Page 8 - Landscape-Issue159

PROJECT

The villas have expansive views of the mountains and valley below The objective of the landscape design concept was not to impose a manicured
garden aesthetic, but rather to enable natural systems to reassert themselves in
harmony with the built form.
Implementation was however constrained by site conditions such
as the remote mountain location, harsh and rocky terrain, shallow
soils requiring manual excavation, limited vehicle access and erratic
water availability during the early phases of the project. These factors
necessitated a phased rehabilitation approach rather than a once-off
landscaping intervention.
Irrigation and water management strategy
The irrigation infrastructure is intentionally limited, and formal
irrigation was installed only on the villa green roofs and within
the public courtyard spaces where higher intensity use justifies
supplemental water.
All other rehabilitated areas rely on controlled establishment
watering using drag lines to encourage germination and early
establishment. Thereafter, planting is designed to survive on natural
rainfall, once established. Each tree and large shrub was installed Helichrysum petiolare planted around the units. It is indigenous to the Eastern
with a gravel reservoir and sub-surface filler pipe positioned below Cape, grows rapidly and is useful for covering large, exposed areas. It is hardy and
the root ball. This system ensures that: drought-tolerant.
• water is directed precisely to the root zone;
• evaporation loss is minimised;
• targeted application of organic amendments is possible; the expectation is that the landscape will increasingly regulate
• long-term irrigation dependence is reduced. itself in response to seasonal variability, fire ecology and natural
Additional water resilience measures include grey water contribution processes. Active maintenance inputs will progressively reduce,
from on-site waste water treatment systems, rainwater harvesting with management focused primarily on monitoring establishment
from roof areas, and discharge into an artificial wetland pond that also success, controlling alien invasive species, managing fire risk where
functions as a biodiversity resource for birds and small fauna. required and protecting sensitive regenerating areas.
In essence, the project represents a shift from conventional
Maintenance landscaping towards a long-term ecological restoration framework
The landscape is intentionally designed to become largely self- that seeks to re-weave built form, people and the Suurberg landscape
sustaining over time, and the rehabilitation model is based on into a coherent and resilient whole.
ecological succession and natural resilience rather than permanent
horticultural maintenance. Information supplied by Jori White Public Relations Ltd, London, UK.
As disturbed areas recover and indigenous systems re-establish, Photos courtesy of Felix Studios, Warren Lange and Bruce McNicol

Green roofs were added to integrate the built component into the landscape and offer thermal mass for insulation

6 Landscape SA • Issue 159 2025 Check us out www.salandscape.co.za