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Landscape Architect: Fresh Landscape Design
Location: Various residental sites, Canberra
Listed as A Case Study for the AILA's 2008 National Climate Change Project
Winner of the 2008 Edna Walling Award
Introduction
Four residential gardens designed and built between 2004 and 2007 demonstrate innovative work in the field of sustainable landscape design. The projects involve development of design aesthetics and techniques to create sustainable residential landscapes which fulfil the clients’ aesthetic and functional needs within the constraints of the dry and cold Canberra environment and modest budgets.
Recurring themes are minimal artificial irrigation, increased biodiversity and environmental sensitivity in the use of materials. These projects have also been used as case studies for public lectures on sustainable garden design.
The series of small projects for clients who were willing to try something different has provided opportunities to experiment with design techniques and solutions directed towards more sustainable outcomes. The results are attractive and functional landscapes with reduced maintenance requirements.
The designs explore the application of water sensitive design at a residential scale using swales, dry creek beds, soakage pits, water collected from house roofs and drought tolerant plants. The earliest project in Florey (2004) replaces lawn in the front garden with drought-tolerant groundcovers and uses gravity fed drip irrigation from a water tank.
The Chifley garden (2005) takes water from the roof of the newly extended house via a dry creek bed and stores it in the soil to supply the now rampant garden surrounding the new deck.
The North Watson garden (2006) experiments with the use of subsoil soakage trenches to support a series of distinct garden spaces fitted into a small area. In Pearce (late 2006), flooding and drainage problems along the front of the house were solved by introducing a swale and bog garden, access to the front door was improved and the increased plant diversity attracts birds, lizards and insects.
In addition, techniques have been developed to use and improve existing site soil in degraded residential sites. The success of these commercially viable techniques is evident in the abundant growth of a diverse range of plants including the local grasslands species featured in the planting designs.
Unlike many ‘designed’ gardens, budgets for the projects were modest and two of the gardens were constructed by the owners. Instead of using extensive built form for instant effect, the designs minimise the built elements and rely on thoughtful planting design to provide structure and interest over time. This approach, along with the use of recycled and waste materials, means that the designs take longer to be realised but reduces the unsustainable use of materials.
The design concepts have been expressed with sufficient clarity to persuade clients and contractors to experiment with new techniques and embrace garden aesthetics that differ from most Canberra gardens. The owners remain actively engaged in the maintenance of the gardens as well as monitoring and reporting on the progress of the gardens and explaining the design principles to visitors.
While in hindsight the design solutions sometimes seem obvious, each project tested techniques which at the time were unusual and developed landscape design strategies appropriate for Canberra in a drier future. The projects demonstrate the AILA environmental principles in action in ways that encourage individuals to believe that they can make a difference.
introduction / overview / images / Project
2008
