e group Hosts The Historic Garfield District - 11th St. Pedestrian Improvement Open House Meeting

The first project Open house was held to present the project scope and identify the existing conditions to the general public and was hosted by Project Manager Jason Harrington. A summary of our field research was presented and 4 large scale boards of the project area. An aerial photo on 2 boards was presented describing the project area and identifying key elements within the corridor. The third board presented included an existing typical R/W section and an inventory of the existing trees within the project limits. The fourth and last board described the major issues relating to the project with sample images of each issue in a collage format. The major issues identified were ADA access, pavement conditions and types, Crime Prevention / CPTED issues, and historical features. E group will be taking the comments received from the community input and developing a concept during future stages. A second open house will be conducted later this fall.

e group presents banquet facility design to Gila River Indian Community

Earlier today e group presented the master plan for a unique garden banquet facility for the Gila River Indian Community. The project is incorporating a natural farm, olive grove, outdoor cooking facility, amphitheater and lawn event space, farmer's market and pumpkin patch among others features into a interactive garden that will be incorporated into a new banquet facility. Randsom Brown is managing the project.

e group unveils the design presentation of a private yacht club, marina and hotel in Shenzhen, China

e group is working on the landscape architecture design for this contemporary architecture design private yacht club, marina and hotel in Shenzhen, China. The project includes a Lover’s boardwalk with iconic towers, yacht events and water plazas with nautical motifs , restaurants and outdoor activity areas. The hotel itself will have a infinity pool, waterfall and rock climbing walls with lush gardens and beach volleyball court. There will be a fishing dock and associated lagoon. Check out the presentation by clicking the following link and selecting the "featured design" link.

http://www.egroupinc.com/resorts

Manzanita Senior Center conceptual design options presented to the City of Phoenix

e group recently teamed up with CCBG and UEB Builders to present qualifications and conceptual ideas to the City of Phoenix for their new senior recreation center.

Completed Illustrative Master Plan for the Vanke Master Plan Development in China project

e group teamed up with SB-Architects in San Francisco to provide the Illustrative Master Plan for the Vanke Master Plan Development in China. Thanks for all the hard work and long nights Eugene!

Professional Design Competition boards unveiled at AIA Phoenix Metro Chapter on Thursday night.

To help foster the development of an "Authentic Desert Urbanism for Metro Phoenix," the AIA Phoenix Metro Chapter, in conjunction with ASU's Canalscape Symposium sponsored a Professional Design Competition for projects adjacent the city's canal banks. e group teamed up with Thompson Pollari Architects and others to compose "Ingleside Inn at Arizona Falls" It was one of approximately 20 entries displayed at the AIA's open house on Thursday evening.

e group submits "Butterfly Jungle" design concept

Click the following link to view the 30+ page "Butterfly Jungle" design concept presentation prepared by e group. A special pat on the back goes out to Randsom for his excellent work on this presentation.

http://www.egroupinc.com/butterfly

Design Development of the Vanke Master Plan continues...

e group is currently teaming up with SB-Architects in San Francisco to provide the Conceptual Design for the Vanke Master Plan Development in China. Thanks for the hard work and long night Eugene!

e group, the original green environmental design company

e group has recently made great strides to drastically reduce our physical office space and become a more virtual effort focused on green economy service. We've begun to diminish our carbon foot print by reducing commuting, office scale, and associated utilities etc. Improvements include a leaner, meaner attitude when it comes to producing paper, reducing weekly commutes for some employees from 300 miles to 40 and using technology to reduce our overall carbon emissions. We are excited to lead the change in green planning, sustainable development, green infrastructure, and carbon netrual communities.

El Cortezal entry concept takes shape

The first concept sketches are being developed for an entry design into a new project called El Cortezal in Guadalajara which is very difficult terrain. The slopes are at 40% and steeper but the client wants 500 units on the property so we will be designing a lot of walls.

Design Development of the "Butterfly Jungle USA" continues

Butterfly Jungle USA is a butterfly garden / tropical jungle attraction housed in a Hacienda style event space and botanical garden conservatory. Visitors become "explorers" and experience an adventure through a tropical jungle with waterfalls, streams full of fish, tropical birds, jungle mammals and thousands of butterflies dancing on the flora and around "ancient ruins".

e group is pleased to announce the completion and opening of Midfirst Bank at Power Marketplace

In terms of small retail-pad scale projects, this banks landscape is breathtaking. Use of boulders, native plant materials, specimen Ironwood trees and a multitude of Agave species lends this site a low-maintenance character and aesthetic not usually seen in that size and type of project. egroups work included Landscape, Irrigation, Hardscape and some unique features and finishes as designed by Hans Stoll, in concert with DAVIS Architects. We invite anyone to swing by and look at the project.

e group pushed to Friday deadline for Master Planning Presentation

Due to a recent Susan Roberts request, e group has promised to design a web based Master Planning Presentation by Friday. Good luck Tona & Matt!

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.