The River Towers Condominiums Courtyard
Minneapolis, MN

The River Towers Condominiums Courtyard project is a recent renovation of a 1960's era landscape originally designed by Sasaki, Walker and Associates, Inc. CLOSE Landscape Architecture+ worked with the condominium residents to gain support for recreating the Sasaki garden after a waterproofing project for the garage below necessitated complete removal of the courtyard. The resulting design is not a literal historical restoration of the garden, but rather a new design that retains the spirit of the original work while accommodating the changing lifestyles of the residents. The original layout of the design was recreated; site furnishings and light fixtures were refurbished and reinstalled. The major components of the original planting plan were reinstated with owner requested modifications including seasonal color and perennial gardens. Two arbor structures were added to the garden to provide shade following the required removal of the mature tree canopy in the garden. The project has been the recipient of two preservation awards and was presented at the 2006 national conference of the American Society of Landscape Architecture in Minneapolis.