UC Berkeley School of Public Health commissioned Groundworks Office to design their new garden terrace. Despite the site’s technical challenges with building on a 5th floor structure and a tight budget, Groundworks Office designed a garden that channels the delicate ecology of west Marin. The site also memorializes the work of stalwart environmentalist, Marty Griffin.

The primary feature of the garden is the Bolinas Bench, a hulking multi-tiered wood structure that pays homage to the emergent flotsam found on Bolinas Beach. The bench is the communal gathering spot for the terrace and provides an ideal spot to survey the idyllic hills of North Berkeley.  The garden is planted with flora that can be found all along the western flank of Mount Tamalpais, a landscape the donor worked diligently to save and protect.