Merritt College Horticulture Complex

Developed through years of collaboration with students, faculty, staff, community partners, and industry stakeholders, the project creates a new home for horticulture, arboriculture, urban agriculture, and plant science programs while preserving the culture of hands on learning that defines the department. Located on a secluded hillside site, the campus provides the land and flexibility needed for students to learn directly from the landscape, transforming the entire site into a living classroom.

Designed in partnership with BASE Landscape Architecture, the complex integrates gardens, greenhouses, outdoor classrooms, gathering spaces, community gardens, and a teaching kitchen along a meandering pathway that connects instruction, cultivation, and community. Outdoor event and gathering spaces support year round programming for students, local organizations, and industry partners, reinforcing the campus’s role as a regional resource. Site challenges including topography, wildfire resilience, and water management became opportunities for learning through permeable paving, rainwater capture, demonstration cisterns, and climate responsive planting. Durable materials, passive building strategies, natural ventilation, and robust outdoor work areas support daily use while making sustainable practices visible, creating a resilient campus that prepares future generations of environmental stewards.