Design Philosophy:

The design concept was to express a Tuscan architecture in a very Texas way. Conceptually, the idea was to create a seamless living experience within the property that was about the interiors, the exterior living spaces and the architecture. The inside experience extends outside and the exterior courtyards are the captivating focus when you are inside. Through a period architecture with a modern translation, the design reflected a series of courtyards around the house, east side, west side and a central courtyard serving the arrival court, the main entrance and the great room. The courtyards addressed climatic factors during the day, controlling light, shading, and capturing breezes and protecting from northern winds in the winter. This allows comfortable use year round. Also, primary to the concept was creating a setting (although on a residential lot less than half an acre) that felt somewhat remote from the surrounding.

The Landscape Architect's Role:

The landscape architect worked with the architect from the initial design concepts defined by the architect. The landscape architect developed the site plan while working very closely with the architect's floor plan, defined the hardscape, landscape, and had extensive input on the scale and the definition of the courtyards. There is a sequential experience of the user from the initial arrival to the site, to the controlled views and focal elements from the inside living areas looking out at the courtyards. The landscape architect and the architect worked in a very collaborative manner relative to stone materials for both the house and translating these materials to the site. Grades were a critical issue relative to setting the finish floor elevations and creating a walkable and definable series of courts and graceful transitions to different rooms and courtyards around the house. While there seems to be a 'lot of hardscape while reading the plan, in reality, it is a very soft solution with a very subtle, rustic landscape character. The landscape architect was integrated with the architect, the owner and the contractor throughout the design and construction process.

The Projects program and the details:

Central to the program was to build a house and landscape that could last 100 years. While we do believe the landscape will grow old gracefully with the right maintenance and we are quite sure the finesse of the hardscape relative to the courtyards will last the 100 years, the structural considerations for the paving, steps and walls were incredible-it will last. As stated earlier, the program was to provide a comfortable living experience inside and out, and provide ample entertaining courtyards and reflective areas. The overall program, the details and the project budget were interdependent in the design effort. So much of what the landscape architect designed from a hardscape perspective was done by the same house stone contractor, the breezeway terraces, the steps, the walls, and the significant hardscape paving, all providing seamless transitions from the horizontal to vertical planes. The landscape simply related back to the rustic nature of the house, planting specimen 15" live oak trees that were selected for there rustic nature, tall grasses that provided a looseness and a kinetic motion in the breezes, rosemary that provided a sense of smell and texture, and specimen wax myrtles that defined the room like space from the interiors and a sense of remoteness arriving at the property. Layering was critical to the design and these elements were very much interdependent. Without this approach the house could have been overwhelming, but with a collaborative effort, a simple and elegant project was achieved.