Life Lab Headquarters Learning Garden / Committed to environmental stewardship, Santa Cruz's Life Lab program has provided instructional workshops promoting science- and garden-based education for learners of all ages since 1978. After successfully obtaining broad support and funding for an expanded site, JLJA developed conceptual and master plan drawings for Life Lab: The Garden Classroom. This two-acre garden-based learning center, located at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) on the University of California Santa Cruz campus, was the first phase of the educational gardens. A thriving garden with exhibits and activities, the plan includes 22 learning centers from the plant petting zone and an active weather station to “The Rot Zone,” a compost demonstration area featuring over ten different composting and vermicomposting structures. The master plan and future phases include a classroom building, growing gardens, science labs, and greenhouses.  LifeLab has reached almost 600,000 kids nationally and 5,000 locally, as of January 2018!

Client: Life Lab
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Dates: 1999-2002
Size: 2 acres
Client: Life Lab
Donor: The David & Lucile Packard Foundation