Landscape Architect Articles

Resort at Home01-01-02 | 16

Throughout the client's travels around the world and across this country he stays in elegant, luxurious hotels and resorts. "These places are most enjoyable and refreshing after the schedules and pressures of my very competitive business life. The landscapes there are immaculate and they are very private. I want to come home to that same quality of architectural space and landscape. I want my home to feel like a world class resort." And that was the Landscape Architect's marching orders from the client, a young successful entrepreneur who wanted to do it right. The design program was to create a resort at home, provide the amenities found in deluxe hotels with manicured private gardens which flow from the house into a peaceful relaxing ambiance. It had its challenges and we all were excited about the high quality of project demanded by the client.

The home was of Mediterranean style and was stretched on the east-west axis. The entrance hall, on the north-south center axis reveals a 38 foot ceiling height and a northward view through a glassed wall. Placing the reflecting pool/swimming pool and its cabana on this axis was the first decision the Landscape Architects made. It was right. The pool complemented and extended the living area out into the landscape and it reflected the exterior faces of the architecture. The water also provided a sense of serenity, bringing the sky down into the garden and into the rooms facing the courtyard. Early on in the design process it was determined that for privacy and for maintenance reasons a finite walled garden would work best. Deer and other local animals would be denied the garden "buffet" and the limited size of the garden, though not small, allowed the planting areas to be specially designed for the best growing conditions. Program elements not mentioned above called for the garden to accommodate large events, parties, charitable events, for 150 people or so. While being large enough to accommodate large numbers of guests, the garden needed to contain numerous smaller "rooms" or spaces in which one or two people alone would feel comfortable. The dimensions of the final garden are 170' in width and 80' deep on the north-south axis. The pool divides the garden into two balanced, but not symmetrical gardens. The Mediterranean styled home dictated the look of the courtyard's architecture. The cabana, planting areas, lawns and terraces exhibit a rather classic look with bold clean lines and crisp beds of plantings. Cool green plants dominate the contrast of flower colors. This garden is located in the Southeastern region of our country which enjoys four full seasons, with infrequent snows in winter. There exists high humidity and high temperatures in the summertime. Thus the concept of cooling became a major design element. Due to the size of the garden it does not become stuffy. Breezes do ruffle through. The colors of the hardscape are light and reflective, and there are numerous loggia and areas shaded by the landscape. The selection of plant materials, primarily evergreens, coupled with the two lawns provides a cooling effect. These evergreens also bring life to the garden in winter months.

In contrast to the hard surfaces of the terraces, floor and the water, planting beds were arranged with a lawn area on each side of the pool, providing a balance of hardscape and landscape. Plant materials were selected very carefully. Many had to be in matching pairs for the symmetry created by the pool axis. Other plant materials could be single, one of a kind specimens.

The hardscape materials follow a hierarchy from formal to less formal. Stepping out of the house onto the terraces, loggias, pool coping and steps, cast limestone in a 2' x 2' square pattern is used . . . very formal and controlled and also reflective of the sun's heat. On the main courtyard terrace floors, pathways and seating areas, the paving material is a light pink Arizona flagstone in random, broken shapes with a colored mortar . . . a more relaxed, playful look but still cool. Vertical walls are white stucco with either cast stone caps or caps made of the house brick, a light colored rose tan. Elevation changes within the courtyard are subtle, however these add interest and intrigue to the plan. The pool coping is just below the floor level of the home. The courtyard terraces are stepped down from this elevation. The cabana is raised three feet above the pool coping perching it with a view of the gardens found nowhere else. The lawns are raised above the terrace levels and the outer planting beds and enclosing walls are raised even further. These grade changes help define the various spaces or "rooms" within the garden. Also, these grade changes add interest and a bit of mystery to the courtyard. During the design process the Landscape Architects employed a virtual reality computer program to allow the client to "fly" through the courtyard and to see it from the various rooms within the house. This tool was especially useful in delineating the elevation changes within the courtyard, such as what height the pool is above the terrace, what height the cabana is above the pool, where the lawns are located vertically, and so on.

A balance was struck between deciduous trees providing shade and thus cooling the courtyard, and evergreens to bring life to the gardens in the winter. Courtyard floors are casual, and constructed of Arizona flagstone, the soft, pink colored broken stone is laid in a random pattern using a colored mortar that nearly matches the stone's color value.

Plant material maturity in this nearly new garden is due to the size of the material selected, but just as importantly, it is due to the design of these planter areas. No native soils are used. Three and one-half feet of specially designed structural soil was specified over an excellent drainage system. All planters are individually zoned and monitored for optimal watering. Plant material has grown at twice the anticipated rate. After only two years, the garden feels mature, yet there is room for additional growth of all the plantings. The planting design relies heavily on green Japanese maples and crape myrtles which will mature smaller than shade trees, thus avoiding the overgrown look the client abhors. However, in the two lawn areas there are shade trees, Athenia Elms, for a stately look, for shade and for their interesting colorful bark. The calm, cool of the evergreens is contrasted with perennial and annual color in the beds and with annual flowers in pottery. The entire garden is designed and maintained as a "controlled" "crisp" landscape. The scheme includes several matching pairs of conifers used symmetrically about the pool. Since the rooms of the home facing the courtyard have glass walls and many windows, the indoor/outdoor relationship is a primary design element. These rooms extend into the courtyard in both day and night. Consequently the garden needs to look good day and night. To maximize this effect, there needs to be flexibility in the night lighting system in order to change the look, or change the "mood" of the garden.

Lighting was a critical element of the design. Since rooms in the home literally extend visually into the courtyard, there is a demand for subtle but flexible lighting control.

The Landscape Architects, with the owner's direction, established which landscape elements were to be lighted and how and with what intensity of light. Three levels of lighting were provided by NiteLites. First there is the pool lighting which is fiber optics. Color and intensity of that light is flexible. Second is the lighting of the landscape material. A combination of incandescent and metal halide lamps is employed to achieve the best color and the most shadows. Third, there is a metal halide system that highlights with pinpoint accuracy the architectural elements of the home, cabana and courtyard walls. When this system is used alone the effect conjures up images of ancient Egypt. There is a serenity and majesty seldom achieved in landscapes. The pool reflection doubles the effect. By using the numerous combinations available, the owner has great freedom in creating "moods" or effects in the garden. With the pool lights at top intensity and the other two systems working, the courtyard is lighted for party occasions and guests. The Egyptian mood mentioned above is at the other end of the scale of lighting effects. In between these options the garden can be lighted as mysteriously or as festively as the owner wishes. Of course, the lighting effects change with the seasons. In closing, it should be said that the client of this courtyard garden was a pleasure to work with. He had high goals and demanded quality. He was a part of all the design decisions and his home reflects his original goal: "a home resort." What more could a Landscape Architect want. We are thankful to have been a part of this team, this project.