The Carmel River Elementary School, located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, is an educational institution committed to connecting students to the outdoor world. With the construction of a new administration wing, there became opportunities to further link outdoor education. The landscape areas in this project have been designed to inform students about the functions of natural systems, and provide a visually stimulating place that is representative of the natural world around them.

An entrance to the school that highlights the concept of a river; a cobble swale absorbs some of the stormwater coming off the roof of the administration building. In addition, low impact development strategies have been designed to route runoff from adjacent parking lots and rooftops. The landscape filters water through landscaped, vegetated swales. The use of only California native and/or drought tolerant plants adds to a sense of place, promotes beneficial insects, and provides an example of a drought tolerant landscape.