Landscape Architecture
Firm Wins Residential Design Awards

Land Plus Associates has received two awards in the 2009 Annual Design Competition sponsored by the Georgia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. At the Annual Awards Banquet held in Savannah, Georgia, the organization recognized Monte Carlo and A Garden Retreat for overall excellence and outstanding designs.

For the award winning Monte Carlo project, Land Plus worked closely with the architect, builder, and property owner to formulate a cohesive design vision for the property. In a neighborhood where outdated homes are most often razed to make way for new construction, the team transformed a 1980’s home and its neglected grounds into a contemporary Tuscan estate. Situated prominently at the end of a street in an exclusive Atlanta neighborhood, the three- acre site overlooks a serene, private lake and wooded backdrop.

To incorporate planned architectural additions, the landscape architect re-defined the entrance to the home by creating a formal “visitors’ court” with a central, octagonal perennial garden feature and flanking gardens with tree bosques and gravel walks. This welcoming garden is a dramatic presentation for the renovated house and separates the entry from the gracious loop drive and public street.

The residence previously featured an irregularly- shaped pool with no relationship to the living spaces of the home, nor did it respond to the site conditions and newly refined architectural styling of the renovated home. In its place, a fifty- foot long two-sided vanishing edge pool embraces the diagonally sloping topography of the site as it falls towards a private lake. Viewing the pool from the interior of the home it is hard to tell the difference between the outside pool edge and the beginning of the lake. A summer pavilion nestled in lush landscaping echoes the new architectural styling and provides yet another dramatic view of the pool and lake beyond. At the end of the pool terrace a swooping staircase leads to an open grass lawn, terminating at the wood line just before the lake edge.

For “A Garden Retreat”, a primary goal of the design was to preserve the landmark oak tree in the back yard. The landscape architect assembled a team of design and technical professionals to create a casual backyard oasis. An expansive pond was designed as a natural habitat for the clients’ koi fish and served as a focal point from the screen porch. The beauty of the koi pond is enhanced by a bridge sculpted and colored to look like natural stone, together with an organic landscape design featuring mixed perennial plantings. Specially placed boulders, romantic waterfalls, and patches of perennials create a natural environment for the pond and serve as a bio filter that naturally cleans the pond water.

Beyond the koi pond, the emphasis on water is again picked up in a free form pool with dark bottom finish and rock outcroppings. The lagoon pool with an infinity –edge appears to flow off into the distance and completes this garden oasis.

Serving as access from the front yard to the rear yard garden retreat, the side yard became an opportunity to turn a leftover space into one of delight and interest. Hidden behind a 7’ tall mahogany door guests find a shade garden with stepping stones and rich plant materials and textures. The hardscape design and materials chosen blend the organic theme for the landscape with the European elegance of the architecture of the home to create a resort feeling.  Site elements, such as gates and fences translate the elegance of the home’s architecture into the landscape.

Working as a design team, the vision for the property was completed through the selection of individual planting containers coordinated with the interior designer’s outdoor furniture selection and layout.  Working in tandem with a specialist in perennial plants, and another in aquatic environments, the beauty of the koi pond and naturalistic swimming pool are enhanced by the surrounding landscaping.