Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation
Asphalt to Ecosystems is a comprehensive and inspiring look at the fl ourishing ecological schoolyard movement around the world, and a call for a paradigm shift in the way our society uses and manages school grounds. Illustrated with 500 vibrant, color photographs, the book takes readers on a journey to “visit” more than 150 exemplary school grounds across 11 countries. Written as a result of author
Sharon Danks’s fi eld research and professional experience over a decade, Asphalt to Ecosystems presents ideas for enhancing children’s school grounds for learning, play, and ecology in a manner that expands our notion of what high quality schoolyards can be.
The book encourages schools to foster a sense of place by tailoring their grounds to their own unique physical and social contexts.
Examples showcase some of the world’s most innovative green schoolyards including: edible gardens and outdoor cooking facilities; wildlife habitats that re fl ect local ecosystems; schoolyard rainwater catchment systems and waste-water treatment wetlands; renewable energy systems; beautiful waste-as-a-resource and green building projects; K-12 curriculum connections; and creative play opportunities that entice children to explore the natural world. The book grounds these examples in a practical framework that schools can use to make their schoolyards more comfortable, enjoyable and sustainable.
New Village Press, November 2010
288 pages, 500 color photographs, index, bibliography, appendices
ISBN-10 0-9766054-8-1, ISBN-13 978-0-9766054-8-5
Bay Tree Design, inc.
2927 newbury street, suite b . berkeley . california . 94703 . www.baytreedesign.com . tel . 510.644.1320 . cla no. 5054

Bay Tree Design, inc.
Bay Tree Design, inc. is a women-owned landscape architecture and planning fi rm in Berkeley, California. We create beautiful, inviting spaces that re fl ect ecological design principles, green building practices and edible and native planting palettes.
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We engage school communities in transforming their ordinary, paved schoolyards into vibrant ecosystems for outdoor learning and play, creating memorable spaces for children and adults.
Our fi rm has worked extensively with San Francisco Uni fi ed School District on their groundbreaking green schoolyard program, and with other schools in California and across the country.
We offer landscape architecture and environmental planning services for educational, commercial, institutional, public and residential settings. We are experienced in leading participatory design processes and welcome the opportunity to work with communities in crafting public spaces for everyone to enjoy.
Our work is informed by our research, our travels to observe public spaces in the
United States and abroad, our volunteer activities with nonpro fi t organizations, and our ongoing collaborations and dialogue with other professionals in the fields of education, public health, recreation, ecological design and architecture around the globe.
We design gardens and landscapes for relaxation, healing, authentic experiences and community enjoyment. We help our clients to further their goals: by harnessing the power of nature to enhance their programs and engage their visitors; by creating community around edible harvests and food systems integrated with local ecological cycles; and by creating landscapes that speak to the history of the site and its surrounding context.
We are experienced leaders who use participatory design processes with adults and children to reach a community consensus for the design of outdoor spaces. We believe design is a collaborative process of blending the client’s and community’s local knowledge, needs and desires with our expertise and skills. The fi nal product is a hybrid of the decisions made during the facilitation process and a response to the character of the site. In public and community-oriented design projects the facilitation process also provides the client with a venue for “growing” the future stewards of the site.
We work closely with our clients to develop personalized, outdoor environments that embrace residents’ lifestyles and provide year-round enjoyment for people of all ages, in settings large and small. We create beautiful, comfortable spaces that are convenient to maintain and a joy to use.
Bay Tree Design, inc.
2927 newbury street, suite b . berkeley . california . 94703 . www.baytreedesign.com . tel . 510.644.1320 . cla no. 5054