Pamela Burton
Encyclopedia
Pamela Burton is a Southern California landscape architect
known for her interdisciplinary approach to private and public projects, bringing together plant materials, art, and architecture. Burton’s books include Private Landscapes: Modernist Gardens in Southern California, 2002, and Pamela Burton Landscapes, 2010, both published by Princeton Architectural Press
.
During this time, Burton worked at ACE Gallery
in Venice and participated in the installations of earth-work artists, including Robert Smithson
and Michael Heizer
. Helping to construct Sol LeWitt
’s ephemeral wall drawings, she was inspired by the way the colors overlapped. Likewise, Robert Irwin
’s scrim pieces and Elyn Zimmerman’s observations of nature through photography, graphite drawings, and stone and water environments informed her about working with light, space, and perception.
Burton’s awareness of architecture
and landscape as complementary forms of the same process was confirmed when she took time off from studying at UCLA to visit Japan. There, in the gardens and temples, she observed the power of aesthetic simplicity and experienced the fusion of nature and architecture.
To demonstrate how modernist ideas were embedded in the mid-century gardens and houses of A. Quincy Jones
, Joseph van der Kar, John Lautner, Richard Neutra
, Rudolph Schindler
, and many more, Burton wrote, with Marie Botnick and Kathryn Smith, the book Private Landscapes: Modernist Gardens in Southern California.
Throughout Burton’s career she has been influenced and informed by where she lived — the hills of Malibu
and the valley of Ojai. She learned repeatedly that the success and value of spaces are not always seen immediately; they are felt. Many defining edges and threshold meetings can go into making a space resonant: proportions of inside and outside, light and shadow, nature and cultivation, social needs and solitude. Her living spaces became places to experiment and explore by instinct; if she fell, she didn’t hurt herself. She replanted.
In the end, a garden takes on its own layers of time and meaning, and Burton does not feel she needs to spell them out completely. She has come to be satisfied if it appears as if she didn’t do anything. Arriving at that point has taken a tremendous amount of work; it is the constant process of editing that lets a garden age and endure, deepening and leaning into its own story.
, United States courthouses, hospitals, libraries, and parks.
Early projects like The Bonhill Residence show the importance of adopting a strong design that accommodates change over time. The Colton Avenue Streetscape for the University of Redlands
was important for the way it helped to assimilate the campus with the surrounding community. The Cantitoe Farm project relied on ideas related to creating in-between, terraced garden rooms that could be inhabited. For the Calabasas Civic Center
, the concentration was on building attractive, sustainable spaces for the community.
Many projects from the 1990s are located within the native California chaparral and have water and the conservation of water as primary to their designs. The Palm Canyon Residence in Malibu is designed as a comfortable refuge for a large family; it incorporates a pepper tree allee, olive grove, and planted steps. The School of the Arts Plaza, for the University of California, Irvine
project with Maya Lin
has become a central meeting place as well as an exploration of our five senses. Red Tail Ranch in Santa Ynez relies ultimately on natural rainfall for its timeless chaparral qualities. The Santa Monica Public Library
uses water as its primary metaphor and includes shallow pools in the middle of the courtyard to provide relief from hot summer days. It was an early focus of the company’s efforts to create sustainable landscapes.
Recent projects pare down landscape to its essence, with a clear hierarchy of spaces that simplifies the overall structure and can be complemented by a rich palate of plant materials. La Mesa Residence integrates a series of small courts with their adjacent spaces: library, dining, study, and living. At the Yahoo Center, Burton brought to life an office complex by enhancing and rethinking its context. At the East Fork Residence, at an elevation of seven thousand feet, Burton anchored the house to structural terraces planted with flowering crab apple trees and created veils of native trees through which to view the house. In Sao Paulo
, she created multiple refuges for office workers and the public. In all of this work, the intention was to create layers of discovery and experience.
In the Foreword to her book, architect Robert A.M. Stern writes,
“Amidst the torrent of discourse about landscape, Pamela Burton’s monograph, like her work, is nothing short of reassuring, celebrating the age-old complementary relationships between building design, garden design, and horticulture. To look at her work is to enter a beautiful world of colors and textures, varied surfaces and vistas… Unlike most of her peers, Pamela deploys her talent and extraordinary vision both to the design of grounds for private residences and to public places… In accommodating the range of needs that each project imposes, she never loses sight of beauty. Her art is knowing how to create places that serve the human spirit.”
Burton is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects
. She served for six years on the Design Review Board at the University of California, Santa Barbara
. She is currently on the Design Review Board of the University of California, Riverside
. Pamela is also on the Architectural Review Board of the city of Santa Monica.
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
known for her interdisciplinary approach to private and public projects, bringing together plant materials, art, and architecture. Burton’s books include Private Landscapes: Modernist Gardens in Southern California, 2002, and Pamela Burton Landscapes, 2010, both published by Princeton Architectural Press
Princeton Architectural Press
Princeton Architectural Press is a leading publisher of architecture and design books, with over 500 titles on its backlist. It was founded in 1981 by Kevin Lippert in Princeton, NJ and moved to New York City in 1985. Since 1996, Princeton Architectural Press has been distributed in the...
.
Education and Philosophy
Burton was born in Santa Monica, California. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Design and a Master's of Architecture from UCLA in 1975.During this time, Burton worked at ACE Gallery
ACE Gallery
ACE GALLERY is an art gallery with two functioning gallery spaces in Los Angeles, California, United States, with one located on the Miracle Mile section of Wilshire Boulevard and the other also on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills...
in Venice and participated in the installations of earth-work artists, including Robert Smithson
Robert Smithson
Robert Smithson was an American artist famous for his land art.-Background and education:Smithson was born in Passaic, New Jersey and studied painting and drawing in New York City at the Art Students League of New York....
and Michael Heizer
Michael Heizer
Michael Heizer is a contemporary artist specializing primarily in large-scale sculptures and earth art .Heizer was born in Berkeley, California in 1944; and he attended the San Francisco Art Institute. Traveling to New York City in 1966, he began his career producing more conventional, small-scale...
. Helping to construct Sol LeWitt
Sol LeWitt
Solomon "Sol" LeWitt was an American artist linked to various movements, including Conceptual art and Minimalism....
’s ephemeral wall drawings, she was inspired by the way the colors overlapped. Likewise, Robert Irwin
Robert Irwin
Robert Irwin may refer to:* Robert Irwin , Canadian politician* Robert Irwin , American installation artist* Robert Irwin , British historian, novelist and writer on Arabic literature...
’s scrim pieces and Elyn Zimmerman’s observations of nature through photography, graphite drawings, and stone and water environments informed her about working with light, space, and perception.
Burton’s awareness of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and landscape as complementary forms of the same process was confirmed when she took time off from studying at UCLA to visit Japan. There, in the gardens and temples, she observed the power of aesthetic simplicity and experienced the fusion of nature and architecture.
To demonstrate how modernist ideas were embedded in the mid-century gardens and houses of A. Quincy Jones
A. Quincy Jones
Archibald Quincy Jones, FAIA was a prolific Los Angeles-based architect and educator known for innovative buildings in the modernist style and for urban planning that pioneered the use of greenbelts and green design.-Childhood and early career:...
, Joseph van der Kar, John Lautner, Richard Neutra
Richard Neutra
Richard Joseph Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects.- Biography :Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892. He was born into both-Jewish wealthy family...
, Rudolph Schindler
Rudolph Schindler
Rudolph Schindler may refer to:* Rudolph Schindler * Rudolph Schindler...
, and many more, Burton wrote, with Marie Botnick and Kathryn Smith, the book Private Landscapes: Modernist Gardens in Southern California.
Throughout Burton’s career she has been influenced and informed by where she lived — the hills of Malibu
Malibu
Malibu may refer to:Places:* Malibu, Baja California, a beach in Rosarito Beach Municipality, Baja California* Malibu, British Columbia, a camp near the entrance of Princess Louisa Inlet...
and the valley of Ojai. She learned repeatedly that the success and value of spaces are not always seen immediately; they are felt. Many defining edges and threshold meetings can go into making a space resonant: proportions of inside and outside, light and shadow, nature and cultivation, social needs and solitude. Her living spaces became places to experiment and explore by instinct; if she fell, she didn’t hurt herself. She replanted.
In the end, a garden takes on its own layers of time and meaning, and Burton does not feel she needs to spell them out completely. She has come to be satisfied if it appears as if she didn’t do anything. Arriving at that point has taken a tremendous amount of work; it is the constant process of editing that lets a garden age and endure, deepening and leaning into its own story.
Professional Practice
Pamela Burton's projects include private residences and public landscapes in California, Idaho, New York, Brazil, Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. They include campus master plans, campus buildings and plazas, commercial developments, high-rise office towers, high-rise residential condominiums, reservoirs for the Los Angeles Department of Water and PowerLos Angeles Department of Water and Power
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving over four million residents. It was founded in 1902 to supply water and electricity to residents and businesses in Los Angeles and surrounding communities...
, United States courthouses, hospitals, libraries, and parks.
Early projects like The Bonhill Residence show the importance of adopting a strong design that accommodates change over time. The Colton Avenue Streetscape for the University of Redlands
University of Redlands
The University of Redlands is a private liberal arts and sciences university located in Redlands, California. The university's campus sits on near downtown Redlands. The university was founded in 1907 and was associated with the American Baptist Church. The land for the university was donated by...
was important for the way it helped to assimilate the campus with the surrounding community. The Cantitoe Farm project relied on ideas related to creating in-between, terraced garden rooms that could be inhabited. For the Calabasas Civic Center
Calabasas Civic Center
In July, 2008, a newly built Civic Center opened in Calabasas, CaliforniaThe complex is located behind the popular The Commons at Calabasas shopping center.-External links:*...
, the concentration was on building attractive, sustainable spaces for the community.
Many projects from the 1990s are located within the native California chaparral and have water and the conservation of water as primary to their designs. The Palm Canyon Residence in Malibu is designed as a comfortable refuge for a large family; it incorporates a pepper tree allee, olive grove, and planted steps. The School of the Arts Plaza, for the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
project with Maya Lin
Maya Lin
Maya Ying Lin is an American artist who is known for her work in sculpture and landscape art. She is the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Personal life:...
has become a central meeting place as well as an exploration of our five senses. Red Tail Ranch in Santa Ynez relies ultimately on natural rainfall for its timeless chaparral qualities. The Santa Monica Public Library
Santa Monica Public Library
The Santa Monica Public Library serves residents of Santa Monica, California and surrounding areas. SMPL is directed by a City Librarian, who reports to the Santa Monica City Manager's Office and is overseen by a Library Board consisting of five members appointed by the Santa Monica City...
uses water as its primary metaphor and includes shallow pools in the middle of the courtyard to provide relief from hot summer days. It was an early focus of the company’s efforts to create sustainable landscapes.
Recent projects pare down landscape to its essence, with a clear hierarchy of spaces that simplifies the overall structure and can be complemented by a rich palate of plant materials. La Mesa Residence integrates a series of small courts with their adjacent spaces: library, dining, study, and living. At the Yahoo Center, Burton brought to life an office complex by enhancing and rethinking its context. At the East Fork Residence, at an elevation of seven thousand feet, Burton anchored the house to structural terraces planted with flowering crab apple trees and created veils of native trees through which to view the house. In Sao Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, she created multiple refuges for office workers and the public. In all of this work, the intention was to create layers of discovery and experience.
In the Foreword to her book, architect Robert A.M. Stern writes,
“Amidst the torrent of discourse about landscape, Pamela Burton’s monograph, like her work, is nothing short of reassuring, celebrating the age-old complementary relationships between building design, garden design, and horticulture. To look at her work is to enter a beautiful world of colors and textures, varied surfaces and vistas… Unlike most of her peers, Pamela deploys her talent and extraordinary vision both to the design of grounds for private residences and to public places… In accommodating the range of needs that each project imposes, she never loses sight of beauty. Her art is knowing how to create places that serve the human spirit.”
Burton is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects
American Society of Landscape Architects
The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects, with more than 17,000 members in 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 42 countries around the world, plus 68 student chapters...
. She served for six years on the Design Review Board at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
. She is currently on the Design Review Board of the University of California, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
. Pamela is also on the Architectural Review Board of the city of Santa Monica.
Selected Projects
- Claire Trevor School of the ArtsClaire Trevor School of the ArtsThe Claire Trevor School of the Arts is a fine arts school at the University of California, Irvine in Irvine, CA. The four departments housed in the school consist of dance, drama, music, and studio art. The school has both an undergraduate program as well as a masters program. It was named in...
- Santa Monica Public LibrarySanta Monica Public LibraryThe Santa Monica Public Library serves residents of Santa Monica, California and surrounding areas. SMPL is directed by a City Librarian, who reports to the Santa Monica City Manager's Office and is overseen by a Library Board consisting of five members appointed by the Santa Monica City...
- Calabasas Civic CenterCalabasas Civic CenterIn July, 2008, a newly built Civic Center opened in Calabasas, CaliforniaThe complex is located behind the popular The Commons at Calabasas shopping center.-External links:*...
- Fashion Institute of Design & MerchandisingFashion Institute of Design & MerchandisingFIDM, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, is a specialized for-profit private college located in California dedicated to educating students for the Fashion, Entertainment, Beauty, Interior Design, and Graphic Design industries....
- Los Angeles Farmers Market