Page 7 - Landscape-Issue141
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PROJECT


           area and contributed to a harmonious balance between modern
           functionality and environmental sustainability.
           Soft landscape and planting
           On the ground floor, two triangular planters with seating hold
           the piazza space. Groupings of  Strelitzia juncea, providing height,
           bring down the scale of the surrounding building facades and are
           grounded in a densely planted, colourful carpet of indigenous
           groundcovers, namely  Aptenia cordifolia, Crassula spathulata,
           Pelargonium fruticosum and Senecio mandraliscae.
            On level two, to provide structure in the substantial north facing
           edge and balcony planters, indigenous species were selected.
           These include  Aloe ferox, Agave attenuata, Leucodendron salignum
           ‘Red  Devil’,  Osteospermum moniliferumi, Salvia chameleagnea
           and   Euphorbia tirucalli.   Helichrysum petiolare, Plectranthus
           madagascariensis, Oscularia deltoides and  Coprosma repens were
           selected as a groundcover base layer.
            Carefully selected succulent species that can grow within the
           shallow soil depth (of only 275mm) above the heritage part of the
           development building include Delosperma cooperii, Drosanthemum
           spp., Lampranthus spp., Oscularia deltoides, Portulacaria afra ‘Prostata’,
           Cotyledon orbiculata, Aptenia cordifolia, Plectranthus neochilus, Sedum
           angelina and Crassula capitella ‘Campfire’.
            On level five, there are wide edge planters around outdoor
           living areas, with trees (Celtis sinensis and Syzygium guineense) and
           shrubs (Tarchonanthus camphoratus, Buddleja saligna, Buddleja
           salvifolia, Coleonema album) to provide protection from the wind.
           Ground covers (Watsonia tabularis, Asystasia gangetica, Barleria
           obtusa, Trachelospermum jasminoides) provide seasonal colour.
           There are pops of Aloe cooperii colour during winter and cascading
           Bougainvillea, Pelargonium and Rosmarinus to soften the façade in
           summer.


                                                                Level 2 mass planting with cascading Bougainvillea to soften the building
                                                                edge along Level 5
                                                               Installation
                                                               This was undertaken by Grant Barrett of Arrow Landscapes,
                                                               who says that the most difficult part of the project was access.
                                                               Space was also at a premium on the site, with all the contractors
                                                               competing for storage space. Bringing in the special soil mix in
                                                               1000 lt bags enabled them to load up areas without the soil being
                                                               contaminated by other building contractors. “In this way, we were
                                                               able to move large amounts of soil onto site without the Cape
                                                               Town winds blowing it all around. However, we did have to move
                                                               the soil once or twice as the builders had not finished in these
                                                               areas.  The  main  contractor  was  very  generous  with  the  crane
                                                               when this process had to be done.”








           Left: Level 2 raised, cascading edge planters with indigenous species
           Right: Level 1 planter with Ficus nitida to soften the timber façade
           Hard landscape features
           The central courtyard at the heart of the development is one of its
           most striking features. Big triangular planters were incorporated to
           house feature planting and provide an oasis from the bustling urban
           environment of the surrounding streets. The upper-level balconies
           all have integral build-up planters, all on slab. Various drainage layers
           within these planters were detailed to ensure successful growing
           conditions  for  the  selected  endemic  species.  The  lightweight
           planting medium specification played an important role, not only to
           provide a free draining substrate but also to minimise the loading
           on the building’s engineered slabs. Void formers were also detailed   Cascading planting around the enclosed, protected piazza of the new, mixed-
           within some of the deeper planters to reduce the overall soil weight.  use development

           Check us out www.salandscape.co.za                                               Landscape SA • Issue 141  2024    5
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