SCASLA Achievement Award
The judges highlighted the project’s strong research and analysis, with clear concepts and diagrams that were easy to understand. The evocative “Woven Basket” theme and precedent images brought a strong sense of place, while creative ideas like the tower walk stood out, even if they felt grand in scale. The sections and visuals were compelling, and the narrative showed thoughtful intent. Overall, a beautifully presented project with strong vision and creativity.
At Caltech’s western gateway, 3.75 acres of open space are dominated by underused lawn and bisected by a roadway. Although prominently located between campus parking and the academic core, the landscape offers few reasons to stop, gather, or explore and provides limited support for native biodiversity.
Invitations to Stay explores how campus landscapes designed primarily for circulation, institutional image, and maintenance efficiency can become places that invite people to linger, connect, and discover, while creating opportunities for native plants and wildlife to return and thrive.
Through native plant communities, shaded places to gather and rest, reclaimed roadway, stormwater capture and reuse, and public art, the design reimagines the site as a connected campus landscape rooted in Southern California, creating places for connection, respite, curiosity, and discovery while supporting a richer living landscape.
About
Jen Moody
Jen is a Southern California native with a background in fine art and more than a decade of experience in nonprofit and higher education fundraising and events. She currently works at Caltech in donor stewardship and recognition, where she brings together design, science, storytelling, graphics, project management, and collaboration to create meaningful connections between donors and the Institute.
Particularly interested in the intersection of people and nature, her landscape work explores ways to activate overlooked spaces, incorporate California native plants and habitat, and create beautiful, lasting places that invite connection, curiosity, and discovery.
Based in Long Beach, Jen lives with her husband, very active son, and their scruffy nerfherder of a dog, and is looking forward to rediscovering what she used to do with her free time before finding UCLAx.