Alta Mesa Case Study
Background
Alta Mesa Memorial Park is a privately owned, 72-acre site established in 1904. The original office and administration building was in decline, cramped, and could only accommodate meeting one family at a time. Furthermore, the cemetery looked to expand its offerings by providing a mortuary on-site serving all cultures and religions.
The park executed its expansion plans in the spring of 2010. It replaced the park’s original single story 4,000 s.f. Spanish Colonial Revival building with a new two-story, 14,000 s.f. facility with Mediterranean garden surroundings and a calming water feature to greet clients. The new building includes a chapel that can seat up to 150 people.
Challenge
- Honor the architectural style of the exterior yet feel contemporary; deliver authenticity within budget limitations.
- Facilitate a cohesive flow for memorial services and expand client and business opportunities while accommodating ordinary office functions.
- Respect a crossroads of cultures and religious traditions while capturing California’s early eclectic heritage.
- Foster sharing; support emotional and spiritual expectations; create a meaningful and restorative atmosphere.
Solution
- Balance period correctness, functionality and budget concerns; create furnishings to complement authentic pieces.
- Logical, uncomplicated and open design facilitates multiple activities in a comfortable, flexible space.
- Warm tones and soothing yet secular decor creates nurturing spaces; free-standing lighting creates a bold yet tranquil atmosphere in lobby areas, while back-lit honey onyx slabs provide the chapel’s non-denominational centerpiece.
- Leverage open space and decorative elements to facilitate social exchange; build in nature-inspired details to enhance, not detract from, the healing process.
Client: Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, CA
Owner: Alta Mesa Improvement Company, Palo Alto, CA
Team
Architect: Woodson Barksdale Architects, Los Altos, CA
John R. Barksdale, AIA
Interior Design: Spence Studio Interiors, Fremont, CA
Loretta D. Spence, CID, ASID, IIDA, LEED AP
Shirley Lo, ASID, Associate AIA, LEED AP
Interior Design services provided: full service interior design and furnishings, project management, coordination and purchasing.
Landscape Architect: Winterbotham Partnership, Palo Alto, CA
General Contractor: Tico Construction, Inc., San Jose, CA
Architectural Historian: Garavaglia Architecture, San Francisco, CA
Leed Rating: Design AVEnues, Pacifica, CA
Art Consultation Services: Robert Allen Fine Art, Sausalito, CA
Architectural Photography: Dean J. Birinyi Photography, Mountain View, CA
Custom Onyx Wall: Integrated Resources, Brisbane, CA, honey onyx
D & J Tile Company, Inc. San Carlos, CA, fabrication
Custom Reception Desk: Woodmasters, Alameda, CA
