Residential Project Study
Highland Park Landscape Project: Architecture, Design, Maintenance
Highland Park Residence
Existing Conditions/Challenges
- Existing topography and new home construction on neighboring land directs the overland drainage towards home causing flooding and keeping the garden areas and landscape wet and unusable.
- Protect existing natural woodland areas of White Oak, Hickory, Witchhazel and Ironwoods.
- Fulfill a client’s desire for an enriched outdoor living environment to be used year round that compliments the natural character of the site, including the Woodland areas, topographic grade change, and their recently restored historic home.
- Features to include a water feature/pool found in nature for visual enjoyment as well as daily exercise and swimming laps, pool house, screened porch, interior an exterior kitchens, and dry, sunny areas for entertaining, sunning, relaxing and dining.
Design Process/Construction Solutions
- Create a conservancy area to protect existing vegetation during construction, and develop a sensitively placed egress point to the project site that mitigates damage to the landscape and neighbors’ homes.
- Assembled a team of consultants that included a landscape architect, architect, civil engineer, pool design consultant, and arborist in order to create a unified and cohesive vision, design and installation.
- Identified and studied circulation between the existing home and proposed new features in order to develop clearly functionally and aesthetically pleasing connections.
- Indentified, studied and integrated a grade change and topographical challenge of over 15’ with in the proposed development and construction area, solving and installing solutions to existing drainage concerns and new drainage challenges around the proposed pool house, water feature and outdoor entertaining areas.
- Created sweeping and cascading slopes of trees, shrubs, perennials and ground covers punctuated by new natural stone outcroppings to surround and frame the pool house, terraces and water feature. Still pools and rushing streams were designed to sweep over the stone outcroppings creating sparking and splashing waterfalls that spill into the swimming pool.
- Planting Palette focused on native plantings to integrate the newly designed spaces with the surrounding conservancy areas.
- Paths of native flagstone, outcropping steps link the upper terraces surrounding the historic home with the lower sunny terraces that surround the pool and pool house.
- Clearly articulated and designed views to and from the main home were created with careful placement of planting. Seasonal perennials, shrubs and ground covers naturally sweep down and around the pool area, and water feature creating year round seasonal interest.
Results
- Created a unique and inviting garden area where an unwelcome grade change and drainage problem once existed.
- Built an integrated garden composed of many diverse elements that offer the client year round enjoyment whether simply viewing the landscape from the house, or partaking in all the activities the garden offers, including entertaining, cooking, dining, swimming, sunning or strolling down the stone paths.
- Protected the conservancy area, minimizing the impact the 2 year long construction project had on neighbors and the neighborhood.
- Built architectural features that are carefully integrated physically and visually, creating harmony and a sense of place.
- Developed a comprehensive site plan, landscape plan, project schedule, and timeline that organized a difficult construction project, with many elements and trades, finishing on schedule and budget.
