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.
Located on the University High School campus in West Los Angeles, Kuruvungna Village Springs contains one of the few remaining natural freshwater sources in the Los Angeles Basin. The springs sustained the thriving Tongva village of Kuruvungna for thousands of years preceding Spanish colonization and continue to hold profound cultural significance for the Gabrielino-Tongva community.
Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge as its principal guiding framework, this project investigates how landscape architecture can support the ongoing protection and evolution of Kuruvungna Village Springs while reinforcing Indigenous presence and elevating the visibility of culturally significant landscapes within contemporary urban environments. The design protects the spring as the site’s spatial and cultural heart while expanding native habitats and water systems, highlighting culturally significant plantings, improving circulation, and creating spaces for gathering, ceremony, education, and quiet connection. Together, these interventions sustain Kuruvungna’s cultural and ecological significance for future generations.
About
Victoria Gutierrez
Victoria is from Southeast Los Angeles and has been involved in community gardening projects over the years, focusing on native, edible, and drought-tolerant landscapes.
She is pursuing landscape architecture as a way to build upon her hands-on experience working with the land and transition into designing public spaces for communities with limited access to green space.