After purchasing a nondescript residence on a 10,000 square
foot corner lot in a popular resort island community, the
client selected the landscape architect based on recommendations
from the realtor and the architect. Both had seen previous
projects where he had articulated the architecture and garden
to fuse them into one, and maximize the indoor-outdoor living
potential. In order to achieve the best solution for outdoor
living and entertainment, which was a critical program element
for this part-time New York based family, the landscape architect
made critical decisions for the interior floor plan, vehicular
and pedestrian circulation, and general treatment of the structure.
The budget was very restricted for renovations to the structure.
No more than 50% of its value could be spent on renovations,
or it had to be demolished and a new structure designed to
meet current codes would need to be built. This was out of
the question for the client who wanted a livable garden oriented
vacation house within a very constricted time frame.
The landscape architect’s duties
were as follows:
- Suggest interior floor plan layout and window
and door placement, in order to provide the best indoor-outdoor
views and spatial relationships
- Suggest the removal of parts of the structure to
allow for pocket gardens
- Design all hardscape and site improvements; for example,
carport, entry trellis, entry gate, privacy fences,
planters, walls, fountains, pool, water garden and master bathroom garden
- Planting design
- Lighting design
- Color selection for residence and garden architecture
- Site furnishing selection
- General consultation on architectural renovation
and interiors
This project exemplifies the landscape
architect’s
role in shaping the built environment to enhance the user’s
lifestyle, appreciation of art and nature, and the beauty
of a garden. Plants were not only selected for their beauty,
but for their parsimonious water requirements and appropriateness
to the site. Indigenous plants were utilized to create a
privacy
buffer while providing a habitat for local birds and insects.
Landscape architects must have a thorough
understanding of the built environment as well as the natural
environment.
This project demonstrates the importance of the landscape
architect’s involvement at an early stage in the
development of a project to better articulate landscape
and building.
The community is buzzing about the new project which utilizes
the entire site, as well as a borrowed landscape. When
the
sliding doors on both sides of the residence are completely
open, the indoors and outdoors are transformed into a singular
space. The pool becomes an extension of the kitchen and
dining
room; the living room becomes one with the water garden.
All natural and manmade elements co-exist: water and rugs,
plants
and furniture, soil and stone floors, birds and books. This
small scale garden/residence encompasses the universe.
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