California Buildings News
Q1 2020 Issue
Q: In what ways does landscaping improve the value of a property, monetarily as well as in achieving greater well-being?
Kari Kikuta, Associate Director of Landscape Architecture, LPA Inc. San Diego
“New landscape on an existing project can bring ‘curb appeal’ to an aging property. An exterior refresh can be cost effective and impactful, as landscape improvements are often on the lower end of the cost spectrum for renovations. Some of our clients have implemented landscape improvements that sparked the sale of the property at a higher value than where they started. In part, that’s because a landscape improvement can change the perception of a facility. As a source of well-being, landscape is both mentally and physically impactful. Studies have shown that interaction with nature has a positive effect on people. When developing our landscape design solutions, we also take into consideration how the user will interact with the site. Programming the exterior spaces to provide different types of spaces, scales and functions encourages users to participate in more outdoor activities, bringing them closer to nature. In competitive industries where recruiting and retaining employees is essential, a healthy outdoor environment can play an important role.”
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