Size: 10,400 square feet
Type: Single-Family Residencial Landscape
Location: Miami Beach, FL
Our good friend, “starquitect” and mentor, Rene Gonzalez, asked me to work on the landscape design for this avant-garde residence. The house was inspired by the red-mangrove system of prop roots, which it develops as a way to adapt to the fluctuating water levels of its environment. My idea was to follow the architect’s lead by designing a landscape shaped by the movement, accumulation and percolation of rainwater around the site. A series of earth mounds and shell paths are laid out to keep water away from the structure and direct it to shallow retention areas, where it slowly percolates. The mounds provide the ground for tropical bamboo, large aroids and exotic plants that were the only requirement made by client. He comes to the house to scape the cold weather of the northern latitudes where he lives. Tropical-looking plant material, native to Florida, is mixed with the exotic to comply with code requirements. The stepping pads, driveway and car court are built from local coral stone cut in a number of different sizes and laid in a way that appears random, but that is designed to the last inch. Hardscape outlines maintain the organic character that the rainwater movement gives to the whole garden. At the end, the garden is meant to be enjoyed from the elevated level of the house as it opens its doors and embraces nature. There a roof garden that contributes to rainwater and heat management, which is complemented with a roof deck and an outdoor Jacuzzi, all to create a wholistic experience of the South Florida outdoors.
Landscape Design: Mauricio Del Valle Design
Architecture: Rene Gonzalez Architects
Landscape Installation: Eco Green
Photography: Michael Stavaridis and MDVD