Hardscape

"Hard"-"scape" is a hybrid word used in the landscape community denoting non-living elements in the design that are permanent in nature and do not include plant life support systems (like irrigation or fertilizer injectors, etc.) Typically, such elements consist of concrete walkways, paver stone driveways, small fountains, masonry retaining walls, patio overhead structures and benches. Some projects also include fixtures of metal, stone, wood, water and electrical/mechanical systems.

Our work over the years has included many diverse projects. Here are some short descriptions of some of our most notable projects:

City of Santa Fe Springs - Veteran's Memorial Fountain

A steel reinforced architectural concrete fountain structure of poured-in-place concrete, made in the shape of a pentagon and covered in polished granite (some pieces weighing over 800 lbs.) The fountain included a twelve foot, cubical, subterranean concrete vault to house the large pump/filtration system. The challenges in this project were the fact that it had to be built under a very compressed schedule prior to the Veteran's day deadline. Also, the dimensional tolerances were less than one-eight-of-an-inch on the layout and finish installation of the structural concrete to accommodate the pre-cut, mirror polished (and very heavy) granite cap stones.

San Gabriel Country Club - Outdoor Dining Area

The outdoor dining area of the clubhouse had to meet the exacting and refined standards of this stately institution. This private and prestigious golf club has existed in the San Gabriel Valley since 1904. Our work included massive perimeter masonry walls that had integral planters, a heavy-beam wood pergola and a decorative water-feature built into the single structure. The walls received a fine stucco finish and the pillars were covered with select decorative stone. The flatwork consisted of colored squares offset by light bands finished to a fine velvet texture with light sand-blasting. Some of the main challenges on this project included: The sheer mass, size and complexity of combined wall structure was daunting Exacting tolerances of the layout of the concrete flat-work bands with brass covered drains and gas hook-ups for the out-door cooking equipment The delicate creation of the wall structure and flatwork around a 100-year-old Oak Tree which was an existing and prominent fixture since before the club was built Meeting the high precision and quality demands of the Client while at the same time completing the project on schedule and within budget

The Pomona College - Entry Sign

The goal of this project was formidable, to match an existing structure built for the college back in 1908. Work involved custom pre-cast caps that had to be measured and pre-ordered to exacting dimensions as well as the installation of solid granite steps and granite tile flatwork. Lighting and the exacting installation of custom brass lettering was also included. The most difficult aspect of this project was to match the finish on the older structure. The easily available masonry units had changed over the 100-years since the installation of the previous structure. Newer, more common masonry materials had to be used and the custom finish covering the new structure had to match, involving great care and difficulty. Once again, this award winning structure and the associated landscape and fencing all had to be completed under a demanding schedule.

City of Arcadia - Police Department Building

Over an acre of steel reinforced flatwork concrete composed of colored slabs with natural bands. Work included hundreds of feet of curved masonry walls with a fine stucco finish and installed at different elevations to delineate the separate planters. The walls had a decorative inset with a pre-cast cap and integral lighting. Challenges included the difficult layout of the curved walls, coordinating the multiple pours of the flatwork with the masonry, integrating the decorative inset and the cutting of the pre-cast caps to match the curvature of the walls. Of course, all of this was done under a strict schedule within a finite City budget.

Mount San Antonio College - Quad Re-landscaping

Almost an acre of reinforced flatwork concrete was installed with a salt finish and score lines delineating small, two-foot squares. Steps had to be built and drainage integrated into the existing elevation restraints. Twelve circular architectural concrete seat-walls were built around existing trees. In the lower portion of the project a fountain was built with an integral metal sculpture surrounded by masonry seat-walls, pavers and concrete bands. However, the ultimate challenge of this project was the creation of a seat-wall to display donor plaques that combined masonry and poured-in-place concrete to create a structure that integrated multiple compound curves. Once again, all of this work had to be completed under a compressed schedule within a limited budget.

For Sales information Contact:

Robert Austin, 626-960-0196 ext. 319
robert@mariposahorticultural.com