Asilomar Conference Grounds

North Woods at the Asilomar Conference Grounds

landscape rehabilitation

RANA’s work in the North Woods is part of a broader collaboration with Asilomar to renew aging landscapes and infrastructure while preserving the site’s historic identity and ecological integrity.

The North Woods rehabilitation reimagines a deeply wooded portion of the Asilomar campus as a layered landscape of arrival, retreat, and discovery. Encompassing three lodging buildings, sunken courtyards, and a series of green roofs, the project balances preservation and renewal—strengthening the identity of the North Woods while addressing long-standing infrastructure and circulation challenges.

RANA’s design approach restores clarity to the original site organization, using landscape to reconnect buildings to one another and to the surrounding forest. Central to this effort is the re-envisioning of the sunken courtyards as outdoor extensions of adjacent meetings rooms—flexible, landscape-defined spaces that support programming typically held indoors while drawing gatherings outward into Asilomar’s coastal setting. Design concepts range from a terraced, mini-amphitheater that can accommodate collective gatherings and presentations, to more distributed configurations that foster small-group interaction and individual reflection.

Green roofs and rehabilitation landscape systems play a critical role in modernizing the site’s performance, improving stormwater management, extending the life of the building envelopes, and increasing habitat value within the forest matrix. Collectively, these interventions deepen guests’ connection to the natural landscape while creating new opportunities for informal gathering, outdoor programming, and seasonal use.

LOCATION

Pacific Grove, CA

CLIENT

Aramark, California State Parks

COMPLETED

2025-Ongoing