Catalina Foothills

Tucson, Arizona

Honor Award in Residential Design - National ASLA

Traditional cultural patterns and a rich visual display of native Sonoran desert plant material inform the structure and composition of this Catalina Foothills garden. A modern design aesthetic combines color, texture, water and shade to create an intimately scaled outdoor living environment, adding focus to a regional approach to landscape architecture. The owner's challenge to Design Workshop was to create a landscape for the home that allowed for display of appropriate desert plants from around the world.

Design Workshop stepped up to the challenge in a three-pronged approach. First, reestablish on the site the rich variety of plants that are native to this part of the Sonoran desert. Second, map the micro-habitats that occur as a result of building in the desert such as drainage ways, wet and dry areas, shady areas, then identify and incorporate the diversity of desert plants that occur in the micro-climate. Third, support the increased landscape by using water harvesting and grey water recycling to irrigate the plants. The owners in support of the concept of water conservation have included dual-plumbing to allow grey water reuse within the building when regulation are in place.

"The expression of color and subtle use of detail is amazing. When the client is giving all this input on color, the designer can’t always make all the details work. This is playful and fun. It is impressive how the scale encompasses small plants in some areas and larger bushes in others. The plants and spatial architecture come together and the color of the plants comes together with the surroundings. They were very well selected," noted the ASLA Professional Jury.