The Desert Terrace Garden and Jan and Tom Lewis Desert Portal are the first projects that developed from a master planning process. The integrated design of the terrace walls directs guests’ views to two large buttes in the distance. Layered and curving walls artfully blend stone and mosaic tile, conveying a sense of directional movement toward the Portal itself. 

The Desert Portal is a circular orientation plaza where visitors embark to explore the rest of the garden. A dramatic trellis, inspired from organic forms, anchors this plaza while doubling as a flexible event space – complete with seating and support infrastructure.