Landscape Architect Articles

Marriott Marco Island Resort07-01-04 | News

Marriott Marco Island Resort

Shows what can be done with a
breathtaking water feature in south Florida

By Larry Shield, regional editor

When it comes down to resort hotels, the overall ambiance and feeling can play a huge part of a visitor?EUR??,,????'???s experience. That?EUR??,,????'???s why such detail and effort was made for the Marriott Marco Island Resort, which opened up in south Florida in late December 2003.

?EUR??,,????'??The recently completed entrance lagoon water feature is located at the Marriott Marco Island Resort,?EUR??,,????'?? said Joe Gordon, from Design Studio Boca. ?EUR??,,????'??The Marriott is one of the largest and busiest south Florida resorts and has over the past several years renovated and upgraded all exterior landscape spaces from the fantasy pool on the gulf to the new lagoon entrance feature.?EUR??,,????'??

The hardscape design and choreographed center water feature was designed by Joe Gordon of Boca Design Studio and Bob Morris of Rockscapes Int?EUR??,,????'???l.

The water feature with its cascading water steps and waterfalls utilizes the 15 degree grade change from Collier Boulevard to the Porte Cochere area, said Gordon. The various pools were created by stacking approximately 400 tons of Ledge Rock and features cascade jets of various heights and a computer choreographed central water feature. At night time all the spillways and cascade jets are illuminated by 300 and 500 watt underwater lighting. Mature coconut palms, royal palms and various flowering shrubs and groundcover beds were utilized to create a tropical ambiance setting for the lagoon feature.

All the exterior landscape areas were renovated for the resort?EUR??,,????'???s December 2003 reopening. A water feature with short, cascading waterfalls flows over 400 tons of Alabama ledge rock. The feature grade drops 15 degrees from Collier Blvd. down to the Porte Cochere area.

Built in the early 1970s, the resort was a multi-plane project. The lagoon feature originally was a waterfall pouring down 15 feet onto a coral bed. When Boca Design Studio got involved in the project three years ago the area was covered with a mound.

Initially Design Studio Boca got involved with Corner Real Estate Advisors, who owned the adjacent property. Gordon said his firm helped redesign about 40 or 50 acres of the hotel site within the pool in conjunction with Rockscapes International.

Water fall creations were made by Rockscapes International, a division of Bob Morris and Associates. Hydraulics were made by Wesco Fountains. Morris gave special thanks to the John Hardy Group, B.C.B.E., Artesian Pools and the great staff at the Marriott Marco Island Resort.

?EUR??,,????'??The renovation of the hotel used a similar lagoon theme,?EUR??,,????'?? said Gordon. ?EUR??,,????'??Early last year we did a conceptual study and then got it approved.?EUR??,,????'??

1) Matched royal palms line the entrance roadway; 2) new pavers for entrance roadway; 3) upper lagoon pool El. 20'; 4) coconut palm grouping; 5) choreographed water jets; 6) lagoon water feature lower pool El. 6.5'; 7) flowering shrub beds; 8) new sign wall.

Ground was broken in June 2003 by the landscape contractor firm of Landscape & Associates, with Peter Robau as principal. Rockscapes International designed and installed the lagoon feature which had a combination of stacked ledge rock and hand carved full rock. Alabama ledge rock was shipped in from Georgia and Alabama, which the installation took four months to complete.

?EUR??,,????'??For the most part the installation went smoothly, although we had some concerns about the existing water feature,?EUR??,,????'?? said Gordon. ?EUR??,,????'??We pumped concrete to fill the void left from the existing waterfall feature. Everything went in 100 percent as planned.?EUR??,,????'??

Gordon said some of the design challenges included how to tie the lagoon feature into other improvements, featuring ledge rock. At the hotel?EUR??,,????'???s entrance 17 feet of rock was used to create waterfalls. Cascading water steps utilized the grade changes with drops no more than six feet at a time. Ledges were stacked to be self-supportive and create a waterfall.

?EUR??,,????'??Bob Morris did a great job of stacking the ledge rock and utilizing the grade changes,?EUR??,,????'?? said Gordon.

At the front of the building there really weren?EUR??,,????'???t many environmental concerns, said Gordon. As one of the more popular resort destinations in south Florida, Marco Island usually runs close to full capacity at 733 rooms occupancy throughout the year.

The resort?EUR??,,????'???s 40 to 50-acre landscape renovation began in June 2003. The lagoon water feature at the lower pool specified 12 different types of palms, as well as drought tolerant flowering trees, bushes, bougainvillea and hibiscus to enhance the tropical appeal. For night-time beauty, flood lights up-light the palm trees while underwater 300 and 500 watt lights illuminate the waterfalls.

?EUR??,,????'??The first impression the owner wanted to convey was a tropical resort,?EUR??,,????'?? said Gordon. ?EUR??,,????'??It has a Bally-style Pacific island look, utilizing 12 different types of palms.?EUR??,,????'??

Other plant materials include flower trees, hibiscus standards, bougainvilleas and bushes to create a resort-style ambiance. Design Studio Boca was conscious of using many drought-tolerant plants. They designed the irrigation system which runs on city water meters. Pop-up head and mist head sprinklers provided 100 percent coverage for the plant materials.

For the landscape lighting Design Studio Boca started from scratch with existing non-functional posts, said Gordon. They stayed with the tropical theme by uplighting royal palms.

Along the entrance drive two landscape lights illuminated each palm. Gardco Lighting provided ballasts in housing fixtures, used strictly at the hotel entrance. Because these 120 volt fixtures weren?EUR??,,????'???t in the ground, they avoided water seepage.

Waterfalls were created by stacking short, self-supportive steps of ledge rock. The cascading water steps use grade changes of less than six feet to provide a gentle water flow that can be heard and seen as visitors drive under the Collier Blvd. building canopy.

?EUR??,,????'??A big part of the project was the night time appearance,?EUR??,,????'?? said Gordon. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s much more striking than the day time appearance.?EUR??,,????'??

Synchronized jets would rise and fall depending on the difference settings of the computer program. Underwater lighting was also part of the feature. Wesco Fountains manufactured the pool equipment, pumps and underwater lighting.

The challenge for the hardscape design was reconfiguring the entrance. Interlocking pavers were used to eliminate any slippage or movement. With a slope greater than a 10 percent grade, concrete bands were placed every 30 feet. Terra cotta tan and charcoal color mix were used to tie in the resort building?EUR??,,????'???s colors with the pool areas or other amenities. Using these colors helped to counter the effects of tire tracks and oil spills on the pavement. Paver Module of Pompano Beach, Fla. manufactured the paving materials.

?EUR??,,????'??We were concerned about keeping the environment safe and clean during construction,?EUR??,,????'?? said Morris. ?EUR??,,????'??We had no major concerns in front of the hotel away from the beachside.

No contaminants or water would enter the system. Plants and trees are protected from chlorinated water.?EUR??,,????'??

Depending on the different settings of the computer program, synchronized jets rise and fall in a ?EUR??,,????'??dancing?EUR??,,????'?? water pattern. An automatic water sensor shuts the feature off if winds gust above 15 mph.

An automatic water sensor would either shut off or slow down the water feature when winds gusted above 15 mph. Wesco Fountains provided a recirculating subterranean systems with vaults, pumps, control timers. Computers controlled the volume flow of the fountain. Morris said the center fountain had a single jet while surrounding fountains provided multiple fountains to give the play of the dancing waters. The hotel?EUR??,,????'???s original inside fountain pumped out 1,000 gallons per minute. That pump was then used in addition with two more to provide 3,000 gpm for the waterfall.

The evapotranspiration rate increases with that much water moving in the system, which was factored into the feature. The filtration system uses sand filters, skimmers and a bottom-intake circulation system. To keep the water?EUR??,,????'???s pH balance at the right level and avoid algae, chlorines and acids get added to the water, changed from a standard to digitized system. Skimmers take care of any floating debris in the water, collected around raised stainless steel intake grates. Workers with nets then remove the debris.

Visitors view the lagoon water feature from the entrance roadway with falls that push more than 3,000 gpm. Mature coconut and royal palms enhance the lagoon?EUR??,,????'???s tropical flavor.

?EUR??,,????'??One of our biggest challenges was building the water feature in such close proximity to the street,?EUR??,,????'?? said Morris. ?EUR??,,????'??We had 400 tons of rock that needed to be placed and only an area of about 15 feet wide including the sidewalk and median at the street. We needed to have flagmen protect the pedestrians. At times we had to shut down a lane of the street.?EUR??,,????'??

Morris said cranes, with little room to maneuver, placed the huge boulders on the water feature. Despite all this heavy lifting, the hotel was able to maintain its full operation during construction.

?EUR??,,????'??The client was totally delighted from a management standpoint and with the pictorial place of the island,?EUR??,,????'?? said Morris.

Gordon did a tremendous job with the available space for the landscape frontage and design of the water feature. It gave Rockscapes the opportunity to interpret the water features for the great end result, said Morris.