OTL’s Role:
Santa Monica Water Garden
LOCATION
Santa Monica, California
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Morley Builders
DESIGNER
Katherine Spitz Associates
WATER FEATURE DESIGNER
STO Design Group
PROJECT OVERVIEW
- Build
- Water Feature Construction
- Artificial Rockwork
- Electrical Systems
The Water Garden has been an iconic Santa Monica landmark since the early 1990s, once the city’s largest commercial development. Now a modern 17-acre office campus with an amenity-filled courtyard, the property called on OTL to reimagine its water features. OTL replaced an aging 54,000-square-foot lake with an 11,000-square-foot river walk, complete with bridges and a dock.
PROJECT
CHALLENGE
The design called for four water features, including a gateway fountain and a 470-foot river connecting the entry to the courtyard. Creating a slow, meandering stream effect at minimal flow rates required careful attention to texture and slope. Running new plumbing to the features was complicated by existing mechanical systems already in the parking garage.
OTL’S
SOLUTION
OTL handled the mechanical, recirculation, water quality and electrical systems for all four features. To achieve the stream’s rippling effect at low flow, our team identified the right glass finish through a mock-up, enabling smaller, efficient pumps. We also routed new plumbing through the garage ceiling to avoid conflicts with existing utilities.
The Water Garden earned LEED Gold-EB certification following the renovation, cutting the property’s annual water usage in half. The refreshed water features now anchor a modern workplace that reflects Santa Monica’s commercial design standards.
