Fleur de Ville – Part One

April 19, 2020by Monica Perrone

For this project profile, we will be highlighting a recent opportunity where I was given the task of remodeling six cul-de-sac islands for a local community. The client was looking for designs that complimented existing structures as well as coordinated with the entry sequence to provide guests and residents with a feeling of cohesiveness throughout the layout. With expertise, sensitivity, creativity, and the application of proven process, I was able to evaluate all visual and experiential aspects of the islands and develop solutions that left my client feeling satisfied with the end result.

It was important that these plans brought new interest to the neighborhood while still considering the existing trees and remaining practical within the setting. I selected drought resistant plants for a timeless and durable material palette, durable materials that not only added beauty to the areas but were also sustainable for local conditions. By eliminating all turf grass and optimizing the existing trees, we were able to support the community character in Mediterranean style.

Since this was a larger project, there was quite a bit of preliminary work that needed to be done in order to prepare us for a path to success. I first tackled this project by measuring and photographing the six islands as well as studying opportunities and constraints for each island. Aside from mature trees and the entry area, other existing conditions such as corner treatments, colored concrete bands, utilities, street lights, exposure, and neighboring homes all needed to be taken into consideration during this step. An example of a design element used to enhance the natural beauty of the islands while still incorporating required elements was to paint transformers and backflow covers a very dark brown to allow them to fade away visually within the composition.

As an extra precautionary measure, I had an ISA Certified Arborist meet with me onsite to evaluate the overall health, longevity, and form/aesthetic contribution of the variety of existing trees. From this point I was able to generate a brief tree report and create a working base map consisting of a plan for all of the six cul-de-sac islands that I reviewed with my client to ensure they were confident with any revisions. 

I am excited for this opportunity to take my readers along for the ride as I detail this experience from start to finish. I hope that you have enjoyed reading about this project thus far and I encourage you to check in to the next installment of my blog where I go more into depth about how I brought the design elements of each of these six cul-de-sac islands to life!

Monica Perrone

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Monica Perrone is a Professional Landscape Architect with over thirty years in her industry. She has lived and worked in various regions of the United States with diverse experience including urban planning, landscape contracting, and event design.

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With excerpts from Gardens Are for People by Thomas D. Church.

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