90 E Street
Located at the corner of a busy intersection, our proposal for this 1980's commercial restoration focused on creating a more open civic space from what was originally a heavy, meaningless place focused on the building rather than on people.  After removing many of the old elements, the new design includes a new fountain utilizing the existing raised parking structure, an open railing system for the ramp and stairs, and an unusual planting plan that is easy to maintain and uses little water.  During construction the contractor replaced many of the unusual elements of the planting plan with roses, which are incompatible with the requirements of the other plants, design intent and publicly reviewed plans.  Although we can't force our clients to retain us for Construction Observation services, this lapse points to their value: had we been retained, our client might have a more beautiful project, use less water and avoid potential costly conflict with the public and city staff.