ISLAND VIEW
The site
Island View is a midcentury private home set within four acres of dry coastal forest of Antigua in the eastern Caribbean. The eastern portion of the site slopes steeply down to the rocky coastal edge of the Atlantic Ocean and is dotted with small sandy beaches and coral reef. A continuous easterly breeze flows in off the ocean cooling the site but also providing quite salt laden air to the planting. This area of the island has no natural water supply and any water available to the house and garden is provided only by rainwater harvested and stored on site from large water catchments.
The brief
In order to accommodate a large family, the client decided to build a new guest cottage on the northeastern portion of the site. To avoid interrupting the views of the ocean from the main house the new cottage was designed and built as a partially subterranean structure engineered to allow the roof to be completely planted. To free up space for the proposed structure It was decided to remove one of the two large water catchments while increasing the efficiency of the existing water storage. The ensuing construction left a large swathe of the landscape in need of restoration. The clients required a landscape proposal which would blend in with the surrounding dry coastal woodland and help to disguise the new cottage without obscuring the views of the ocean. They specifically requested that all materials, both hard and soft, be sourced on the island.
The design
The excavation required to build the new cottage unearthed many large coral limestone boulders typical to the geology the region. These were used to create informal meandering routes to the main house and were also placed randomly across the site to retain the slopes, create focal points and provide informal seating.
At the beginning of the rainy season large drifts of drought tolerant trees, shrubs, grasses, both native and non-native, were installed and largely left to their own devices. The intention is to create a wild and naturalistic scheme which gradually changes and shifts over time as drought, extreme rain and potential hurricanes influence their growth. The original midcentury house is surrounded by old trees on a native grass lawn. The lawn is left unmown to allow the tall seed heads to develop. Larger grass species were added to exaggerate and extend the grasses flowering period. These grasses constantly move in waves blown by the continuous prevailing winds.