Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Open minded thinking

In 2005 my small design and build firm worked on a project in the Napa Valley.

Along with several other installation projects within this 70 acre property parcel we had the task of installing an artificial putting green that adjoined a combination soccer field and fairway as well as a bocce ball court and viewing platform.

When installing an artificial green we prefer to use a compacted class II permeable sub base with an extensive drainage system so that the aquifer is naturally recharged during our brief rainy season












On another piece of property we installed an artificial lawn on top of a hillside.
This artificial lawn was chosen for its rugged and safe durability as a playground surface.
It was also chosen because there is no water source up ontop of the hill and hauling a lawn mower up 50 stone steps was not the homeowners idea of a fun workout.

We considered other surface options prior to settling on the artificial turf, but its ability to stand up to the wind ( the wood chipped playground fiber would have blown away in less than a week ) and the marauding wild life had already caused us to build removable covers on the sand box, were nixed out of the equation.




We have another artificial turf installation slated to be installed this spring . The residence is a second home that the owners use predominately during the winter skiing season.
The surrounding native landscape that we installed last fall will adjoin the only flat usable space ( which will be used as a children's play surface ) on the steep mountainous property.
It is a study in contrasts but we feel we can pull it off aesthetically by carefully integrating large native granite boulders, randomly placed rough hewn logs, weaving in large drifts of wild flowers and native shrubs along with the children's play structure.

2 comments:

Susan Harris said...

I'm so glad our readers think for themselves, and often know more than I do. Thanks for boldly speaking up! Susan

Unknown said...

hi, my name is vicki and i was researching on my class paper about shodo suzuki. i've been trying to get a copy of this book but it has been out of print. i came across your blog from google search and it seems that you have read his book process architecture. i'd like to see if i can borrow this from you so that i can have a fully understanding of his work? i tried to find it in public libraries however they don't carry it either. sorry to bother you on this. if you can offer your help i'll greatly appreciate it. my email is vickilmng@yahoo.com. thank you. =)