HONOR AWARD
Represents outstanding accomplishment in the profession of landscape architecture.
Ranch House
“Well executed design. The planting is a very strong element of this landscape while the artwork was incorporated in an understated way. A complete package of strong design, high quality detailing, and execution. Wonderful and very intimate design!”
The central boardwalk reinforces the striking gap in the roofline as well as the transparent windows of the narrow hallway that connects the public and private wings of the home.
SUMMARY
Ranch House is the product of a close collaboration between the architects and the landscape architects to transform a dated family ranch homestead into a fresh, contemporary showpiece. The overall design preserves and enhances nostalgic pieces of the homestead important to the owners while inserting a new home and new gardens into the homestead landscape. Ranch House replaces the former outdated home and the new gardens replace a large swath of turf grass.
The landscape design for Ranch House proves that through carefully-considered, seemingly small interventions, an entire place can be dramatically transformed into something new and memorable while preserving and acknowledging important parts of the past.
PROJECT NARRATIVE
Introduction
Ranch House is located at the original homestead site of a 300+ acre family ranch situated just outside of Mount Pleasant, Utah. The ranch has been in the family for multiple generations.
Project Scope
The scope of the project was to collaborate with the owners and architects to site a new home at the homestead property and to design the surrounding outdoor living spaces and gardens. The new home was designed to replace an existing old and dated home which had no direct design relationships with any other components of the existing landscape. Existing features of the homestead area that were important to the family and their long history at the ranch were to be preserved and enhanced. These included a swimming pool, large mature trees, a great lawn, a barn, a stream and a handful of guest cabins.
The Boardwalk
To further emphasize the axial geometry of the home, a boardwalk surfaced with longitudinal decking was sited on the axis of the home. The boardwalk serves to create a direct physical connection from the house to the pool deck and from pool deck over the existing stream to great lawn on the opposite side. The strong line of the boardwalk is centered on the windows of the hallway and serves to create direct visual connections from the home to the pool and to the great lawn. The boardwalk is the primary organizing element of the new site plan.
Outdoor Living
Outdoor terraces are located adjacent to the great room of the home and the master bedroom. These terraces face the new gardens and the pool. The great room terrace accommodates everyday outdoor dining and creates spill-out space for the great room when entertaining large groups. The master bedroom terrace is of smaller scale and accommodates a couple of chairs for reading and a small table for coffee or evening drinks.