2013 APLD International Landscape Design Awards
See our favorites from APLD’s award winners, including the entry of APLD Landscape Designer of the Year, Paul Connolly.
Landscape Designer of the Year
Paul Connolly, APLD – Sundrea Design Studio, Tucson, Arizona
Faced with the unique challenge of transforming this backyard into a usable landscape without disturbing the natural drainage pattern, Connolly created an award winning outdoor space that expands the interior living areas into the landscape and creates interaction between them and the natural environment.
Pictured here is a flagstone patio centered on a beehive fireplace. Perimeter masonry walls that match the home’s architecture add privacy and help keep the homeowner’s pets safely inside the yard. The project also includes a dining space with built-in grill, a covered patio, a spa and more all connected by gravel paths.
Gold Award Winner
Kate Stickley, APLD and Gretchen Whittier – Arterra LLP Landscape Architects, San Francisco, California
For this challenging hillside property, Stickley and Whittier addressed drainage problems, pesky deer, and highly variable weather conditions with sensitive grading and an exuberant planting plan. Pictured here is a meandering pathway that provides access to the pool below and engages the hillside by weaving through plantings sympathetic to the California natural landscape.
Doug Myers, APLD – Fernhill Landscapes, Strasburg, Pennsylvania
The owners of this home requested that Myers create a courtyard that would complement the home’s mid-century style, provide visual interest from inside and include some form of water. By juxtaposing contemporary forms and lush plantings he fashioned a space that is visually striking and well-balanced. Pictured here is a dramatic, recirculating water feature with a custom-made copper bowl.
Vanessa Gardner Nagel, APLD – Seasons Garden Design LLC, Vancouver, WA
Nagel’s clients asked for a garden that was low-maintenance, water-efficient, naturalistic, private and full of art. Her design features repetitive swirl motifs that anchor the primary garden areas. Pictured here is a swirled steel pergola with glass accents. Elsewhere on the property are a swirled stone patio and water feature, as well as a swirled fire pit and seat wall.
\r\nMatthew Willinger - Doyle Herman Design Associates LLC, Greenwich, Connecticut
\r\nWillinger was tasked with transforming this large property to include a flat play area for recreation, an organic vegetable garden, and the absence of chemicals in landscape maintenance. In the end he gave the owners much more, including new masonry walls and a patio, fencing and lighting, and new formal garden areas. Pictured here is an outdoor fireplace that extends the enjoyment of the landscape and also serves as a striking focal point centered on the living room’s French doors. The stone for the fireplace was sourced from local reclaimed materials to ensure that it would match existing stone walls on the property. \r\n
\r\nMargie Grace, APLD – Santa Barbara, California
\r\nFor this weekend retreat with panoramic views, Grace was brought in to create a low-maintenance, low-water use, fire-resistant landscape. Her clients also requested lots of parking, a fire pit and sheltered outdoor dining space, an outdoor shower and hot tub as well as surfboard storage. Shown here is the campfire-style propane-fueled fire pit which is the perfect place to watch the sunset. All materials were sourced locally and a subdued scheme of native grasses and mostly native plants ties into the surrounding chaparral. \r\n
David Fierabend, APLD - Groundswell Design Group, LLC, Hopewell, New Jersey
For this project, Fierabend’s design solution centered on the creation a multi-use activity space in the landscape that reflects the homeowner’s love for contemporary design and also accommodates their lifestyle. The homeowners wanted their new outdoor environment to be usable in the four Pennsylvania seasons, hence the greenhouse which was decorated with found objects and salvaged materials reflecting the homeowner’s personal taste. The adjacent patio is composed of recycled plastic railroad timbers and terraced succulent gardens.
Merit Award Winner
Brandon Jones, APLD - Glen Gate Company, Wilton, Connecticut
The owners of this home wanted a pool that would serve as a focal point from within their house. Jones situated the new pool in an underused space and eliminated and reorganized walls to open up views of the lake beyond. The pool and its stone weirs create the main focal element and bridge modern-day accoutrements of a pool with the history, detail, and character of the home’s architecture. New reclaimed bluestone terracing was also added directly adjacent to the pool. The new outdoor space is used for relaxation and respite and has a subdued, monochromatic planting palette.
See all of the 2013 APLD award winners.
Find a landscape designer in your area through the Association of Professional Landscape Designer’s ‘Find A Designer’ tool.
