A new owner renovated a suburban spec house on a 1.6-acre site on the outskirts of Boston and asked us to design a landscape to knit the building into its site. The locations of the house, at the crest of a hill, the steep driveway entry, and the backyard tennis court could not change, so the project became a study in how a series of restrained design decisions could dramatically alter the experience of place. Simple adjustments to the paved surfaces, plantings, and grading resulted in a lush, expansive landscape that transcended the structural limitations to redefine the context for this renovated building.

2010 BSLA Merit Award
Collaborators: Kelly Monnahan Design
Images: LJLA