Back Door Garden
Boulder, Colorado
Design | Build: 2006
The form of the garden plays on the continuous modulation of angles that make up the architecture. A newly renovated contemporary home is sighted on a very steep slope.
The design challenges are:
- to work with the extreme grade change from the back door (the resident's main entry) to the level of the carport
- to create an outdoor room for entertaining and quiet contemplation
- to define a visual configuration of elements that can be viewed from the decks and windows of the house above
A container garden arranged on the roof of the carport allows the design to utilize an otherwise unusable space, thus freeing up room for a private gravel patio. To counteract the extreme Colorado summer sun, a shade structure and water trough spilling into a concrete basin provide both shade and coolness. The water basin, retaining walls and stairs are finished with a cool blue green coloring and are scaled for comfortable seating for party guests.
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