Humans have been altering the landscape to accommodate shelter for millenniums, so we can build upon this combined knowledge to advance concepts and strategies that promote heightened beauty, enjoyment, and sustainability. A Japanese garden is one of the most elegant examples of a modified landscape—it’s not just decoration, but a philosophy of harmony with nature. Let’s breakdown some principles, techniques, and features.
GH Principles for Intelligent LandscapING
- Balance with Nature – From a conceptual level, instead of overpowering the natural environment, we work with its existing features (rocks, slopes, water sources, native trees, etc.).
- Minimal alterations – In keeping with this balance, we believe in avoiding excessive grading or building up.
- Sustainability – Use site-responsive design (position home to take advantage of natural light, views, prevailing winds), native plants, natural irrigation.
- Symbolism & Storytelling – We shape the landscape to tell spiritual or metaphorical stories. Every landscape has a story to tell.
Landscape Styles & Techniques
When it comes to styling a landscape around your home, the options are endless. Below are a few categories that have been explored over centuries.
- Japanese Gardens: Use asymmetry to echo natural landscapes, symbolism (stones, water, sand, and plants represent larger natural or spiritual concepts, evoking contemplation and meditation), balance and harmony, and simplicity and restraint matter more than grandeur (avoid clutter; every element is intentional and essential), and let views unfold gradually.
- English Landscape Gardens: Gently rolling lawns, lakes, and groves to imitate “ideal nature” rather than geometry.
- Mediterranean Courtyard Gardens: Shaded stone patios, aromatic herbs, fountains—spaces for relaxation in hot climates.
While these can serve as examples to get you thinking about the variety available, the landscaping for your project should evolve from the unique site properties that already exist, instead of overpowering it with techniques that may work better in other. locations.
FEATURES
- Entry sequence: A curved approach to your home is an opportunity to let views unfold and curate emotion and a transition
- Framed Views: “Borrowed scenery” (shakkei in Japanese gardens) to incorporate distant mountains, skies, or forests into the composition. This takes planning to make sure these views are best viewed from the places you will spend the most time in your home.
- Stone & Earth: Pathways, terraces, or sculptural rock placements that guide movement.
- Plants: Carefully chosen for fragrance, color, or symbolic meaning.
- Light & Shadow: Use trees and existing landscape elements to play with sunlight.
- Moon-viewing spots.
- Water: If you are lucky enough to have water on your property, it should be glorified. Ponds, reflecting pools, fountains, streams, or waterfalls offer calmness and sound.
So how can we integrate all of this into a home that you are building? Our goal with building a home into the landscape is to use the strengths of the land that exist, and highlight when necessary. Therefore contrary to the home building industry’s method of bulldozing a wide swath of land to clear the way for homes, we want to be minimally invasive and have the home sit lightly on the land. As Frank Lloyd Wright said, “Let your home appear to grow easily from its site and shape it to sympathize with the surroundings.” There is typically no additional cost to building this way (often savings), but there is immense satisfaction every time you occupy the home when you resonate with the power of your site. To have us evaluate your site, contact us.