Triple Crown
ASLA National Honors Three Projects by Colorado Firms
BY DEBORAH PADDISON
Rugged terrain, severe climate, complex water rights, residential water restrictions, strict land-use laws — these are particular challenges facing landscape architecture here in the West. It's rare to find a single project that doesn't present at least one of them — in fact, for many projects, landscape architecture firms must balance them all.
Three Colorado firms showed they were up to the task when the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) presented its 2007 Professional Awards last fall at the ASLA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Out of the more than 500 entries, 37 projects earned kudos.
Design Workshop, which has multiple offices nationwide, received two of the awards, one presented to its Aspen office and the other to its Denver office. The Denver office is recognized for its urban landscapes, though its award was for Glacier Club, a mountain golf course. In addition to its focus on landscape design for resort tourism, Design Workshop's office also does residential landscapes, as evidenced by its winning project, Woody Creek Garden. DHM Design, a landscape architecture firm based in Carbondale, garnered the third award, for its design of a comprehensive land-management program for Wildhorse Ranch, a large ranching and agricultural property in Oregon.
Christopher Dimond, FASLA, of HNTB in Kansas City, Missouri, chaired the nine-member jury of professionals from across the country.
General Design Honor Award
Glacier Club | Durango, Colorado
Design Workshop, Denver, Colorado
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DALE A. HORCHNER/DESIGN WORKSHOP
 The new course at Glacier Club exists in harmony with its setting. The design team preserved the native landscape to create a scenic and challenging golf experience.
Softening the boundaries between landscape architecture and golf course design, Design Workshop of Denver took a holistic approach to this project, an update and remodeling of the circa-1970s Tamarron Golf Resort in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. Over the decades, the resort had changed ownership many times and the facilities had deteriorated. In 2001, new owners purchased Tamarron with plans to convert it into the Glacier Club, an upscale resort and residential community built around an environmentally conscious golf experience that respects the land.
Items on Design Workshop's to-do list for the 450-acre parcel included creating a new golf course and overhauling the existing one, as well as planning for the remodel of the existing 150-room lodge, including the addition of a new restaurant and conference facilities.
Designing a sufficiently challenging and engaging golf experience was not a problem — the team fit the new course to its alpine setting, letting the ecosystem guide the design. The undulating, rocky topography of the San Juan Mountains was viewed as an asset rather than a drawback, with dramatic rock outcroppings, conifer forests and wetlands naturally requiring strategic play. Minimizing the removal of vegetation, the architects preserved as much of the site's forests as possible, used native grasses outside the fairways and left 43 acres of wetlands undisturbed.
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Eight holes play downhill, highlighting the course's overall elevation change of 400 feet. |
Eschewing conventional stormwater-management systems of culverts and piping, the team configured an innovative, environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing system for water conservation, irrigation and drainage using reclaimed water. They structured the entire course with an underlayment of eight inches of sand and a natural filtration system of bio-filter swales and constructed wetlands. The course also benefited the land by buffering and protecting wetlands, opening up corridors for migrating wildlife, creating firebreaks and clearing away underbrush that could fuel forest fires.
The master plan for the Glacier Club's residential areas also incorporates more than eight miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails, which integrate with the golf courses' cart path system.
Design Workshop scored a hole-in-one with this project. They brought it in $500,000 under budget, and after it opened, the new Glacier Nine course was named one of America's Top 100 Golf Courses by Golfweek magazine. Design Workshop also won a 2006 Honor Award for the Glacier Club from the Colorado Chapter of ASLA.
Jury Comments
"Just beautiful — a great example of this type of project done well. Golf courses are a significant part of the practice, and this could have broad environmental impact for the entire industry. We applaud the landscape architect's light hand."
Residential Design Honor Award
Woody Creek Garden | Pitkin County, Colorado
Design Workshop, Inc., Aspen, Colorado
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DALE A. HORCHNER/DESIGN WORKSHOP
 The residence and garden are contained by retaining walls to avoid disturbing the ecologically fragile site. Terraces emphasize the elevated feeling and celebrate the dramatic views at 9,000 feet.
Located in the Roaring Fork Valley near Aspen, Woody Creek Garden is a residential landscape situated on a sloping
site at an elevation of 9,000 feet. The Aspen office of Design Workshop was charged with achieving the client's desired spaces for outdoor entertaining, relaxation and reflection, as well as integrating the landscape with both the home's interior design and its spectacular Rocky Mountain setting.
In this ecological zone, stands of conifers and aspen support a rich undergrowth of grasses and wildflowers. To assess design strategies and minimize disturbance to the fragile site, the architects first conducted a climate study to determine how best to shelter outdoor spaces from the wind and capture sunlight.
The overall design encompasses two interlinking courtyards, with terraces and stone retaining walls delineating various spaces and separating the built landscape from the native landscape, which remains preserved beyond. Water is the unifying element, with mist, single rivulets, cascades and still pools portraying water in its various states. The garden serves as a functioning "green roof" over part of the residence, with the added insulation resulting in energy savings for the homeowner.
A walled entry garden features granite slabs arranged in a horizontal pinwheel, punctuated vertically by quaking aspens. The slabs function as sculptural seating benches and tables. Rough-hewn Colorado sandstone walls and columns contrast with interlocking sandstone walkways. Native lichen growth and patterns of natural streaking from water and air exposure embellish the walls. A centrally located misting fountain adds to the ethereal ambiance.
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The courtyards feature rough-hewn sandstone walls and sandstone walkways, with water as a unifying element. |
The second garden is an expansive entertainment promontory designed to accommodate large gatherings. A cascading wall of water forms the backdrop to the garden, disappearing into quiet reflecting pools, one of which also functions as a recreational spa. Because of frequent afternoon rains, the design allows for the possibility of tenting the entire yard.
From a sustainability point of view, the patio, water features and retaining walls all were crafted with local stone. The landscape design utilizes native plants, some of which were specifically grown for this site. Selections of plant materials, soils on the site and revegetation methods to establish native plant communities and enhance wildlife habitats ensure the garden fits into its high-altitude setting. Maturing canopies of aspens not only provide shading, but contribute to sensory appeal by casting visually interesting shadows. Other sensory experiences include the aroma of pine and the pink and white visual accent of columbine blossoms.
Clearly, this projects meets its design objective of a garden in harmony with its high-country environment.
Jury Comments
"A stunning example of how the landscape can complement the architecture without being a slave to it. The colors, distinctive detailing and striking stonework are beautifully appropriate to the site."
Analysis and Planning Honor Award
Wildhorse Ranch | Steens Mountain, Oregon
DHM Design, Carbondale, Colorado
 This view of the 5,000-acre Wildhorse Ranch property looks south across the semi-arid landscape, with the ridge of Steens Mountain to the right.
Wildhorse Ranch is a 5,000-acre parcel in the heart of the Steens Mountain area in southeastern Oregon, part of the Northern Great Basin. Bisected by Wildhorse Creek, the land sits within the Pacific Flyway, 30 miles from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. As is the case with many former ranching properties in the West, the current owner was seeking a stewardship and land-use plan that would consider the site's unique surroundings, maintain ranching operations and allow for the introduction of new building in a manner that respects the land's history and ecology.
The mandate for the landscape architects at DHM Design was that any intervention not only meet these goals, but also be appropriate, sustainable and have lasting benefit. So they undertook a thorough exploration of the land and similar ranch properties in the area. The result was a three-pronged approach encompassing ranch management, grazing operations and definition of agricultural activities; construction of a main residence, barn and outbuildings; and extensive restoration of eroded drainageways to re-establish wildlife habitat.
The landscape architects evaluated the ranch's past grazing operations, which had led to substantial erosion, and came up with a new grazing plan that is more sustainable, designating areas for agricultural activity and areas where native habitat and grasses could be restored. One side benefit is that the entire ranch no longer requires fencing.
Historic water patterns indicated that early settlers had diverted water from Wildhorse Creek into manmade irrigation ditches, which caused once-active side streams to stop flowing. The plan calls for developing a more efficient irrigation system that creates small reservoirs and restores water to the dry streambeds, reconstructing lost riparian habitat. Marsh habitat attracts small mammals, frogs, egrets, cranes, herons and other migratory birds, which in turn attract raptors such as eagles and hawks.
 DHM Design's master plan illustrates agricultural uses, waterways, roadways and building sites. Agricultural activities are kept to the east side of Wildhorse Creek to contain grazing operations and create opportunities for native landscape restoration.
A new barn will be located at the end of the public road approaching the ranch. It will be flanked by outbuildings clustered around a central courtyard. Functionally and socially important, the courtyard serves as a hub for ranching operations and a community gathering spot where neighboring ranchers can meet and greet. All buildings utilize local stone and masonry construction.
The ranch residence sits on a sage-covered gentle slope above the waterways and pastures, within walking distance of the barn. It opens to the north onto a historic orchard, which will provide shade during summer months and protect against winter winds. Outdoor living space to the south will capture southern sun during cooler months, as well as spectacular views.
With this comprehensive master plan, DHM Design ensures that Wildhorse Ranch can leave a lasting and sustainable legacy.
Jury Comments
"The landscape architect developed a sensitive plan for conserving and preserving the nature of this landscape. It's so beautiful and feels very intuitive."
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