Saiki Design | Landscape Architects

Saiki Design worked closely with Dorschner Associates and Sasaki Associates and representatives from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop a site plan that strengthened the Linden Drive pedestrian corridor and created a new front door to this iconic campus building. The project was part of the Nancy Nicholas Hall addition which added 200,000 square feet to the existing School of Human Ecology (SoHE) building in the heart of the west campus district.

A lushly vegetated front plaza space and terraced limestone walls invite pedestrians traveling by foot along the Linden Drive corridor into the building which houses the consumer science, human development and family studies, design studies and interdisciplinary studies programs. The large green roof mitigates stormwater runoff and provides an exterior gathering space with views of Henry Mall and West Campus. The design team worked closely with the University of Wisconsin Preschool Laboratory to create an outdoor playground to serve as an extension of the classroom and provide opportunities for natural and sensory play. It incorporated natural materials and unique climbing objects, provided raised gardening beds, and highlights an ever-changing landscape.

The project received a design award from the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and achieved LEED Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council.

Saiki Design worked closely with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus Planning & Landscape Architecture and Lakeshore Nature Preserve staff to renew one of campus’ most-loved natural amenities and one of the most iconic spaces in all of Madison.  For centuries, the very tip of Picnic Point has served as a significant gathering place for native inhabitants, the university community and the larger City population.  Because it was so well-loved and often-visited and at the same time somewhat neglected from a management standpoint it fell prone to environmental degradation from excessive foot traffic, natural shoreline erosion and invasive species.  With funding from the Ebling Charitable Trust, the improvements that this project implemented will continue to support sustainable use of this special space by future generations.

A natural stone council ring serves as the central gathering space; a place for storytelling and campfires and continuing conversations influenced by the University’s environmental ethic.  Smaller landings are provided at intermediate points along the limestone steps which cascade down to the water’s edge.  Vegetation restoration, including removal of the invasive understory and replanting of native herbaceous perennials and shrub species, has once again opened up the spectacular views across Lake Mendota to the campus and downtown Madison.

The project was praised in the local media and receieved an Honor Award, the highest award level conveyed, from the Wisconsin Shapter of American Society of Landscape Architects.

Saiki Design collaborated with KEE Architecture and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus community on the renovation of historic Carson Gulley Center, located in the heart of the lakeshore neighborhood on the west side of campus.  The project facilitated a number of infrastructure improvements, renovated interior spaces and provided substantial site improvements in order to better accommodate program and food service needs of West Campus.  

Saiki Design provided site planning and design for the site and landscape which focused on accessibility, sustainability and connections to surrounding campus amenities.  Locally quarried limestone retaining walls helped to define the large outdoor patio and intimate garden spaces while also complimenting the stone masonry of the historic building.  A bioinfiltration garden was designed to treat roadway storm water runoff and porous pavement systems were employed to increase infiltration from the outdoor patio surfaces.  Graceful, sweeping sidewalk alignments softened the formality of the architecture while providing accessible and convenient paths of travel through the landscape.

In concert with Bray Associates, Saiki Design developed a plan to re-envision a new Student Center for University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  The Eau Claire Student Center project features a 154,000 GSF building that serves as a community hub and unites a campus geographically divided by a 105 acre bluff.  The architectural design addressed the campus’s need for expanded food-service, retail operations, event rooms, lounges and administrative services while the site design extended many of the same program elements into the outdoor realm.  

The design concept drew from the ebb & flow of water in the adjacent Little Niagara Creek and nearby Chippewa River.  Hierarchical circulation routes were designed to thread through intimate gathering nodes, dining plazas, and outdoor performance spaces.  The 5500 square foot green roof was designed to moderate building temperatures and stage stormwater before discharge into the nearby Little Niagara watershed.  The green roof plan also integrated a tiered rooftop plaza to engage students in sustainable design and the beauty of Eau Claire’s lower campus.

Furthermore, the site design included three precast bridge crossings of Little Niagara, a stone amphitheater, a new campus quad space, bioretention basins and preservation of the culturally significant Council Oak tree.  Saiki Design provided site planning and landscape architecture for the project, working closely with the entire design team and University stakeholders to holistically integrate the Student Center into the campus fabric.

Saiki Design worked with Allen Centennial Garden and the University of Wisconsin–Madison on a long-range master plan for the renovation of Allen Centennial Garden on the University Campus. Allen Centennial Garden is the artful living laboratory and public botanical garden of the Horticulture Department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The Garden serves as an outdoor classroom for UW–Madison students and the surrounding communities, providing meaningful learning opportunities for visitors of all ages.

The master plan is the product of close collaboration with Garden Staff, Faculty, the State of Wisconsin, and other interested parties, donor base, and stakeholders. The master plan includes renovation of existing gardens, relocation of existing theme garden spaces, new garden spaces, and associated design guidelines.

The garden is something of a hidden treasure on campus. New and renovated entries open the garden visibly and physically to the surrounding campus uses and users.

The garden is home to an historic residential structure which has been renovated to house office uses, many of which are not associated with the garden or its operation. The master plan proposes renovation of the grounds around the existing building and the addition of a new building to serve as the center for the garden and to house and organize back of house activities and storage. 

Saiki Design worked closely with Engberg Anderson Architects and facilities and housing staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to design a sustainable and cohesive site immediately adjacent a new suite-style residence hall and food service facility.  The challenge of the site was to provide exterior amenities for both the residential and food service components while integrating the project into the larger context of the Lakeshore Residence Halls complex.  The University’s mission of providing high-quality residential life spaces and its environmental ethic guided the site design, which provides ample outdoor gathering spaces of varying sizes and  incorporates thoughtfully designed on-site stormwater infiltration areas.

The project features an extensive porous paver patio that provides space for special food service and residential life events and serves as an extension of the indoor dining space.  Five strategically located bioretention areas, in conjunction with a 25,000 square foot green roof, form a comprehensive stormwater management network.  A large limestone council ring features information plaques that honor the eleven tribal nations of Wisconsin.  Lush planting beds of native trees, shrubs, and perennials integrate the site with the adjacent Lakeshore Nature Preserve and picturesque shoreline of Lake Mendota.

Perched along Lake Michigan’s scenic shore, Carthage has natural assets unlike most colleges.  The Straz Science Center is a state-of the art facility for the study of Natural and Social Sciences located on a bluff above the lake’s west shore.  Saiki Design collaborated with Stantec architects & civil engineers to deliver a highly functional home to Carthage’s science department with strong integration of interior and exterior spaces.

Inspired by the unique geography, Saiki Design crafted a site design which engages students, faculty, and visitors in the lake’s panorama view.  The design embraces the College’s mission to advance innovative science education by creating outdoor demonstration, collaboration, and teaching spaces.  An outdoor classroom, a boardwalk over a bioretention basin, and a deck modeled after the tributary flow of the campus’s Pike River are among the many new amenities layered into the campus experience.  Students are now able to safely navigate the bluff’s steep topography and physically access the waterfront in addition to enjoying views from the deck’s upper vantage.

Saiki Design worked with architects at Kahler Slater to provide site planning and design for Signe Skott Cooper Hall, a $53 million state-of-the-art nursing education and research facility. The new building creates an informal quadrangle with Rennebohm Hall School of Pharmacy that anchors the health care-centered West Campus and creates a gateway to campus natural areas.

The site features gracefully arcing paths, seat walls, and gardens that enclose the more intimate outdoor gathering spaces. Orthogonal paver bands, punctuated by custom-designed benches, extend out from the building to integrate the architecture with the site. The plantings are dominated by a complex and decorative mix of native and non-native perennials that evoke the natural landscape of the nearby Lakeshore Nature Preserve. Additional features of the site include a stone-clad council ring with gas fireplace, a medicinal garden for the School of Pharmacy, and a usable green roof. Throughout the building and site are historical artifacts and interpretive information that tells the story of nursing education on campus.

Saiki Design was responsible for all aspects of site planning and design including planting design, selection of site materials and furnishings, custom detailing for benches, walls, and pavements, and integrated stormwater management. Saiki Design was also responsible for the design and detailing of a 6,990 square foot accessible green roof. The project was awarded LEED Silver Certification by the US Green Building Council.

The project received numerous accolades including “Top Project of the Year” by The Daily Reporter.

Located in the heart of The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus, The Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex (KIRC) embodies the School’s new technological and environmentally focused identity, representing an ambitious precedent for future projects on campus. 

Saiki Design worked with Flad Architects and The University to develop a series of unique outdoor spaces to accommodate campus life.  Gathering areas feature site-integrated seating within shaded bosques. Bio-detention cells containing native and adaptive species treat storm water on-site, and locally quarried stone walls emphasize regional character.  

A significant challenge of the project was integrating the new site with an existing pedestrian bridge, and providing barrier free access to the building’s main entry over eight feet of vertical elevation change.  Final construction documentation for the project included site layout, grading and planting.

The project has attained LEED Gold status and received numerous awards including being named “Project of the Year”, “Best Green-Built Project”, and “Best New Development or Renovation in Education” from the InBusiness Commercial Design Awards program.