The Crack Garden
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.
The Crack Garden took a giant concrete slab that served as a central gathering area and created a series of cracks filled with different plants. The project reinvigorates the area by creating permeable space for plants to grow.
ASLA Honor Award Recipient, The Crack Garden by CMG Landscape Architecture (Photo: Tom Fox)
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The original site was simply an area of poured concrete that retained excess heat in the summer and increased water runoff to the surrounding area.
ASLA Honor Award Recipient, The Crack Garden by CMG Landscape Architecture (Photo: Kevin Conger)
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The homeowners took a jackhammer to the concrete, creating cracks that serve as a place for future plantings.
ASLA Honor Award Recipient, The Crack Garden by CMG Landscape Architecture (Photo: Nancy Conger)
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The finished cracks extended all the way to the dirt below, turning an impermeable slab into permeable space.
ASLA Honor Award Recipient, The Crack Garden by CMG Landscape Architecture (Photo: Kevin Conger)
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The result is a garden full of herbs, vegetables, flowers. Even rogue weeds have been kept for their aesthetic value.
ASLA Honor Award Recipient, The Crack Garden by CMG Landscape Architecture (Photo: Tom Fox)
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The cracks turn a barren, lifeless space into one that provides food for homeowners and a pleasant space for relaxing. From certain vantage points the lines of plantings stack up to present a more densely planted experience.
ASLA Honor Award Recipient, The Crack Garden by CMG Landscape Architecture (Photo: Tom Fox)
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Even though the cracks reduce the amount of open space, the resulting environment leaves plenty of room for playing and socializing.
ASLA Honor Award Recipient, The Crack Garden by CMG Landscape Architecture (Photo: Kevin Conger)
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Project Facts
- The project only cost $500 and was installed by the homeowners by simply jack-hammering new cracks into an existing concrete slab.
- The garden uses various flowers, herbs, vegetable and even aesthetically-pleasing rogue weeds.
- Many plants were chosen for their ability to tolerate foot traffic, allowing wide use of the space despite the removal of concrete.
PROJECT TYPE
- Urban
- Yard
- Housing Community
- Garden
Environmental Benefits
- Captures Water
- Cools Air Temperature
- Creates Habitat for Wildlife
- Creates Urban Farm
- Prevents Soil Erosion
- Reduces Urban Heat
- Restores Soils
- Sequesters Carbon
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