Lighting Elements:
Tea House/Starter Plaza, South Korea

Landscape Architecture by Pinnacle Design Company

The 3.4 meter tall gold abstract sculpture of a horse was designed by Rotraut Uecker. The horse "floats" on a raised pool of water. Fire elements and fiber optic lighting add dramatic effects. LED fiber-optics in one-meter lengths (12-watts) show off two pools and the steps to the raised patio landscaping and walkways.

The starter house garden at Whistling Rock Country Club shines bright in the South Korean sky as a great example of how to combine function with sculpture. The landscape architects, Pinnacle Design Co. of Palm Desert, Calif., were challenged by the chairman of the Taekwang Group to provide a functional outdoor space adjacent to a starter teahouse, but also to create a "night and day" display space for the large art piece he'd purchased. The award-winning clubhouse and golf course, which opened in the fall of 2011, have become somewhat of a showcase for his collection.

The art piece is a 3.4 meter tall gold abstract sculpture of a horse designed by Rotraut Uecker. Standing tall above an organically-arranged plaza space, the horse "floats" on a raised pool of water, drawing the attention of golfers as they begin their day on the course. The horse sits off-center in the space to open up the best views of the course.

The water feature that supports the sculpture is itself an artistic element. The pools of water (two of them in the space) are held together by 7mm thick Corten (A606-4/A588) steel sheets welded together to make striking abstract shapes. The steel walls are enveloped by thick grey basalt walls that, to the eye, move up and down and in and out as they encircle the steel on all sides. This design aspect is repeated in all planter walls in the plaza. The surfaces are hard and grey, but the movements they make in the mind's eye are organic and playful. This was the effect Pinnacle Design wanted to create – a space that would evoke a transition from the strong rectilinear lines of the clubhouse to the organic, naturalistic lines of the golf course.

The lighting was notched under the overhangs of the steps and the caps of the stonewalls surrounding the water features. Three fire strips were built in front of the planter and water feature walls, creating a moving, dancing light effect on the art piece, the stone walls and the trees. When the fire strips are turned off, 20-watt LED uplights in the landscape beds turn on to highlight the white birch trees.

Lighting the Space
Pinnacle wanted the plaza lighting to showcase the space and the art. This was accomplished by combining fire elements and fiber optic lighting, plus strategic placement of tree uplighting and path lighting. LED fiber-optic lighting shows off the water features and the steps up to the raised patio landscaping and walkways. The lighting is notched under the overhangs of the steps and the caps of the stonewalls surrounding the water features. This indirect lighting design creates a soft effect without hot spots, and shows off the most interesting features of the space. To add drama, the lighting tubes were equipped with white and RGB colored LED lamps, so the lighting controls could be set to cycle through the colors of the rainbow. Three fire strips are built in front of the planter and water feature walls, creating moving, dancing light effects on the art piece, the stone walls and the trees. The colored fiber-optic lighting and the flames create a memorable effect for this space. A secondary benefit of the choice in lighting is that during the day, the lights are hidden from view, transforming the space into something completely different than what is seen during the daylight hours.

The starter house garden at Whistling Rock Country Club in South Korea combines function with sculpture. The award-winning clubhouse and golf course, which opened in the fall of 2011, have become something of a showcase for the art collection of the chairman of the Taekwang Group.