Project
#7, Part 2: Landscpape
Objective
The client has
found a small 40' x 60' site in Northern California on the coast, and would
like you to site your house on the proposed site and develop an appropriate
landscape solution. The long axis of the site runs east-west. Cars can park
on the road that runs along the eastern boundary, but cannot be brought onto
the site. The site slopes gently down to the west at 1/12 slope. While considering
this information, your client would like you to select an appropriate location
for the house on the site and design:
A) An entry sequence
to the house
B) Spaces
for outdoor activities: sunbathing/gardening/barbecue/meditation/play/etc.
C) View "paintings" for the house you created.
As you design,
be careful to respect the sun, shielding the house or revealing it as is appropriate.
Design
Process
Within the stated
parameters, my design priorities were as follows:
• Create a
space that is welcoming, but private.
• Create outdoor entertaining space -- barbecue, pool etc.
• Create a landscape that matches the shape and character of the house.
I started with
a simple sketch:
 |
• The house is
placed towards the North end of the property.
• The slope is terraced into an upper plane and a lower plane. The
house is level with the upper, entrance plane. The lower plane contains
the private entertainment area. The 2 ft drop is combined with a hedge
to protect it from viewers from the street level. The combination wall
/ hedge causes less shade and a less massive structure than a higher wall.
• The concave entrance area welcome the visitor and provides an area
to stop, ring the bell, or put down luggage.
• The deck leads down to the outdoor entertainment area.
|
Based on the initial sketch
I developed a refined sketch:
 |
• The house was
moved further North. The North side has no windows (except for the bathroom
ventilation).
• The entrance
sequence was defined to have a change of direction. This also allows a
wall to block noise and enhanced privacy in the bedroom.
• The hedge against the street is replaced by a wall and trees to
increase sound blocking.
• A hot tub is added.
|
Again, I (unknowingly) applied
a number of patterns in my model:
| South
Facing Outdoors (105) |
The house is placed
on the North side of the property, leaving room on the South side for the
outdoor entertainment area. |
| Positive
Outdoor Space (106) |
The slope is reshaped
in a way that the outdoor area has a positive concave form. The 'back side'
(facing the street) is protected by a wall. |
| Entrance
Transition (112) |
The house is set back
from the street to create an entrance transition. This transition is highlighted
by a change of direction in the entrance path. |
| |
|
Implementation
At this point, I left the
landscape design as a conceptual sketch.
Feedback
I need to better define
materials to be used, e.g. the stone wall next to the pool.
The straight hedge makes
a strong statement. It would be better if that strong line was continued in
the house of on the other side of the lot.
The deck area is a bit small
and should be extended out.
The house may move further East to create more private space, because the front
yard will not be used anyway. This could compromise the entrance transition,
though.
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