudades de San Diego y Chula Vista.
El programa protege fauna silvestre, preserva comunidades de vegetación natural, y protege áreas ambientales
sensibles. El Parque Regional del Valle de Otay se encuentra completamente dentro del área de planeación del
MSCP.
Las especies sensibles en el parque incluyen plantas como la planta de chapopote de Otay, el pico de ave Orcutt,
el cactus de Barril de San Diego y la menta de la Mesa de Otay, animales como el sapo de arroyo, la lagartija de
garganta naranja y la tortuga de laguito del suroeste y aves como el papamoscas del suroeste, least Bells Vireo, y
el atrapa-moscas de California.
WESTERN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL: Papilio rutulusOTAY TARPLANT: Deinandra (Hemizonia) conjugens SAN DIEGO (COAST) BARREL CACTUS:
Ferocactus viridescens viridescens
SOUTHWESTERN POND TURTLE: Emys marmorata
A Salvo y Seguro.El Parque Regional del Valle de Otay es hogar de muchas
especies de plantas y aves sensibles.
El Plan de Conservación para Múltiples Especies (MSCP por sus siglas en Inglés) provee
de un hábitat y de un corredor de protección para la fauna silvestre desde la montaña y
lagos de Otay hasta la Bahía de San Diego.
LEAST BELL’S VIREO: Vireo bellii pusillus
Photo from WiLDCOAST Photo from WiLDCOASTPhoto from WiLDCOAST Photo from WiLDCOASTPhoto from Bill Howell
QUINO CHECKERSPOT BUTERFLY
Euphydryas editha quino
ORANGE THROATED WHIPTAIL LIZARD
Aspidoscelis hyperythra
20. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Pacific Ridge School
Carlsbad, CA
Laura Burnett designed the campus land-
scape master plan with WRT and was
contracted to complete the implementation.
The landscape serves the many functions
of the school and instills a distinct sense
of place. Plants are native to the valley and
noninvasive species representing Pacific Rim
ecosystems. Spaces are designed for use as
outdoor classrooms, informal gathering ar-
eas, theater and dance practice and perfor-
mance, as well as competitive sports.
21. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Pitzer College Housing landscape
Clairemont, CA
Laura Burnet,t with WRT, was the design
build team’s landscape architect for the new
student housing project. The landscape
is designed based on the foundational
themes of Pitzer College to incorporate
sustainable practices into the enviroment.
These include storm water retention, porous
paving, stonework from on-site materials,
and an emphasis on native plant material.
Augmenting the native plants is a variety
of plants found throughout the world,
which supports the theme of the entire
Pitzer College campus as an arboretum.
Additionally, opportunities for permanent
display of student artwork and identification
of the project’s financial donors are
designed into the landscape.
Native materials contribute to the sense of place
22. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Facility
San Diego, CA
With WRT Laura Burnett was the landscape
architect on a collaborative team of artists
(including sculptors, painters, poets and
musicians) and engineers to design the im-
provements to the civic facility.
Originally constructed in 1962 on the
peninsula of Point Loma the wastewater
treatment facility is located on a ecologi-
cally sensitive site on the Pacific coastline
between significant historic sites. The design
intent was to utilize plant materials, pedes-
trian paving and site furnishing to juxtapose
the grand natural beauty of the coast with
the complex machine for wastewater treat-
ment.
WRT was further contracted to provide construc-
tion documentation for site improvements includ-
ing slope revegetation and planting for expansion
projects. All of the elements of the landscape
were designed to address the coastal environ-
ment and the human experience, specifically
safety and functional circulation in work areas, as
well as outdoor places for employee relaxation
and visitor orientation.
23. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Public Open Space Implementation Plan
Downtown San Diego, CA
• 31% of San Diego’s Housing Units were built
downtown 2001-2010
• Residential population to grow from 36,000 to
90,000 by 2030: 250%
• New jobs to grow from 80,000 to 185,000 by
2030: 205%
Laura Burnett was responsible for the plan
establishing the integrated network of pub-
lic open space linking downtown neighbor-
hoods, Balboa Park and the waterfront. One
park will be created by reclaiming 30’ from
the 80’ wide right-of-ways along the length
of six streets. It will provide over 10 acres of
recreational opportunities needed for resi-
dents, workers, and visitors.
The unifying vision is ‘cultivating community
health’ - environmental, cultural, economic and
individual health. The park will serve to collect,
cleanse and reuse stormwater, provide 4 miles of
exercise trails, play areas for small children, pic-
nic and multiuse areas, as well as dog parks and
temporary festival retail.
BalboaPark
Cedar Street
E Street
Island Street
UnionStreet
8thAvenue
Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects
Burnett LAND & WATER
ETM Associates
HR&A Advisors
SLP Urban Planners
Laurie Madigan
KPFF
PCG Utility Consultants
14thStreet
Vision:
Community
Health
Cultivate
24. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Retail Landscape
As a landscape architect with Burton Studio
Laura Burnett contributed to a variety of
retail projects.
Carlsbad Open Space Plan
I l l u s t r a t i v e S i t e P l a n
27 February 2015
0 50 100 200
N
project 15.002
Fountain design for Nakeel Square, Msheireb Downtown Doha, Qatar
Coastal habitat restoration framework for sustainable agriculture as part of a retail development.
Integrated play structures
25. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Sage Creek High School
Carlsbad, CA
The landscape for this high school
emphasizes comprehensive environmental
learning and experiences. The campus
concept design highlights the idea of a
dynamic balance between nature and
the man-made environment. Accordingly,
the architectural and site designs foster
intellectual understanding and experience
of natural systems through diverse indoor
and outdoor learning spaces.
Laura Burnett, as principal with WRT,
established a site development plan that
includes careful integration of outdoor
classrooms, and fields into the topography
intent on making a ‘seamless’ transition
from the school grounds to the nature
preserve immediately beyond the project
site’s northern border; while the bioswale
and drainage path recreate the wetland
character and the California sycamore
grove just west of the site. All of the design
features intend to minimize environmental
impacts and create balance within the
existing landscape.
Outdoor classrooms are set into the slope along a
circulation spine.
The central green is composed as a promontory
above the fields.
Bioswales draw the native landscape character
into and throughout the campus.
26. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
San Diego Botanic Garden Master Plan
Encinitas, CA
Ms.BurnettwastheprojectmanagerwithWallace
Roberts&ToddforthedevelopmentoftheMaster
Planforthe30acregardenand9acresofadjacent
propertyprovidedbytheCityforcommunityuse.
TheMasterPlanrepresentsalong-termcommitment
ofinvestmentofsome$18millionoverfifteenyears
ormore. Theresultsofthistransformationwillbea
dynamic,far-reachingandcommunity-servingQuail
BotanicalGardens,onethatattracts,engagesand
delightsabroadaudienceofallagesandcultures.
QuailBotanicalGardenswillcontinuetobuildfrom
itslovinglyplantedandmodestbeginnings,andstay
truetoitsheritage,evenasitfulfillsthisexpansive
new vision.
The new program includes a visitors center,
400-personmeetingroom,restorationofhistoric
buildings, a 10,000 s.f. conservatory, garden
pavilionandspecialeventslawn,newhorticultural
andcuratorialoffices,aswellasnewnurseryand
maintenance facilities.
The Master Plan recommended changing the
name from Quail to San Diego Botanic Garden
27. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
County of San Diego Operations Center
San Diego, CA
The County of San Diego redeveloped its
38 acre outdated facilities for a new center.
The campus includes office, central plant,
medical examiner and forensic center, a
central parking structure, and the registrar
of voters.
The landscape design is a showcase of
the county’s natural, agricultural and
horticultural heritage. Stormwater is
collected, cleansed and reused to reduce
the need for irrigation. The campus
achieved LEED Platinum certification.
Ms. Burnett, as principal with WRT, led the
campus landscape planning and site design.
The green roof serves
as a visual garden and
climate mitigation for the
upper cafe as well as in-
sulation of the Chambers
building. The planting
design references natural
forms and patterns of
the once extensive mesa
vernal pool habitat.
28. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Santa Ana River Parkway Feasibility &
Planning Study, Orange County Parks,
Orange County, CA
Ms. Burnett, principal in charge with WRT,
prepared the study for the entire length
of the Santa Ana River through Orange
County. The study’s objectives were to:
improve the river’s aesthetics and increase
its native habitat, enhance and add to
the river’s recreational features, improve
trails and bikeways along and connecting
with the river, enhance development and
communities adjacent to the river, and
coordinate the study with agencies with
interests in the river (e.g., the Orange
County Water District) and with the cities
along the river.
Working with many public agencies and
interested environmental groups, the study
identified a number of individual but related
projects that address the built physical
form, public perceptions and management
practices of the Santa Ana River. Ideas
considered included river channel surface
enhancement, improved connections to
adjacent parks and cities, regional trails,
visitor amenities, staging and rest areas,
improved signage, enhanced native habitat,
integration of public art, and enhanced
water activities and creation of non-water
activities in the river bed.
Angel Stadium Water Recharge Park Concept
Photocomposite showing the replacement of the
current 12,500 space, 66 acre asphalt parking lot
with retail wrapped parking structures and open
space near the Santa Ana River for water
recharge and recreation.
29. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
The project won the Preservation Award – Royce
Neuschantz Award for Historic Landscapes, from
the Los Angeles Conservancy, 2000
South Beach and Palisades Park
Santa Monica, CA
The project won a national 2002 Honor Award
from the American Society of Landscape Ar-
chitects, and was recognized in 2008 as one of
America’s great public spaces by the American
Perched high atop Santa Monica’s coastal
cliffs, Palisades Park is a 2.4-mile linear
park that offers spectacular views of the
Pacific Ocean and a place of relaxation and
reflection for its many visitors. Developed
over the course of a century, the park’s
existing features include native coastal
vegetation, a 1920s Craftsman-era pergola,
a rose garden, a rustic fence along the
bluff edge, and numerous commemorative
plaques and memorials. To lend cohesion
to these elements, Ms. Burnett, with WRT
collaborated with public artist Jody Pinto to
design $3.1 million of improvements to the
park, to renew the park’s ambience without
distracting from its natural beauty. At once
subtle and substantial, the improvements
include a redesigned path system and
enhanced landscape, lighting, and site
furnishings. Sustainable design principles
were used to protect and expand the native
environment.
South Beach is a historic hub of human
activity—a pedestrian promenade that
connects a variety of hotels, concessions,
and entertainment venues. For the 24-block
boardwalk that extends south from the
Santa Monica Pier and is home to world-
renowned Muscle Beach and Chess Park,
Ms. Burnett with WRT led a team to update
the beach’s landscape, recreation, and
infrastructure improvements. The $2.6
million project included an enhanced
landscape scheme; redesigned pedestrian
and bicycle path systems; new restroom
buildings and site furnishings; and enhanced
layout and functioning of major activity
areas such as Muscle Beach, Chess Park,
and a children’s playground. WRT’s
collaboration with artist Jody Pinto resulted
in oneof- a-kind design details throughout
the project.
photo by Hewitt-Garrison
30. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Street Tree Master Plan
Tucson, AZ
The Downtown Tucson Comprehensive
Street Tree Plan was prepared by Ms.
Burnett with WRT as part of the second
phase of the Pedestrian Improvement
Plan. It is a guide for property owners in
the central business district to plant and
care for street trees in the public right-of-
way. The guide recommends trees for each
street, and provides information on how to
obtain and plant trees.
The planting concept was for the trees to
contribute to the identity of the streets
and districts of downtown. A composition
of evergreen and deciduous trees were
recommended to maximize shade in the
summer months allowing winter sun to filter
through, and marking the seasons with
subtle flowers characteristic of the Sonoran
Desert.
To distinguish the hierarchy of circulation
routes larger trees are recommended for
major arterials, with smaller scale trees for
“traffic calming” and pedestrian core streets.
Links to the adjacent historic neighborhoods
are also to be marked with a line of shade
trees. The plan served to coordinate the
tree planting efforts of multiple agencies
working to revitalize downtown.
A pedestrian route linking some of Tucson’s
most interesting cultural features is marked with
distinctive desert plantings set within a mosaic
tiled seatwall.
31. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Summit Rancho Bernardo Campus
San Diego, CA
This 105 acre campus is the redevelopment
of the 1970’s Sony picture tube
manufacturing site. The new campus is
programmed for 3.2 million square feet
of laboratory/office and support services,
outdoor gathering, fitness, and multi-use
open space. The site is designed with native
and exotic drought tolerant Mediterranean
tree and understory species. Stormwater is
collected, cleansed and reused.
Ms. Burnett, as principal with WRT, led the
campus planning and site design for the Jay
Paul Company in collaboration with DES
Architects.
32. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
1545 Kettner Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92101
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Torrey Pines City Park
General Development Plan
San Diego, CA
Torrey Pines City Park was dedicated by the City of
San Diego in 1899 for public use and enjoyment.
The 44 acres on the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean
is unique and remarkable. Listed on the National
Register of Historic Places for its association with
wind-powered flight, the gliderport continues to
provide public recreation opportunities. The park
has documented archaeological sites associated
with the 10,000 years of Kumeyaay occupation. Its
use as a World War II artillery-training base followed
by unchecked parking and adjacent development
has left it with little protective native vegetation and
significant bluff erosion.
Ms. Burnett, as principal with WRT led a team of
scientists, engineers and historians through a
public planning and design process with a mayoral
appointed advisory board representing the varied
interests. The resulting General Development
Plan balances preservation of cultural resources,
rehabilitation of the historic gliderport, improvement
of the beach trails and reestablishment of native
habitat, with the introduction of public gathering
places, accessible facilities, integrated interpretation,
security and stormwater management.
The plan has served to unite the soaring and
earthbound community as well as raise funds for
implementation and operations.
The plan will add 22.5 acres
to the coastal Multi-Habitat
Planning Area preserve area
and 21 acres of restoration
planting.
33. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
San Diego River Park at the Town & Country Resort
San Diego, CA
As a landscape architect with Burton Studio
Laura Burnett led the concept development
of the 12-acre public open space along the
San Diego River.
Town and Country Resort
Transect Way Station
On both sides of the bridge connecting the resort,
community, Fashion Valley Mall, and the transit station.
Three way stations - are designed along the Town &
Country reach of the River Park Pathway to welcome and
engage visitors and daily travelers. Each is on axis with
pedestrian routes of the conference, hotel, and residential
development. The following outlines the story for the
development of interpretive signage, forms and materials
unique to each way station.
Water
The Town & Country landscape is designed and
maintained to collect and cleanse storm water from the
parking lot. The pollutants of concern include heavy
metals from motorized vehicles, pesticides and fertilizers,
pet waste and trash. The gauge station measures river flow
for the California Department of Water Resources.
Land
The cross section of the valley carved by the river reveals
the geology of the valley (Mission Valley formation on the
south face and Stadium conglomerate on the north face).
Biology
Plants and animal ecosystems across the lower valley
range from benthic (in the mud below the river), riparian
(in and along the river), to upland (on the mesa’s high
above the river).
Culture
People have always followed the rivers. From the
beginning of time the Kumeyaay lived and traded along
what is now called the San Diego River. Explorer Sebastian
Vizcaino explored the river in 1602. Father Junípero Serra
established the first of the 21 California Missions in 1769
(Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá is 4 miles east).
Interstate 8 was first laid out as a plank road over the
Cuyamaca Mountains in 1912.
Furnishings
Seatwalls of cobblestone. The bridge supports interpretive
signage panels. Directional signposts are located off the
intersection of paths. Picnic tables (stained concrete), light
poles, bicycle racks, trash and recycled receptacles meet
the River Park’s requirements. Signage and individual
seating of heavy-duty recycled wood or plastic Adirondack
style chairs extend the Town & Country Resort to the River
Park. Fencing will be three-rail peeled pole with wire mesh
along the lower portion to discourage dogs from entering
the Multi-Habitat Planning Area.
Town and Country Resort
19 November 2014
S a n D i e g o R i v e r P a r k | E d d y Wa y S t a t i o n
Eddy Way Station
Off the San Diego River Pathway
Three way stations - are designed along the Town &
Country reach of the River Park Pathway to welcome and
engage visitors and daily travelers. Each is on axis with
pedestrian routes of the conference, hotel, and residential
development. The following outlines the story for the
development of interpretive signage, forms and materials
unique to each way station.
Water
Rivers take many forms depending on the volume of water,
steepness of the bed, and the amount of sediment carried.
Steep high flows form braids of water, then meander
throughout a flat valley leaving terraces, cut thalwegs,
sandbars and oxbow lakes. An eddy is typically a swirl in
motion just below a point of high fluid energy.The Mission
Valley Aquifer is the underground portion of the river. It is has
high storage capacity but is compromised by pollutants.
Land
The headwaters of the San Diego River are in the mountains
52 miles to the west.The watershed includes 440 square miles.
Biology
Rainbow trout and steelhead are two forms of the same fish
species. Anadromous, like salmon, they are born in freshwater
streams and may live in the ocean then navigating back
upriver to spawn. On-going research is that they may have
evolved in the streams of Southern California. DNA testing of
Rainbow trout in the higher reaches of the San Diego River
may prove it to be their point of origin. Our control of the
river has cut off the journey.
Culture
Dairies and farms flourished along the river into the 1940s.
After WW II the Army Corps of Engineers began work on
the concrete river channel to the Pacific. In the early 50s,
Charles Brown evaluated the land and found that the“only
alleged disadvantage seemed to be fear of flood”. Brown
bought a 221-acre site for $79,000 and built the Town
and Country Hotel. Mission Bay park was dredged and
designed in the 1960s.
Furnishings
Shelter, bicycle racks, drinking fountain, cast-in-place
seat walls. Picnic tables (stained concrete), light poles,
bicycle racks, trash and recycled receptacles meet the
River Park’s requirements. Signage and individual seating
of heavy-duty recycled wood or plastic Adirondack style
chairs extend the Town & Country Resort to the River Park.
Fencing will be three-rail peeled pole with wire mesh
along the lower portion to discourage dogs from entering
the Multi-Habitat Planning Area.
The park program includes habitat restora-
tion, stormwater treatment, multi-use play
flieds and interpretive way-stations along
the trail.
34. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Campus Master Plan, Landscape Plan
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, AK
Sketches were useful in testing and developing
concepts for student gathering areas throughout
the campus.
Site specific schematic plans were prepared to
illustrate development with the design principles,
standards and guidelines
The 2002 University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Master Plan was prepared by WRT with
senior landscape architect Laura Burnett.
She led the subisquent Campus Landscape
Plan.
The plan addresses boreal forest, native
grasslands, wetlands habitat, a range of
permafrost conditions, and sites culturally
significant to the First Nations and history
of the University. The landscape framework
is based upon design principles established
with the master planning subcommittee. Ms.
Burnett worked closely with the University’s
forestry and agricultural research faculty,
the Georgeson Botanical Garden, and the
campus maintenance staff to prepare the
detailed plant materials design standards
and guidelines. The plan also advanced
the University’s implementation strategies
including funding and phasing for landscape
improvements.
A multi-use open space was created immediately
after adoption of the Master Plan by relocating
surface parking
35. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
University Arroyo Restoration Detailed Project Program
University of California Riverside
Riverside, California
The Arroyo Plan phases over 1,955,000
overall gross square feet of academic,
performing arts, and residential buildings
through 30 years of development. The
arroyo is designed to minimize flood
hazards, reintroduce a viable system of
native habitat, and provide the campus
a meaningful network of open space.
Ms. Burnett, with WRT, led a team of
hydrologists, biologists, and geotechnical
engineers in the formation of a ‘detailed
project program’ for 125 acres required
for development of the rapidly growing
university.
The native riparian
vegetation, to be
restored along the
arroyo, will strike
a distinctive band
across the campus in
contrast to the mature
ornamental landscape
and agricultural orchards.
These elements of the
landscape combine to
testify to the natural and
academic history of the
University.
36. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
One Miramar Street Apartments
Graduate Student Housing
University of California San Diego, CA
The site for 800 graduate students is set
on a small mesa within the university’s
natural open space network. The residential
landscape provides opportunities for
gathering outdoors for a meal, recreation
and study. Lawn panels are sited for
informal activities and retain seasonal
stormwater.
Laura Burnett was the principal-in-charge
with WRT for the design/build team and
prepared the site design and landscape
construction documentation then worked
closely with the contractor through
implementation.
37. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Cultural Landscape Management Plan & Rehabilitation
Audrey Geisel University House
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA
This 6.91 acre property is designated a
Sanctified Cemetery by the Native American
Heritage Commission. It holds tremendous
significance to the Kumeyaay, and historic
resource community. Radiocarbon dates
from the archaeological site indicate Native
American presence on the property nearly
10,000 years ago. The house was built in
1952 by William Black and is on the National
Register of Historic Places. UCSD purchased
the property in 1967 to house the Chancel-
lor.
Laura Burnett led the preparation of the
Cultural Landscape Management Plan and
the landscape rehabilitation design and
documentation for UCSD. The plan includes
a site history; documentation of historic
conditions; existing conditions; period(s) of
historical precedent; and treatment recom-
mendations for the long-term preserva-
tion and stewardship of the property. The
rehabilitation plan recreates native coastal
habitat on the western portion of the site.
Governor’s Historic Preservation Award for 2015,
California Preservation Foundation Preservation
Design Award in 2014
Stormwater collection
and treatment and new
utilities are installed
above ground to mini-
mize disturbance to the
cultural resources.
38. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Matthews Quad
University of California
San Diego, CA
To meet the needs of the growing campus
community the Student Academic Services
Facility replaced three 1940s Camp
Matthews military buildings. Matthews Quad
has served as the common open lawn since
the property was dedicated to UCSD in 1964
hosting festivals, protests, and quiet retreat.
As the senior landscape architect with WRT,
Ms. Burnett sought to preserve this layer of
the cultural landscape in the site planning
and design for the building. Remnants of
the Marines occupation, including mature
trees and foundations, were retained in the
design of Matthews Quad. The building
was programmed for continuous activities
throughout the day. Rob Wellington
Quigley’s architecture invites direct access
to the quad from the street as well as views
from the community spaces within and on
top of the building. The landscape includes
new paths for direct access, a porous
concrete plaza and native California plant
materials.
Burnett led the prepara-
tion of the University
Center Neighborhood
Study with Matthews
Quad as its central green.
Matthews Quad is central to the character of the
UCSD campus and extends the uses programed
for the Student Activities Services Facility
39. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California
San Diego, CA
This world-renowned marine research
institution is closely allied to the natural
environment’s fields of research as well as in
its physical context along bluffs overlooking
the Pacific. As an outgrowth of our work
on several planning studies, Ms. Burnett,
with WRT, was the landscape architect
for Pawka Green, the central open space
on campus. Framed in part by buildings,
including historic Old Ritter Hall, Pawka
Green is the heart of campus, a central
and multipurpose open space with views
to the ocean. Subtle terraces are carved
from the sloping site to provide a variety of
spaces that accommodate large and small
gatherings. Indigenous plants and materials
reinforce the character of the landscape and
surrounding buildings.
Seating areas are
located strategically
near building entrances
to create and maintain
a sense of activity along
the Green’s edge.
40. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Torrey Pines Village
University of California
San Diego, CA
As principal-in-charge with WRT Ms. Burnett
prepared the campus landscape plans for
the 8-acre residential neighborhood for
1,800 transfer students. The designed open
space system provides opportunities for
outdoor gathering, recreational and study
as well as the circulation needs for retail and
dining facilities.
Built in two phases through two design/
build teams each led by a nationally
recognized construction contractor.
Both projects meet LEED silver, with the
landscape solving stormwater detention
and cleansing through grading, soil
enhancement and the use of native plant
material. Plan of both housing projects are united by the
landscape
41. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
PO Box 2990
Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
www.blwla.com
CA License 3514
Campus Planning & Design
University of California
San Diego, CA
The University Center Study guides the
development of 82 acres at the core of
the UCSD Campus. It defines development
sites for 26 new academic, residential and
administration buildings in a framework
of inviting open spaces and functional
circulation routes. A new light rail transit
corridor and multi-modal station is
sited within a centrally located remnant
canyon providing new development
opportunities for buildings and a campus
amphitheater. Design guidelines set forth
standards to achieve the desired density
and create distinct identities for the two
neighborhoods. Ten implementation phases
are established. Laura Burnett, as a senior
landscape architect with WRT, lead the team
of economists, traffic, and parking engineers
and worked closely with the University. The
Study achieved the unanimous support from
the numerous campus planning and design
committees that were actively engaged
throughout the planning process.
Conrad Prebys Music Center with LMN Architects
Subsequent site design projects by Ms. Burnett
following the master plan
Matthews Quad is central to the character of the
UCSD campus and extends the uses programed
for the Student Activities Services Facility
42. Burnett Land & Water
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
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Berkeley, CA 94702
t: 619-405-9303
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The Urban Land Institute (ULI) invited Ms.
Burnett to serve on the Advisory Service
Panel for the Colorado Healthy Community
Initiative. The rural community had won
a funding from the Colorado Health
Foundation to work with the ULI panel to
develop recommendations for developing
programs and facilities to improve public
health.
The panel held extensive interviews with
community members and worked together
to identify precedents and principles. Ms.
Burnett developed the idea for the town
trail as well as concept plans for park
revitalization.
Urban Land Institute
Advisory Services
Making healthy choices easier
A vision of how the proposed Lamar Loop will be used by pedestrian, equestrians and cyclists.
Burnett’s sketches
provided a quick under-
standing of how little
is needed to program
and establish a 7-mile
multi-use trail circling
the town connecting
parks and schools to
neighborhoods and the
central business district.