Trees at root of design in new college foodservice construction

The way a building interacts with the landscape is the most important design feature of all, according to Phoenix architect Marlene Imirzian. She’s the designer behind the tree-canopied Food Service Building at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., a suburb to the east of Los Angeles.

“What’s really important is the idea that the landscape and the building and all of the elements are done is a complete idea of how you move through a space,” says Imirzian, head of Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects.

“The campus experience, that’s where the learning happens outside the traditional classroom,” says Imirzian, who worked on the project for the past several years, tearing down an existing building and starting anew, completing the building last year.