Design Philosophy
The purpose of our Design Community is to create joy, to improve the quality of life for humans and all living things and to act as facilitators in the healing of the environment and the human spirit.
Design Profile
Design Focus is a Landscape Architecture and Construction firm located in Ben Lomond, California. We are currently involved in a wide range of projects including commercial, public, and large-scale residential gardens, as well as historical renovation, habitat restoration, permaculture, and retreats. Because we are building multiple large-scale gardens concurrently we have extensive knowledge and expertise in following the design process through to completion and work regularly with a wide range of specialty contractors.
Rebecca J. Dye, Landscape Architect
LA License #3763
Design Focus 1981 To Present
Rebecca Dye is an award winning landscape architect and artist. Her vision is to create environments and experiences which enrich and inspire the human spirit. One of her core values is the importance of protecting and restoring natural systems. As water, soil, plants and animals are brought back to a site or community, people respond with amazement and embrace the transformation. The outcome is personal growth and a healthier environment.
Rebecca Dye is a partner in Design Focus Landscape Architecture & Construction located in Ben Lomond, California. The firms work ranges from corporate headquarters and public projects to restoration work on ranches, retreat center design and community educational gardens. She also has specialized expertise designing large estate gardens. Rebecca is passionate about creating children's gardens and enjoys helping kids discover their personal connection with nature. Rebecca has also taught garden design through both U.C. Berkeley and Foothill colleges and her work has been featured in books (Cultivating Sacred Space and Sunset Books) as well as magazines and other publications. Her web site is designfocus.com
William Henry Helbush, Landscape Architect
LA License # 4081 & Contractor License #433018
Design Focus 1981 To Present
Hank Helbush is a habitatualist and Partner in Design Focus specializing in habitat restoration and creative team management. Hank has over 25 years experience in landscape architecture and construction. His responsibilities have included design and implementation of habitat restoration, commercial, large scale residential, and permaculture retreat centers.
Hank also serves on the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation Board, San Lorenzo Valley Water District Advisory Committee, and Santa Cruz Mountain Arts Center Board of Directors.
Projects
The following are samples of some representative projects.
Children's Garden, Ukraine
Design and implementation coordination for an urban children’s’ garden focusing on ages 0-5. Project serves many handicapped children, however, the design of the project provides ststimulating imaginative play spaces for all children incorporating play. Sand play, nature discovery, wild gardens and edible planting as well as performance space, outdoor art and sculpture.
Community Garden Canada
Design for Squamish community garden integrating use areas, gathering spaces, private garden spaces and gardens for the homeless. Project includes medicinal garden, butterfly garden and children’s garden. The community garden is to expand five acres over the next five years.
Permaculture Retreat Center
Responsible for design, layout, and installation of 125 acre hillside mountain property. Features of the design and construction include a biological rain water capture system with seven ponds and waterfalls. The water catchment ponds are powered solely by on-site solar panels. The planting includes a terraced vegetable and cut flower garden with a 40’ waterfall and bridge crossings. Other elements include sacred space designs, dry stone walls, grading, drainage, irrigation, hardscape, orchards, a vineyard and habitat restoration.
Hidden Villa - Villa Gardens
Design and construction for a private foundation on 1600 acres. Landscape Architects for redesign of Villa gardens including grading, drainage, masonry, planting, irrigation and lighting. Also responsible for redesign and refurbishment of 1920s ponds. Design of student camping facility and green house area.
The Master Plan included interface with sustainably built educational center, design for community garden and pavilion, parking, swim center, equestrian facilities and signage.
King's Mountain Project
Design for a 50-acre estate in Woodside. Scope of work includes design for 3-acre biological pond and creek which has already attracted Great Blue Herons, Osprey, Egrets, Crayfish and many migratory birds.
Design and site supervision for 5-acre native grass wildflower and daffodil meadow. Recently completed theater garden in turn of the century style to complement existing Theater. Garden is walled with brick and incorporates limestone and Ironwork to match the Theater.
Responsibilities include site design, planning, grading, drainage, landscape, boulder placement, irrigation and coordinating. Also including care and restoration of over 2000 existing oaks, plant material design, selection and placement.
Hakone Gardens, City of Saratoga, CA
Design for ADA accessibility with special attention to retaining authenticity of traditional Japanese garden design. Project includes increase of accessibility through creative design solutions, grading, special attention to materials used and existing uses of specialized areas. The existing entry gates were raised, new granite stair main entry allowed grading to accommodate an alternative handicap entry while leveling gathering areas for enhanced usability.
Monterey Mushroom Corporate Headquarters
Design for four acre Corporate Headquarters including siting the building, layout of parking and roads, grading and drainage, hardscape design, Courtyard Garden with multiple level Moorish Pond, plant material design including the incorporation of edible landscape and Employee Vegetable Garde
Wildwood & Brookglen Parks, City of Saratoga, CA
Design for renovation of park playground areas. Worked with city task force and local community to synthesize a unique and safe playground environment. Project scope included compliance with ADA and safety standards, research of and inclusion of latest innovations in equipment from various manufacturers, development of base plan and design with consideration for existing mature trees on site.
Hidden Villa - Environmental Education Center
Landscape architecture for environmental education center including the development of use areas for groups, staff and visitors. Site planning, grading, and drainage as well as pervious parking layout for 100 visitors. Landscape design and planting linking agricultural and equestrian areas with educational facility. Planting design focused on the use of California natives and edibles.
Saratoga Community Children's Garden
Design and construction for preschool age garden and play areas. Elements include bike circuit, play equipment, decking activity area, story area, integration of animals, and childrens garden.
Matta Private Park
Design and Construction of 400 feet of undulating, curvilinear boardwalk leading through an adventureland. Features include rope worm tunnel, cargo climbing net, water rill play area, boulder sand play, picnic area, rope bridge, willow tunnel, bamboo maze, and a 22 foot diameter teepee.
Hale Creek Restoration
Completed design for restoration of urban stream and coordination of project through various government agencies. Work included site inventory and analysis, survey, development of erosion mitigation measures with a system of check dams, wattling, appropriate irrigation and planting with native plants. Also developed public access to creek area.
DiNapoli Project
Responsible for landscape design and coordinating installation for 10-acre site in Los Gatos. Emphasis on low water requiring California Natives and use of bunch grasses as turf replacement. Plant material was selected on basis of compatibility with existing oak trees.
Design emphasis on integrating large contemporary structure with natural site. Project photographs were featured in Progressive Architecture magazine.
Rodrigues Residence
Design and installation for 7-acre ocean front estate. Project consisted of design for pool, hardscape, major retaining walls, boulder placement, irrigation and planting of over 200 varieties of plants.
Holbrook Project
Total project responsibility for design and implementation of 2 acre garden including brick and stone arbor, swimming pool, watercourse, pond and spa with design for hydraulics and bronze wall fountains. Swimming pool won a National Silver Medal for design.
Designed and specified all masonry using varying weights of stone, brick and tile as elements throughout the project. Grading and drainage design, and worked with County of Santa Cruz to provide cut and fill calculations for grading and to obtain permits and necessary variances. Also worked with the Pasatiempo Homeowners Association to meet guidelines and represent client through series of design review meetings. A wide variety of plants were incorporated including Magnolia campbellii, Euonymus alata and Araucaria bidwillii.
Madonna Vista Project
Designed planting, irrigation and parking for multiple family residences. Worked out requirements for parking, fencing for privacy, drainage and interface of planting material compatible with adjacent slough.
Awards
1998 Golden Leaf Award for excellence in the design of children’s gardens.
1995 San Francisco Landscape Garden Show. Winners of 5 awards including Landscape Design Magazine award and others for design and construction.
1992 San Francisco Landscape Garden Show. Award for Best of Show for design and construction of “Monopoly Garden”. Also won award for plant material design. As the theme of the show was “Monopoly”, design was of a city park which incorporated a 30’ x 30’ granite Monopoly Game board as the perimeter flatwork. The garden also included features such as iron gates with train design, railings with houses and hotels, fence with giant game dice that rotate, stone pond with waterfall and large canopy trees. This granite Monopoly board is now to be incorporated in San Jose’s Guadalupe Park adjacent to the Children’s Discovery Museum.The Monopoly Garden has been featured on KRON TV and written about in the San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle and Garden Design magazine.
Symbolic Garden - One of four Designers invited to design and install a symbolic garden at the Palo Alto Cultural Center. This garden received write-ups in the Northern California Home and Garden and San Jose Mercury News.