It took ten men and two days to lay down the nearly 71,000 square feet of sod to the Mission Bay campus green that by September will likely be a favorite spot for recreation or relaxation.

The process began with leveling the grounds.

Plans for the 3.2-acre Koret Quad, designed by Peter Walker & Partners, call for landscaping, hardscaping, grading, drainage, irrigation, signage and specially designed furnishings.

The sod was rolled out using specially designed equipment.

Originating from Stockton's Delta Bluegrass Company, the sod is a welcome replacement at the once all dust-covered construction site and will need time to adapt to its new environment.

"The grass takes six weeks to take root," says Fergus O'Shea, construction manager for the Palo Alto-based Cambridge CM, Inc.

Each piece was manually straightened into alignment.

Crews are finishing the final planting of trees in the area and installing the stone walls in addition to paving the limestone center walkway.

Meanwhile, West Coast artist Roy McMakin, a graduate of the UC San Diego art department who created the furniture for the Getty museum in Los Angeles in 1998, is working on a series of benches, chairs and other objects to be located around the perimeter of the green. McMakin is using various materials, such as stone, wood and bronze, to fashion the furniture and other fixtures.

Almost like carpet, the sod was carved to curve around the trees and shrubs.

The phase one landscape project is supervised by Lisa Henderson of UCSF Facilities Management.

Source: Lisa Cisneros

Last updated January 28, 2005

Koret Quad