Sky Trapezium, Museum of contemporary art Denver

Denver, CO

“Sky Trapezium” is a roof garden and permanent art piece at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver. Inspired by the pools at Marble Mines in Colorado and the sod roofs described in novels by Willa Cather and Laura Ingalls Wilder, Dakin imagined a place for people to interact with landscape in novel ways: to sit in the shade under prairies and to experience up-close “belly views” of mountain flora. The angled, sculptural forms of planted beds are designed to withstand snow loads and high winds, as well as to create a provocative garden that pushes our expectations of landscape.

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Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust

Los Angeles, CA
10,000+ SF

PHOTO CREDITS: TOP LEFT - JOHN GREENLEE, LOWER LEFT - LISA LEE BENJAMIN

In collaboration with Belzberg Architects, Evo Catalyst, RoofMeadows, and John Greenlee, this 10,000 square foot green roof provides a seamless transition from the museum to Pan Pacific Park beyond. Feathery grasses and wildflowers contrast with concrete architecture and the realities of the Holocaust. Seasonal changes in the roof meadow mark the cycles of the year and the inevitability of Spring. Drought-tolerant plantings need little irrigation in Los Angeles’ arid climate.

Read more in "Wind and Light: The Living Roof on the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust"  Pacific Horticulture. October, 2013

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Whole Foods

Boulder, CO

In collaboration with Lisa Lee Benjamin and Evo Catalyst, this landscape design for Whole Foods market transformed a suburban shopping center into a garden filled with native and climate appropriate plants as well as edible and medicinal herbs and fruit trees. This generative, healing garden was designed using permaculture principles. The concept of the garden harmonized with Whole Foods’ mission to sell healthy and sustainable foods and products. The addition of a water feature in the plaza provides a great place for kids to play and cool off on hot summer days.

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Mapleton Office Building

A Landscape for Everyday Wonder

Most office buildings treat their landscape like an afterthought. But what if it could make coming to work feel less like obligation and more like arrival? In Boulder, a private office building on Mapleton underwent renovation into a clean, contemporary workplace. The landscape had to speak the same language—not as decoration, but as integral to the experience of being there.

I began with a principle: low maintenance, high impact. Mass plantings create rhythm and flow, sweeps of color and texture that read as cohesive rather than scattered. I chose plants for their structure, seed heads, winter silhouettes—beauty that doesn't depend on being green. Boulder's winter light has its own magic.

Gabion walls add unexpected detail—wire cages filled with black beach pebbles that catch light and create contrast. Contemporary without being cold, they ground the design in material honesty. The private seating area gives people a reason to step outside, to take coffee breaks under open sky. It's an intentional destination for the small moments that make work life enjoyable.

Seasonal interest unfolds like chapters: spring bloom, summer fullness, fall color, winter structure. This is commercial landscaping reimagined—not as amenity, but as essential. The space between parking lot and front door sets the tone, acknowledging the humanity of people who work here every single day.