TreePeople Opens in Los Angeles
THE HETTEMA GROUP HELPS LA GO GREEN!
Fighting Global Warming and Brand Building for TreePeople
The piece of land is prime. The intersection of Mullholland Drive at Coldwater Canyon where the views stretch for miles across the San Fernando Valley. These four acres form the core of a boutique-sized project with global-sized ambitions. TreePeople is fighting Global Warming--one tree at a time.
When the time came for Andy Lipkis, TreePeople founder and president, to create their new visitor center and educational base, TreePeople Center for Community Forestry, he turned to The Hettema Group—the Pasadena-based experiential design company.
“The assignment seemed straightforward: master plan and design the guest experience for this 35 year old organization”, says Phil Hettema, creative executive of The Hettema Group. “But when we started digging into TreePeople we discovered that what they really needed first was a clear definition of who they were and what their mission was.”
The Hettema Group engaged in a deep and penetrating study of the organization, interviewed key stake holders, synthesized the information and crafted a Brand message and mission. This Brand then informed the creation of the interpretive master plan itself.
THG’s interpretive master plan came to life as multiple architects and a landscape architect collaborated on the recently opened $10 million, TreePeople Center for Community Forestry. Architectural design of the center was provided by Marmol Radzinor and Associate, and Carlos Madrid III of DMJM Design/AECOM. Mia Lehrer & Associates was the landscape architect. The TreePeople Center is a destination for 70,000 annual visitors including 10,000 students, and 6, 000 volunteers in search of inspiration and education on the campus which includes:
- • The LEED platinum-certified Conference Center to promoted sustainability in Los Angeles and around the world;
- • S. Mark Taper Foundation Environmental Learning Center- a training classroom;
- • La Kretz Urban Watershed Demonstration Garden with hands on exhibits;
- • 216,000-gallon cistern that stores rainwater collected from the buildings and from the parking grove for use in landscaping;
- • W.M. Keck Foundation Nursery for native plants that restore damaged local watershed.