Saiki Design was commissioned to work with new property owners of a farmstead in the rolling hills and valleys of southwestern Wisconsin. The project aimed to transform the farmstead’s neglected cluster of agrarian buildings and farm plots into a simple, elegant and meaningful event space while maintaining its roots as an active farmstead. It was a major challenge. Landscape architects at Saiki Design collaborated with other specialty consultants to assist the owners in verbalizing a cohesive vision for the original Green Spirit Farm and to translate that vision into sincere connections at the framework planning level. At the conclusion of the framework planning and visioning process, spatial relationships for The Lloyd Jones Barn Pavilion, The Pond Amphitheater, the Driftless Cottage, the Norwegian Hollow Farmhouse, the Bluestem Kitchen, the Savanna Sanctuary and the Orchard Spring Campground had been solidified and White Oak Savanna had emerged as the new name for the property.
Saiki Design continued translating the vision and goals of the framework plan into tangible concept plans for individual spaces and connections between spaces. The design team refined way finding and signage design, pathways and pedestrian connections, vehicular circulation and parking, private patios and event spaces, and formulated guidelines for planting selection and design. The framework plan refinement process resulted in an elevated level of cohesiveness between the site and buildings at the main entry and supporting event spaces.
