Old Bethany Home Office Photo Surfaces

This photo was taken at the old e group Phoenix E. Bethany Home office location. It is belived to be over 12 years old. Enjoy!

Sonoran Quarterly Article

Berlin Agave-Yucca Forest Planning and Design Begins

By Elaine McGinn,
Director of Planning and Exhibits

Design development for the Garden's newest initiative, the Berlin Agave-Yucca Forest, began in March with the selection of e group as the landscape design firm. e group is a Phoenix based company that has 30 years experience in working with desert landscapes. Their firm includes landscape architects, horticulturists, and planning and graphic specialists.

Located south of Sybil B. Harrington Succulent Gallery, the new exhibit will provide visitors with a unique opportunity to view the diverse agave and nolina families. Interpretation will reinforce concepts about desert plant adaptations and their horticultural and historical significance to the gardens living collection.

The schematic design concept for the Agave-Yucca Forest is best described as an exaggerated boulder experience blanketed and edged by agaves, yuccas, and nolinas, providing a sense of enclosure and immersion.

Funded by a generous gift from Howard and Joy Berlin to Tending the Garden Campaign, the Berlin Yucca-Agave Forest is scheduled to open in November 2009. Construction for the new exhibit will begin in July and continue through the fall.

Another vintage photo surfaces of Bob and Mark

Picture is titled "The Intrepid Twosome" dated July 4th, 1985 Petit Lake, Idaho

e group recognized for Arizona Diamondbacks Charities player fields volunteer work

e group was recently recognized for our volunteer efforts on the Arizona Diamondbacks Charities player fields. This recent recognition was for the work we did on Doug Davis field. Here is a picture of Jason Harrington representing e group at Chase Field.

Option 1 and 2 Entry Schemes Unveiled for MK Haikou North Project, Hainan, Chinaa

e group furthers master planned design development for Yucatan Peninsula property

e groups Latin America and Manila offices continue to further the design development of the Chichen Itza Master plan. The 4,000 acre proposed Master Planned Community is adjacent to the famous Chichen Itza Archaeological Site on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The site is quite unique because of the abundance of cenotes. Way to go Irene and Paul.

Historic Photo of Phoenix Office Surfaces

Kurt Schneider and Matt Blanchard discovered this historic photo of the e group Phoenix office. It once was the Packard dealership showroom for Phoenix, Ariz., circa 1928. The Packard automobile is parked right where Matt's messy cubicle currently resides. Clean up your desk Matt!

e group submitts "Gimmie Shelter" ideas to The City of Phoenix

Our Objective:
To provide a functional, flexible, cost effective, durable and aesthetically attractive solution for urban shade structures.

Our proposal focuses on modulation: a solution that can be replicated, repeated and located based on a particular settings needs.
Whether as a bus shelter for a suburban area or urban core, a larger structure for open space/park area, or a stand alone shelter at a trail head or rest area: the module offers flexibility, versatility and simplicity.

Revised Sanya Healing Resort Plan

Paul Chanco recently posted this revised Sanya Healing Resort Plan. The resort architects seem very happy with what the Philippines office accomplished so far. Way to go team!

Latest Sketchbook Work - Sanya Healing Resort in Hainan, China

e group is currently involved in the design competition for the Sanya Healing Resort in Hainan China which is the only tropical paradise in China. We are part of a team developing this 6 star hospital, convalescence and healing center for the leadership of China.

The drawing shown above is the result of progress made in a 2 day intensive design Charette in Beijing with the famous Beijing Institute of Architecture Design who participated in designing some of the venues at the Olympics.

Hans finds vintage photo of his 1986 VW Scirocco 16v, all tricked out

Look very closely and you can see the red dice valve caps on the tear-drop wheels. 23 years later he sports the all-wheel-drive VW Passat (also tricked out, photo pending :)

e group's work on the Tovrea Castle to be unveiled soon...renovations are wrapping up!

Originally constructed over several years around 1930, the once-lush Cararro Cactus Gardens slowly withered after the Castle was vacated in 1969. But there is new life in the Garden. Since early 2006, city staff and hired contractors have been painstakingly restoring the garden, which provides the lush desert setting for the landmark Tovrea Castle.
Staff with the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department have worked hand-in-hand with cactus restoration expert Rilée Leblanc and e group to restore the vibrancy of the garden. The Garden boasts more than 5,000 cacti in over 100 varieties.

Read the Arizona Republic article that mentions e group and Jason Harrington

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2008/09/25/20080925phx-tovrea0926.html

e group selected for Historic Garfield District Ped. Improvements @ 11th Street

We are developing plans and doing a study to promote pedestrian safety and comfort / walk-ability of 11th street .The idea is to encourage redevelopment in the blighted community, create neighborhood interest and activity, encourage pedestrian use and create linkages to light rail on Washington and the pedestrian bridge over the I-10, and be sensitive to the history of the neighborhood.

We were selected from a number of Firms that are also on the annual on-call contracts for both MAG and City of Phoenix. Our team was 1 of 5 LA firms utilized from the MAG 2009 awarded projects list.

e group submits design for PolyPark Project in Chengdu, China

Congratulations to Yang's design team on their successful submittal to the high end PolyPark Golf Course Community in Chengdu, China. The golf course is being designed by Schmidt Curly and the architect is Dahling Group.

Awsome new civic space to open just a few blocks away from Phoenix office

The long-awaited opening of the Downtown Phoenix Civic Space is set to take place on Thursday, April 16th. The Civic Space will actually be a City Park, the collaborative effort of the City of Phoenix & Arizona State Unitversity. The Park will be heavily utilized by ASU Downtown students but open to everyone. The space is located between Central & First Avenues, from the south side of the Historic Post Office on Fillmore to the north side of the Metro downtown station. Due to it's extremely central location, it should be heavily frequented. This space is going to be an absolutely awesome addition to our downtown and I think it will help make the ASU Downtown campus probably one of the the more attractive urban college campuses in the country.

http://www.echelman.com/site/phoenix_project.html

http://www.asu.edu/tour/downtown/civic.html

The schedule for the Grand Opening celebrations goes like this:

11 AM - Community Celebration, 3 PM - Formal Park Dedication Ceremony, 7:30 PM - Lighting of the Art Features. For more information, call 602 262 6412.