Stoneview Nature Center

Project Details

Project Description

As the first design excellence via Design-Build effort undertaken by the County of Los Angeles, the Stoneview Nature Center is a unique story of community, engagement and healing. Completed on April 8, 2017, the project pro-vides for the development of a highly sustainable, 4,000 sf nature center and transformation of a five-acre brownfield site in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Culver City, California.

Within the site boundaries there previously existed an abandoned oil well, a gasoline pipe-line and a fault hazard zone. As an important node along the “Park to Playa Trail”, the Nature Center and surrounding gardens were envisioned as a place for community to come together and engage.

A public lobby space of glass links visitors to two primary outdoor gathering spaces: the Observation Deck and Community Porch. The Observation Deck visually connects the site to nearly panoramic views of LA, while the Outdoor Room offers a central connection point to the facility’s lobby, multipurpose room, demonstration kitchen and gardens beyond.

Set under a large canopy, an expansive communal table offers visitors opportunities to engage in fruit-oriented activities from the site’s themed gardens. The landscape is designed as a collection of gathering spaces along a 10’ wide pedestrian walkway which connects the Nature Center Build-ing to the park area. The spaces, which range in size, configuration and planted themes, offer visitors a variety of options for activities and demonstrations. The artwork integrates the architecture, landscape design, and interpretive programs into a holistic visitor experience.