HLA / LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE / 01
Casa Prisca
A landscape shaped by topography.
The landscape design for Casa Prisca is shaped by a defining site condition: its topography. The terrain features a significant change in elevation which, rather than being perceived as a limitation, becomes the organizing element of the design. Instead of radically altering the land's natural form, the project takes advantage of the existing slopes to create a sequence of terraces, gardens, and outdoor gathering spaces that follow the gradual descent across the site.
The intervention works with the terrain's natural configuration to accommodate different activities across a series of interconnected levels. Terraced planting areas, stairways, and circulation routes extend the residential program outdoors, creating a gradual transition between the house and the lower garden. The composition balances the defined geometry of the built elements with the organic forms and varying densities of vegetation.
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Landscape Design Elements
Elementos del diseño de paisaje
Terraces, Circulation & Accessibility +
A network of stairways, platforms, and ramps connects the garden's different elevations, establishing circulation between terraces, planted areas, and outdoor gathering spaces. These elements are integrated into the landscape's spatial framework, allowing movement throughout the property while responding to its topographic conditions.
Integrating Play into the Landscape +
A concrete slide is embedded within a densely planted slope, connecting the upper terrace with the lower lawn. Rather than introducing a freestanding playground structure, the intervention uses the site's existing change in elevation to incorporate play directly into the landscape.
A Sequence of Garden Spaces +
The landscape program is organized as a series of interconnected outdoor environments, each accommodating different activities and forms of use. Aromatic gardens, green terraces, resting areas, a rain garden, a lookout point, and an amphitheater are distributed across the property, with pathways connecting these spaces around the existing swimming pool.
The Artist's Terrace +
The Artist's Terrace introduces a dedicated outdoor space for painting and creative work. Conceived as an extension of the residence, the terrace offers an open-air setting where artistic activity can take place in direct contact with the garden. Its position within the sequence of levels creates a distinct environment for observation, concentration, and everyday use.
Materiality, Planting & Water Management +
Material transitions and planting compositions contribute to the spatial definition of the garden. Built surfaces, planted terraces, and vegetated slopes are organized in relation to the site's topography, while the rain garden introduces a landscape element associated with stormwater management. Together, these components establish continuity between the architecture, circulation routes, and outdoor spaces.
Design Approach
Enfoque de diseño
The design process began with an understanding of the site's topography and its relationship to the residence. The distribution of outdoor spaces responds to the existing change in elevation, allowing terraces, circulation routes, and planted areas to be organized as a connected landscape system. Rather than treating each level as an independent space, the proposal establishes a continuous sequence of environments across the slope.
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