| Project/Product Description | Completion date 10- June 2023
Build cost: 1.5 Million
This Landscape space is meant to be an entertainment haven for guests yet usable by all family members. The client is a keen swimmer, and his children are competitive swimmers. The swimming pool is therefore used as a training facility but is also well suited for recreational swimmers. The whole facility allows the family and occasional guests to unwind after a stressful day at work, whether they need a soak in a hot tub or relax in the sauna. It needed to become a therapeutic space with different aspects to promote the family’s well-being.
The Design comprises of several areas for different uses during the year, we have an intimate sunken seating with a firepit, a message/therapy hot tub, a lap pool, a BBQ and dining building as well as a Spa building containing a Sauna, foot spa and shower room.
Working with very complex typography it was very important from a design perspective to ensure that the different building levels create interest in the landscape while also blending into it.
The various steps to buildings, into the landscape, and down to the pool, hot tub and sunken seating around the flat plane surrounding the swimming pool aligned with strategically placed planters, create a seamless transition from the manmade structures into the surrounding natural landscape.
Furthermore, the reflective glazing, on the large glass facades reflects the surrounding landscape which helps to create buildings that conspicuously celebrate nature whilst simultaneously camouflaging with it.
In addition, the selection of plants within the scheme has a balanced mix between evergreens and seasonal as well as colourful plants.
We also added height and texture with partially tall trees, ferns as well as different types of thick grass with changing colours throughout the year. This provides the landscape and client with an all-around interest and uplifting feel to the gloomy British winters.
The lighting plays a huge role in providing a subtle emphasis and elegant focus on the different types of vegetation whilst providing an ambient atmosphere for socializing during the hot summer nights. The selected Lucande Habsa LED path lights around the pool create dramatic shapes on the garden slopes surrounding the swimming pool hence making it feel like a bejelwed sapphire diamond in the darkest nights.
The feather lights (Syphasera) from Catellani & Smith are strategically located just as you enter the garden externally in between the grass baby shoots to denote a lighting transition to the water surfaces starting by the hot tub. It is used in an unconventional way as it is not fully integrated into the grass, on the opposite, each light stands tall with different heights and random locations so they can glow in the dark and in the middle of thin air at night. If the hot tub lights are off you can rely on the ambient feathers of light to give you those special vibes to move you into this relaxing experience.
The external material we would like to shed light on is the Silver Quartz (Honed) tile from Island Stone, the normal application of this material is for cladding externally or internally in a horizontal manner. However, given its honed effect, we thought making it the focal element in our water feature was key.
As can be seen from the site image, we created a frame of light grey stone which surrounds the dark/black stone where the water flow occurs, both elements are from the same stone, i.e. there is an invisible frame that only appears when the water feature is on. We played with the idea of water enhancing the look and feel of this stone. This approach was key to making this feature wall come alive with the touch of water, mimicking the natural flow of a small creek.
This feature wall comes to life when the water flows over it, simulating nature with the soft sound of water meandering over cobbled stones, and the sun’s reflected light creating movement, accentuating the colour and texture of the stone.
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| Materials Used | When designing this landscape we had key focus materials/elements:
1- Light grey Porcelain tiles ( from Mandarin stone): cold feel to touch - this will surround the pool and all main areas (emphasizing freshness and the arrival to one destination/zone)
2- Composite Timber paths and hot tub decking (from Milboard): warm feel to touch (emphasizing the journey from one destination to the other)
3- Natural black slate ( from Mandarin stone): Visual impact to denote the transition to the water or to a different zone.
4- The Silver Quartz (Honed) tile from Island Stone: This is the jewel of all the materials used and here is why it should be considered for a surface design award:
The normal application of this material is for cladding externally or internally in a horizontal manner. However, given its honed effect, we thought making it the focal element in our water feature was key.
As can be seen from the site image, we created a frame of light grey stone that surrounds the dark/black stone where the water flow occurs, both elements are from the same stone, i.e. there is an invisible frame that only appears when the water feature is on. We played with the idea of water enhancing the look and feel of this stone. This approach was key to making this feature wall come alive with the touch of water, mimicking the natural flow of a small creek.
This feature wall comes to life when the water flows over it, simulating nature with the soft sound of water meandering over cobbled stones, and the sun’s reflected light creating movement, accentuating the colour and texture of the stone.
That being said the smart use and purpose of every material listed above make them all - as an entirely- unified front to one's experience in this design and landscape. If one is removed or replaced by any other a domino effect of clash and mixed emotions will occur.
With regards to the external lighting, we feel these 2 products are worthy of consideration for the external lighting Award :
1- The selected Lucande Habsa LED path lights around the pool create dramatic shapes on the garden slopes surrounding the swimming pool hence making it feel like a bejelwed sapphire diamond in the darkest nights. From the drone shots, you can see the movement it creates in such a still typography.
2- The feather lights (Syphasera) from Catellani & Smith are strategically located just as you enter the garden externally in between the grass baby shoots to denote a lighting transition to the water surfaces starting by the hot tub. It is used in an unconventional way as it is not fully integrated into the grass, on the opposite, each light stands tall with different heights and random locations so they can glow in the dark and in the middle of thin air at night. If the hot tub lights are off you can rely on the ambient feathers of light to give you those special vibes to move you into this relaxing experience.
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| Sustainability | This project is diverse in its functions, setting, and materials. In order to meet the client’s brief, we had to consider a number of factors at the same time, such as sustainability, post-COVID social reconnection, and working within the site constraints.
The criteria for selecting materials are the following: Sustainability, recyclability, and energy efficiency. The Silver Quartz (Honed) water feature tile from Island Stone is a stone that is ethically harvested. It is company policy to use offcuts from larger slabs to manufacture smaller tiles such as these.
The composite wood decking from Millboard is a sustainable material made from recycled wood and plastic. It has a longer lifespan than wood and requires no annual chemical treatment. Using this material reduces waste and can again be recycled a the end of its lifespan.
The lighting used for the landscaping is low-wattage LED lamps which are efficient, long-lasting, and low maintenance.
Due to the energy demands of the swimming pool and hot tub, an air source heat pump has been installed to power the required pumps as well as 45 solar panels to reduce energy costs and help reduce the CO2 output of these facilities. The solar panels produce an annual output of approximately 3,500kW per year.
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