Landscape Architect Articles

Earth, Air, Fire & Water: Orchestrating the Elements to Strike a Red Hot Note01-01-12 | News

Earth, Air, Fire & Water:
Orchestrating the Elements to Strike a Red Hot Note

by Tiffany Carboni,
Landscape Architecture by Robert Mowat Associates

The central lawn of this Los Altos Hills Northern California rural suburban home in Silicon Valley?EUR??,,????'?????< Photo: Treve Johnson

Using bold, colorful landscape strokes, a California couple turns a ranch house renovation into an elegant domicile destination. Located in San Francisco Bay Area?EUR??,,????'?????<

Ilbok and Woon Lee have lived here happily for years when they decided to remodel their ranch styled home. Despite the area?EUR??,,????'?????<

Sod rolls of red fescue (Festuca rubra) delineate the approximate edge of the leach field and separate the walks or shrub plantings from the more manicured lawn.

Robert Mowat Associates, a landscape architecture and land-planning firm located in San Francisco and the Napa Valley, set out to solve both the functional and aesthetic problems that plagued the existing site. In addition to unsightly views that needed to be screened and slopes that left little usable space, there were serious considerations to contend with such as runoff from neighboring properties and a septic system that dominated the rear yard.

The first meeting between Robert Mowat and the Lees revealed that the homeowners were open to brave design ideas. They wanted a sophisticated look that steered away from traditional, homey or ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The fountain is a series of stone and stainless steel mesh boxes arranged to comply with the city code that no structure be greater than four feet square in side yard setbacks. The fountains are seen from the master bedroom and begin with a fire bowl next to a lawn patio.
Photo: Robert Mowat Associates

Water Runoff
Mowat?EUR??,,????'?????<

Robert Mowat Associates set about to design two large drainage bioswales where water would be first cleansed and then allowed to slow itself and percolate before flowing offsite. The bioswales were placed at the edges of the property so as to not impact the more active and usable parts of the rear yard. Mowat explains, ?EUR??,,????'?????<

A garden area of feather reed grass and Salvia leucantha borders the lawn, presenting views of the tomato red columns and pilasters of the arbor create the drama for this California landscape against the muted colors of the home and garden.
Photo: Treve Johnson

Now the water is collected at a dry creek bed overflow point at the property?EUR??,,????'?????<

Grading
Originally a steep 18-20 percent grade, the Lees?EUR??,,????'?????<

Bioswales collect on and off-site water, allowing it to purge pollutants and infiltrate prior to outfalling into a final retention basin at the lowest point on the property, a cobble and boulder basin. Stormwater that does not percolate into the soil flows to a nearby creek. Photos: Treve Johnson

Two feet of fill brought the acutely sloping rear yard up to a more visually pleasing level. No more than two feet of fill could be placed over the existing septic leach field due to specialized approvals and restrictions required by the county?EUR??,,????'?????<

Ultimate approvals came after months of communication and coordination amongst the firm and the county. Thanks to those efforts the Lees?EUR??,,????'?????<

The decomposed granite paths were designed to meet the town?EUR??,,????'?????<

Removable Pavers over Septic Tank
The original septic system in the backyard needed to be preserved since the home wasn?EUR??,,????'?????<

Typical of California ranch homes built in the 1950s, the Lees?EUR??,,????'?????<

Precast concrete pavers lightly sandblasted were placed over compacted road base and sand?EUR??,,????'?????<

A concrete fire pit with maroon fire glass is a focal point in the landscape during evening hours.
Photo: Treve Johnson

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Colored pavers on sand allowed the fine grid of stone joints to become a contemporary expression of paving. The location of the leach field directed a form of lawn as the central green space. The designers placed decomposed golden granite fines on all paths and walks. The driveway was replaced with a multicolored pattern of interlocking pavers. While the pavers and precast stones did not account for pervious coverage, they did help the overall design to allow as much infiltration as possible.

Bold concrete forms and Equisetum, Bacopa and Strelitzia frame a utility door.
Photo: Treve Johnson

Arbor
The home itself was tastefully simple in its massing, fa?????ade color and window treatments. The slate roof is rich in color and texture, though it wasn?EUR??,,????'?????<

Underneath sits a dining table that adjoins a bar seating area. The L-shaped outdoor kitchen is constructed of copper sheeting, stucco and red recycled colored glass in cast concrete. The entertainment island doubles as a bar for seating that faces the cook and the views of the coastal hills beyond. The striking use of copper on two sides of the barbeque was inspired by interior designer Anne Munemitsu?EUR??,,????'?????<

The cast concrete countertop with red recycled glass chips has a rectangular slot for keeping wine and drinks chilled on ice for quick access. Stainless steel storage cabinets, refrigerator, barbeque and a copper sink round out the amenities on the outdoor kitchen.

Downlights (12-volt, 18-watt, from BK Lighting) placed within the arbor beams evenly light the entertaining area, while keeping the simple and colorful Douglas fir columns clean and unadorned. Furniture is by Janus et Cie.
Photo: Treve Johnson

Fire Pit
Los Altos Hills rarely finds itself enshrouded in San Francisco?EUR??,,????'?????<

Minimally shaded smoked acrylic panels atop the wood beamed arbor keep people dry in the outdoor kitchen. Inspiration for the copper panel fa?????ades came from interior designer Anne Munemitsu?EUR??,,????'?????<

Fountains
A unique feature of the Lees?EUR??,,????'?????<

The outdoor kitchen counter top is poured colored concrete with recycled red glass. The glass was imbedded in the pour, then slowly ground down by successive hand polishing and grinding of the aggregates.

Plantings
The plantings reflect a simple palette of green and seasonal color reflecting the sparse, unadorned landscape architecture. This clean plant palette consisted of low-water using plants that defined areas such as walkways, a private bedroom patio and the defining edge of the maintained lawn area.

The bisecting water flows from two different directions on the site and is channeled into green bioswales of Iris douglasiana, Gaura lindheimeri and Festuca rubra, Calomagrotis ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The bioswales are lined with California sycamores, trees commonly associated with riparian environments and tolerant of periods of both wet and dry weather. The owners wanted an orchard, which they got in a sunny and dry portion of the property. Accent plantings of bougainville and giant Bird of Paradise accentuate important architectural elements. All of the plantings within the design were chosen for their tolerance to the deer population that migrates frequently through the unfenced properties in the neighborhood.

After six months of construction, Robert Mowat Associates?EUR??,,????'?????<

The result is a bold garden design that fits smoothly and seamlessly within the greater context of the region. More importantly, it fits the personality of the home it envelops and its inhabitants who genuinely love to call this house their home.

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Project Team
Robert Mowat Associates
Design Principal: Robert Mowat
Project Designer/Manager: John Dalrymple
Project Staff: Taeko Kawasaki; Melissa Lee
Architecture: Louie Leu
Interior design: Anne Munemitsu
Contractor: Golden State Landscape

Vendors
Cast Concrete Countertop: Mark Concrete
Path Lighting: Kichler Lighting
Fountain Lights: Focus Lighting
Arbor Lights: BK Lighting
Furniture: Janus et Cie
Driveway Pavers: Belgard
Precast Concrete Patio Pavers: Stepstone
Firepit Bowl: Quickcrete
Planter Pots: Garden Art
Copper Urns: Smith Hawkens

?EUR??,,????'?????<

Bioswale Plant Selections:

a. Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha)
b. Gaura lindheimeri
c. Arctostaphylos ?EUR??,,????'?????< d. Pacific Coast Iris (Iris dougasiana)
e. Feather Reed Grass (C. ?EUR??,,????'?????<)
f. Red Fesue (Festuca rubra)
g. California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)

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