Registration Eligibility
Open to landscape architecture professionals, allied designers, and the general public.
Start Date
06/13/2021
End Date
06/13/2021
Description
Located high above Bel Air, this two-acre garden affords panoramic views of downtown Los Angeles, the distant San Gabriel Mountains, and the Los Angeles Westside. The owners commissioned Stephen Billings Landscape Architecture to create gardens that reflect their active lifestyle and growing family.
The firm used the Japanese concept of Shakkei, incorporating the surronding landscapes into the composition of the garden.They took advantage of the existing stands of mature jacaranda trees located on the adjacent properties and planted a grove of the same trees throughout the motor court, creating the illusion of a much larger landscape. The gardens, water feature, and driveway are a composition of gentle curves that emanate from the building like a series of water ripples, with a focus on an existing ficus tree.
The same Shakkei concept was used on the hillside garden by incorporating plant materials of the adjacent native chaparral into the planting palette of the new garden. Stunning views of the Stone Canyon Reservoir are featured on a meandering walkway that weaves through a terraced hillside linking entertaining areas among a grove of new olive trees and an orchard of citrus, plums, pomegranate, and avocado. Plant materials with aromatic oils were chosen to fill the air with fragrance in the summer heat. This phenomenon is called maquis, and it occurs naturally in coastal areas of the Mediterranean. Stephen Billings Landscape Architecture utilized plant materials native to that region such as rosemary, cistus, lavender, and myrtle in combination with California native plants to seamlessly blend with the surrounding planting.
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Distance Learning
No
Course Equivalency
No
Subjects
Horticulture / Plants
Project Management
Residential Design
Site Planning
Water / Stormwater Management
Health, Safety and Welfare
No
Hours
2.0
Learning Outcomes
1. Learn how successful landscape architects collaborate with their residential clients to identify and meet their needs.
2. Learn about the design process for developing the landscape and the planting plan.
3. Learn about appropriate plant selection for residential landscapes in this region and zone.
Instructors
Stephen Billings and Suzanne Shepla
Course Codes
GD2021BelAir
Provider
The Cultural Landscape Foundation