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SUBURBAN RETREAT VIENNA, VA
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Challenged by the owner to create an “un-Washington” garden, LAPIERRE STUDIO developed a master plan for this 4.5 acre wooded suburban lot which creates a year-round garden oasis organized around a “naturalized” system of streams, waterfalls and ponds. The property serves as both primary family residence and as creative executive retreat and research & development center for the owner’s entrepreneurial activities. The house and grounds, therefore, provide a multitude of spaces for family events, business conferences, private meditation, and recreational activities. The gardens are developed on a wooded hillside, bisected by a series of waterway feature that bring visual, seasonal and auditory variety while providing a mechanism for on-site erosion control and water conservation. Designed to capture and utilize as much rainfall as possible, roof, patio, tennis court, woodland, and garden runoff is captured and directed to an underground cistern which in turn provides the source for the stream as well as landscape irrigation. While the main pond can be utilized as an informal “swimming hole” the owner prefers to dedicate the ponds to the cultivation of a collection of over 100 selected Japanese koi. Contrary to popular belief, these very large fish are able to coexist with both seasonal and perennial aquatic plantings located within the various waterway conditions. In addition, design of the bogs, streams and pond edges, while natural in appearance deter, by design, native predators from attacking the koi. In addition to the water feature elements the property contains wooded paths, play areas, fern gardens, sculptural installations, lawn areas, patios, and tennis court. |
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