Outdoor garden spaces for art and science are the center piece of the landscape renovation at Andrew Hill High School. The project also addressed considerable frontage on western edge of the campus and a highly visible corner. The new gardens came about when antiquated art workrooms and expanded spaces for the science education were combined in a new classroom building. This combination generated dynamic collaboration spaces within the building which were continued in the outdoor classrooms which are furnished with massive basalt boulders.

The client requested a secure perimeter and the design responds with a custom fence that was fabricated locally at a cost competitive with similar products from a large out-of-state manufacturer. Reduction of irrigation water use was another client goal that became a form determinant for the planting plan. The new landscape replaced over ¾ of an acre of irrigated turf and inefficient foundation planting with low water use gardens laid out in geometric blocks reminiscent of agricultural fields or a modern painting. Several of the species used extensively in the new design, notably the Desert Spoon and Red Yucca, require almost no irrigation once established.