Hannah Genders puts the finishing touches to an eco-garden for an eco-house.
In my work as a landscape designer I have had the privilege of indulging a passion for building sustainable gardens that seek to complement their landscape setting.
I am sure that recent awareness of global warming and green issues has made many clients far more eager to go down the eco route.
One of the most exciting projects I have been involved with is an eco house in Trevone, near Padstow on the Cornish coast.
The original plot was an L-shaped bungalow overlooking the sea and the clients, who moved from an old farmhouse near Alvechurch, decided to go for a bespoke German eco house.
The house builders, a company called Baufritz, are brand new to the UK market but lead the field in environmentally organic homes on the continent. So this particular house also doubles as a show home for future projects.
The whole process has been fascinating to watch from start to finish: the house is completed off-site down to the last detail, including all fixtures and fittings, so that once the site is ready the building is craned in and literally slotted into place.
The exterior of the house can be erected in two days and finished in about one month. This is called a “turn key” solution and although common in Europe, is still relatively new to us here.
The scheme had a number of exciting challenges that required some forethought and design. The plot is on a dramatic slope from the small lane that accesses the property at the front to the sea view at the back.
From a building point of view this allowed Baufritz to incorporate a cellar, giving another storey to the house without using any more of the floor area.
As a landscape setting it has meant that we can work with the slope to incorporate a lower basement garden which will be more sheltered in high winds.
We have also managed to hide a studio space at the bottom of the garden where the client can do his sculpture. By sinking it down within the slope and creating a grass roof, it is almost hidden from the house and doesn’t obstruct the view.
Using local materials to sit the house within a Cornish vernacular was another requirement. Local slate hangs on the front of the building and is repeated in the circular patio in the top garden.
To retain the slope around the basement garden we used gabions; these are wire cages that were then filled with local stone to continue the Cornish theme.
This works well on a modern building and is a much cheaper way to retain a slope than building a traditional wall. It is also possible to create small soil pockets within the gabions and soften the effect with planting.
Local pebbles are used to create a spiral effect which will be the setting to exhibit a piece of the client’s sculpture.
Planting in this environment is an added challenge as the plants need to be able to withstand strong winds coming straight off the sea, with an added salt content. Also the garden is south facing and drought can be a problem.
Although this limits the palette, there are still plenty of plants that can be used. I also wanted to use the subtle colours seen in this landscape and echo the soft blues, greens and greys of the sea.
Plants like lavendula angustifolia are a good choice, and I also used some of the more delicate lavenders – a big advantage of gardening this far south is the warmer winter temperature.
Escallonia does very well in this setting and is seen everywhere – I planted this as a hedge on top of the reclaimed wall at the front of the house to add extra height.
I used a mixture of grasses and soft coloured perennials in the borders near the house, to add colour and interest to the garden without blocking the view. The plants can be looked “through” and do not create a permanent barrier. They also add wonderful movement in the frequent sea breezes.
The Cornish coast is also abundant in native alpines, so I have planted cultivars of sedum, thrift and helianthemum to add in this local character.
We are now in the final planting stage of this project, with just some structural planting and the vegetable project to do at the bottom end of the garden. I think this stunning house is a testament to what can be achieved in an eco build without losing any of the beauty.
I am hoping for some more projects like this over the next few years!
* The house has just won the Daily Telegraph’s Best Timber Framed House Award, and the second house that Baufritz has built in the UK is featured in the new series of Grand Designs in February.