As the first blazing light of the desert sunrise pours over the edge of the Santa Rosa Mountains, a desert bighorn ewe is seen beside the bubbling watering hole, head lowered to leisurely quench her thirst. Above her on the jagged rocky cliff, her ram stands guard, alert to all that passes below.

All visitors to The Ritz Carlton, Rancho Mirage, California enter the resort via the porte-cochere experiencing this naturalistic scene. Peridian, Irvine, California, designed the landscaping around difficult parameters.

Gary Beggs, Senior Principal of Peridian said, “We went to great pains to make the environment of the resort emerge from the natural landscape of the desert. We had to balance and properly scale all aspects to not overshadow the hotel. A sense of natural harmony should be felt at the entrance. The lifesize cast bronze statues of the two sheep should blend in so well that observers expect them to move about the habitat.” Beggs said that rich flowering desert ornamentals were used in a refined manner characteristic of The Ritz Carlton.

Peridian, along with Ron Holecek of the architectural firm of Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo of Newport Beach, California, brought Rock & Waterscape Systems of Irvine, California, to the project to fabricate the naturalistic rock outcropping, the stream and pool, that would be the setting for the two bronze replicas of the sheep. World-renowned animal sculptor, David Wynne of London, was selected to create the two cast bronzes that would reside within the entrance venue. Lance Friesz of Rock & Waterscape Systems said that David Wynne was adamant about the precision and tolerances of the rock foundation and environment for his bronze statues, requiring four major models to be built and a special trip to England. The detailed model ultimately functioned as an installation guide.

In fact, in researching the project, all designers and project coordinators visited the Big Horn Sheep Institute in Palm Desert to observe the animals first hand in their natural habitat. Maquettes of both sheep were created prior to actual fabrication.

Rock & Waterscape Systems created the rock features to represent the native granite found in the region. The outcropping was treated with special stains to replicate the purple, tan and rose desert varnish. The small trickling stream runs into the pool from which the ewe is poised to drink. The stream is serviced by an underground re-circulating and pumping system.

Taking two years to complete, the Ritz Carlton opened in April, 1988. The challenge of blending desert landscape, natural animal preserve and resort into one interrelated environment, has been clearly accomplished.