The overview of the 100x60 foot courtyard reveals the compactness of the design and how the various elements come together. The green roof for the pogoda is wisteria spp. The bald cypress trees (left) are loosing their leaves (a November photo). The chaises longues announce the area of the courtyard that receives the most rays. The dinning deck is at right. To keep the area tidy, the LA specified Fairweather TR12 waste receptacles.

 

Post Properties, Inc., the developer of the Post Biltmore apartment complex in Atlanta, adjacent to the historic Biltmore Hotel, terms the project a ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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The American Concrete Institute recognized the Post Biltmore with a first place prize in 2002 in the hardscape category.

Enter the Landscape Architect

In 2001, Sean Murphy was employed with Post Landscape Operations, an internal division of Post Properties, as a project landscape architect. At the time, Post used an in-house development division, Post Apartment Development (PAD), to manage the construction of most of its new apartment communities. PAD came to Mr. Murphy to design the amenities for Post Biltmore, which had just undergone a major renovation. The site is located within the Midtown Alliance Improvement District, which has specific streetscape requirements regarding widths of pavement, parallel parking, lighting selection, and paving materials along certain streets that had to be met.

The project had three major components: The streetscape, a large interior courtyard and a rooftop terrace. The courtyard was to be built entirely on top of a concrete detention vault capable of holding thousands of gallons of water, with only three feet of soil separating the top of the detention vault and the finished grade of the courtyard.

Post's challenge to Mr. Murphy was to design an interesting space and keep within budget constraints.

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Sculptors at Blood Sweat and Steel of Atlanta build a scale mock-up of the design. The model and scale mock up were presented to Post Development and Management late in 2001. This first model and design were rejected by the developer as too commercial. The developers wanted the design to have a unique feel but retain a ?EUR??,,????'?????<

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NDS products were used throughout the project to provide drainage for the courtyard. Other details were atrium grates covered with Mexican beach pebbles. These grates were used with 12-inch drain boxes and connected to the vault below with corrugated four-inch pipe.

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The focal points of the courtyard include a large metal pergola/pagoda and a water feature.

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The fountain equipment was provided by Hobbs Architectural Fountains.

The upper dining terrace, site of two adjacent tables covered by red umbrellas, overlooks a lower terrace and the fountain. The lower terrace has a number of lounge chairs for sunning, as this is the only area that receives enough sunlight for such pursuits.

The hardscape for the lower terrace is tumbled pavers in a concentric pattern with a header course border.

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The design idea for the manholes was to center them on the breezeways and conceal them with large decorative pots, but the budget and construction changes nixed that idea.

The result is manholes as focal points.

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A ramp leads from the lower terrace to the upper terrace and is walled on both sides with Keystone?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Lighting for the courtyard was done with the new Gardco fluorescent Designer Spotlights (DSP7s), selected, says the LA, for ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Post Properties likes to use fluorescent lights whenever possible. Their management experience is that fluorescent lights are the least expensive to maintain.

Mr. Murphy explains other special features: a solid stone slab bridge over the dry stream bed, 3-4 inches thick, about six-feet wide and over eight-feet long. It weighs in at over 4,000 lbs. and was specially delivered from Waldos' stone in Chattanooga, Tenn.

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Amenities include Kingsley Bate teak furnishings, a gas grill from Iron Works, and trash receptacles from Fairweather.

The site development included streetscapes on West Peachtree, Sixth, and Cypress Street. West Peachtree is a major artery and required provisions for parallel parking, special paving, planting beds, and street lighting. The intersection of 6th and West Peachtree is a highly visible location for a storefront-style leasing office.

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A key to the success of these spaces is the scale of the plantings and the details of the hardscape. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The size of the planting spaces was also key.

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Pots were designed for the entrances to the leasing office. Post's floral division was responsible for planting these with effective color and texture to complement the surroundings.

Lastly, the areas immediately adjacent to the building entrances needed to make an impact, as it is the first and last landscape element seen by potential residents entering and exiting the building.

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Where the sidewalk crosses vehicular entrances, the landscape architect employed stamped concrete to create texture and color differences that draws the attention of drivers.

Lighting of the streetscape included use of customized poles and lighting fixtures from Holophane, the lighting standard used by Atlanta for the 1996 Olympic Games.

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Sean Murphy, formally of Post Properties is now the owner of Amenity Architects, LLC based in Atlanta, GA.