COLWELL SHELOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Set within the Sonoran Desert, the 13-acre Harkins Corporate Headquarters reimagines the workplace as a desert-integrated environment rooted in climate, memory, and identity. The landscape organizes the campus through shaded pedestrian corridors, courtyards, and arrival sequences that prioritize human comfort in an extreme climate. Native and desert-adapted plant communities create a resilient, low-water landscape that supports habitat and reinforces regional character.
A central outdoor room anchors the campus, where layered shade, tree canopies, and architectural overhangs create comfortable microclimates year-round. Permeable paving and passive stormwater strategies, including parking garden basins and a series of bioswales that capture, slow, and infiltrate rainfall, expressing water as a visible system. The hardscape design, inspired by the film reel, reinforces the cinematic narrative of the campus.

The 5 acre Plaza at Mesa City Center is a vibrant civic hub aimed at revitalizing the downtown area and creating a true destination for residents and visitors. Addressing past gaps in connectivity, activity, and identity, the project transforms an underdeveloped area into a walkable, event-driven public space.
The Plaza is centered around a shaded, flexible plaza, and the design supports year-round programming from festivals and performances to a seasonal ice rink, a large outdoor screen for movie nights, and interactive water feature.

Through gardens, pathways, and sustainable bioswales, the plaza strengthens connections to surrounding cultural destinations and reinforces downtown Mesa’s growth as an active, resilient urban core.

Desert Haven at Circle G Ranch Homestead project is a residential landscape set in the Sonoran Desert. The vibe of the landscape is intended to be a romantic, lived-in elegant experience with practical outdoor living. The design creates a series of intimate “garden rooms” that unfold across the site; each supporting relaxation, gathering, and family life while staying connected to the desert setting.

A welcoming arrival sequence leads into layered outdoor spaces, including patios, an outdoor kitchen, and a secluded Mediterranean style pool. Social areas are anchored a reclaimed stone firepit and soft overhead lighting, while quieter moments emerge in spaces like an olive grove with a fountain and a hidden “secret garden” for play and retreat.

Overall, Desert Haven at Circle G Ranch creates flow, sensory experience, and intentionality creating a timeless landscape centered on connection, exploration, and everyday living.