Water Garden

The goal here was to celebrate the ascent from the auto court to the front door of the home by creating a series of gardens linked together by a central staircase.  The stairs, in this case, are what we call a “stramp”, using generous treads and shallow risers to take the sting out of the climb.

The different levels are linked together by water. A hillside spout which appears to channel a natural spring pours into an upper pool, then down a staircase runnel, and ends in a lower pool.  The sound and lambent light of the water, illuminated at night, adds poetry and a sense of heightened anticipation as one ascends the stairs.

Plant materials are primarily native to the neighborhood.  The house is wrapped by woods on three sides, so we selected a limited palette of choice native plants to complete the composition.  Another benefit of this garden’s geometry is that it looks quite different when ascending and descending, yet magical in both directions.

Architects: BLA, David Bennett, and Kim Lavacot