Berkeley, California

This two day design charrette is to show how Zone 0 and Zone 1 can look at 736 Grizzly Peak Blvd., Berkeley CA. The goal of this design is to show how a simple Zone 0, with no vegetation can allow Zone 1 to become more prominent, across a range of different design styles. In this case, the design style is “perennial/English cottage" garden.

The history of fire in Berkeley, CA includes a 1923 fire that reached Shattuck Avenue via the Berkeley Hills, and the 1991 Berkeley/Oakland Tunnel Fire. Maps of these fires show how difficult evacuation was. It is critical to prevent houses from exploding to spread the fire even faster. The city of Berkeley has done a recent evacuation study, and KQED reported on it here.

These design drawings were shared with a public forum hosted by the Berkeley City Council in the Fall of 2026 and organized into a pattern book for use by residents of Berkeley and Paradise, California.

Before

After

Winter Perspective

Summer Perspective

Plan

Planting Palette and Materials