Pamela Burton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pamela Burton
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Portrait of Pamela Burton
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Pamela Grace Burton
September 16, 1948 Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design and a M.Arch. Master’s degree in Architecture |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Principal, President of Pamela Burton & Company, Landscape Architect, Author |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Organization | Fellow American Society of Landscape Architects The Cultural Landscape Foundation Stewardship Council |
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Notable work
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Pamela Burton Landscapes and Private Landscapes: Modernist Gardens in Southern California |
Pamela Grace Burton (born September 16, 1948) is a famous landscape architect. She designs outdoor spaces like gardens and parks. Pamela is known for mixing plants, art, and buildings in her projects. In 2006, she became a special member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).
Contents
Pamela Burton's Early Life and Learning
Pamela Burton was born in Santa Monica, California. She went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1975, she earned two degrees there. She studied Environmental Design and Architecture.
While at UCLA, Pamela worked at ACE Gallery. She helped set up art projects by famous artists. These artists included Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer. She also helped create Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings. She loved how the colors blended together.
Artists like Robert Irwin and Elyn Zimmerman also inspired her. They taught her about light, space, and how we see things. Pamela believes that landscapes are like a journey. It's not just about the end result. It's also about the process of designing and walking through them. She says that being aware of your surroundings is very important.
How Pamela Thinks About Design
Pamela sees architecture and landscape design as two parts of the same process. She learned this when she visited Japan. She saw how gardens and temples blended nature and buildings. This experience showed her the beauty of simple design.
Pamela likes to think of a garden as a "big idea." She believes it should be simple, balanced, and easy to understand. She wrote a book called Private Landscapes: Modernist Gardens in Southern California. In this book, she showed how modern ideas were used in gardens and homes. These homes were designed by architects like A. Quincy Jones and Richard Neutra.
Pamela has lived in places like Malibu and Ojai. These places have taught her that the true value of a space isn't always seen right away. It's something you feel. She learned that things like light, shadow, and the mix of nature and human design make a space special. Her own home became a place to try out new ideas. She says that a garden grows and changes over time. She is happy when her work looks natural, as if she didn't do much at all.
Pamela Burton's Professional Work
Pamela Burton has worked on many projects around the world. Her designs can be found in California, Idaho, New Mexico, New York, Australia, Brazil, and Japan. She has designed private homes, university campuses, and public spaces. Her projects include plazas, office buildings, hospitals, libraries, and parks.
Pamela believes we should take care of nature. She says that plants make our lives richer. She thinks that how we treat our landscapes shows how we treat ourselves.
Some of her early projects show how important it is to create designs that can change over time. For example, The Bonhill Residence was designed to adapt to future needs. The Colton Avenue Streetscape helped the University of Redlands campus connect with the nearby community. The Calabasas Civic Center focused on creating beautiful and lasting spaces for everyone.
Many of Pamela's projects use plants native to California. They also focus on saving water. The Palm Canyon Residence in Malibu is a cozy home for a big family. It has a special path lined with pepper trees. The School of the Arts Plaza at the University of California, Irvine is a central meeting spot. It also helps people explore their five senses. The Santa Monica Public Library uses water as a main theme. It has shallow pools to keep visitors cool on hot days. Pamela used native plants and water-saving methods long before they became popular.
Her recent projects focus on making landscapes simple and clear. The La Mesa Residence connects small courtyards with nearby rooms. At the Colorado Center, she made an office complex more lively. In São Paulo, Brazil, she created peaceful spots for office workers and the public. Her goal is always to create places that offer layers of discovery and experience.
Pamela also served on design review boards for several universities. She helped guide design choices at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Riverside. She also served on the Architectural Review Board for the city of Santa Monica.
Connecting with Nature and the Environment
Pamela Burton deeply respects nature and the environment. She believes that to truly understand where you live, you must understand nature's forces. These include the cycles of earth, air, fire, and water. She thinks that the better you understand the land, the better you can design buildings and gardens that fit in. Pamela sees a garden as a "big idea" that is simple, balanced, and easy to see.
During her studies at UCLA, Pamela realized she wanted to create landscapes. She wanted to change the land to make the best use of a site. She also saw how this connected to the environment. She noticed that things like open spaces, lighting, temperature, and sounds all show how a place relates to its surroundings.
Her trip to Japan helped her see how nature and buildings could blend together. This experience inspired her to bring these ideas into her own work. When she designs, she always studies the site and its environment carefully.
Over the years, Pamela has learned that a good designer needs to do four things: look, think, draw, and make.
- Looking means paying close attention to details.
- Thinking means understanding how things connect to the environment.
- Drawing means putting ideas and images onto paper.
- Making means bringing those ideas to life.
You can see her connection to nature in many of her projects. For example, the Red Tail Ranch is in California's rolling hills with oak trees. Pamela designed the house to sit on the land like a saddle. This made the house feel like a natural part of the mountains. Her book, Pamela Burton Landscapes, shows many of her projects that highlight this strong connection to the environment.
Pamela Burton's Selected Projects
Here are some of the projects Pamela Burton has worked on:
- 2016 LUMINA, San Francisco, California
- 2016 Glendale Central Air Terminal, Glendale, California
- 2015 Anita May Rosentein LGBT Center, Hollywood, California
- 2012 Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles, California
- 2011 The Century, Century City, California
- 2010 Valley Performing Arts Center, California State University, Northridge
- 2009 São Paulo Rochavera Esplanade, São Paulo, Brazil
- 2006 Farmer's Market, Third and Fairfax, Los Angeles, California
- 2005 Santa Monica Public Library, Santa Monica, California
- 2004 Colorado Center, Santa Monica, California
- 1998 Gilbert Residence, Brentwood, California
- 1997 Colton Avenue Street Scape, University of Redlands, Redlands, California
- 1995 Art Science Walk, Scripps College, Claremont, California
- 1994 Escondido Performing Arts Center, Escondido, California
- 1992 Biddy Mason Park, Los Angeles, California (Burton and Spitz)
- 1976 Nilsson Residence
- 1975 Jencks Residence
See also
In Spanish: Pamela Burton para niños
