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WADA 2019 Landscape Design

Botaniko by Landscape Design Workshop

One of the strategies of smart growth and sustainable communities is to promote infill development, Botaniko adopts and embraces this concept.  Botaniko, as the name suggests, is a community where the outdoor environment & lush landscape takes center stage. The project is located at the City of Weston, Florida.  It is a 50 hectare (123-acre) master planned residential development with 125 modern home sites.  The landscape architect designed this community including all common spaces as well as the individual home sites.

World Architecture & Design Awards 2019
First Award | Category: Landscape Design
Architects: Erez Bar-Nur
Studio: Landscape Design Workshop
Team Members: Erez Bar-Nur, Principal; Michiyo Fujita
Country: United States
Website: www.landscapedesignworkshop.com

Site & Context investigation
Botaniko is an infill site located near the edge of the Everglades National Park, a world heritage site with an ecosystem dominated by water & wetlands.  Since 1900 the everglades has been under tremendous pressure from development and according to the United States Geological Survey it lost 50 percent of the original wetlands as a result.

The site was part of the Bonaventure Golf Club and included an 18-hole championship course and a secondary golf course.  The client was struggling to sustain the secondary course and decided to repurpose it as an environmentally conscious residential community.

Design Intent
The landscape architect recognized the importance of water, Influenced by proximity to Everglades.  A fundamental decision was to make water a key design feature, maximizing water views for the future residents.  The design included reconfiguration of the lakes while maintaining on-site storm water storage and connectivity to existing lake system.

The designer also wanted to create a strong indoor-outdoor relationship between modern architecture  and the environment as it manifested by lush native-dominated planting.  The planting material is organic and free flowing, juxtaposed with the geometric shapes of the contemporary & modern architecture.

Environmental Sensitivity & Sustainability

A Site Assessment Report using soil sampling found that years of intensive use of pesticide and fertilizer resulted with arsenic contamination.  A Remedial Action Plan was devised to excavate and dispose of the arsenic-impacted soils and provide clean fill.

The master plan maintained the overall historical drainage patterns of the surrounding areas while improving local drainage issues with neighboring communities.  The design team specified the removal of all invasive plant species and the protection and preservation of existing native trees.  The landscape architect used drip irrigation system and drought tolerant native planting as a strategy for conserving water.

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