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LOCATION Albuquerque, N.M.
COMPANY Green Summit Landscape Management
DETAILS Quincy Apartments’ leasing office recently underwent a comprehensive landscape transformation. Before renovations, the site included dated and overgrown greenery that infringed on the building’s architecture. Plus, to align with Albuquerque’s water conservation initiatives, non-functional turfgrass was replaced with sustainable landscaping.
To replace a rotting retaining wall constructed from railroad ties, the team installed a new Belgard Melville Tandem wall, a modular wall system that matched the rectilinear design of the landscaping. Despite being new to this “puzzle-like” product, the team ensured precision by having materials shipped from California and utilizing an on-site vendor representative to guide the installation.
Installing three 1,800- to 3,600-pound limestone boulders in the entrance roundabout was another major challenge. The team came up with an idea to lift them upright using a custom rod-and-plate assembly through their center-drilled holes.
“When setting the boulders, we set them on a U-shaped border of solid concrete blocks where we then were able to stick our hand under to un-bolt the plate and reuse it for the next two boulders,” says Julian Lopez, landscape designer at Green Summit Landscape Management.
Lighting played a key role in the project’s completion, and cap lighting was used to highlight the modular retaining wall. Up- and down-lights were used to highlight the trees, with washing lights illuminating the metal planters.
“The landscape lighting is one of my favorite things about the project,” Lopez says.
The firm won a gold award from the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ 2025 Awards of Excellence program for this project.
