Finding;Outdoor
Inspiration
L&P: How do you design a city garden where
you don’t have acres to work with?
DH: It is easiest and most efficient for us to maximize a
small amount of space when we are involved in the project very early on. Early collaboration with the architect
allows us to influence how the house is sited on the lot
and to work with clients to determine which views out of
the house hold the most meaning.
One of our first questions we ask is, “Where do
you spend the most time?” Most people use the same
two or three spots in their house over and over again, no
matter how large it is. Maybe it’s a favorite corner of the
kitchen that gets morning light and is the perfect spot for
drinking coffee and reading the Sunday paper. Knowing
about those places are important to me because for the
most part, the landscape is viewed from within and can
be an artful backdrop to a person’s daily activities within
the home.
By planning for how clients view their garden
from inside as well as from the outside, we extend its impact and the client’s enjoyment. Often, we create the illusion of more space by carefully delineating areas of use
– sort of like subdividing your living room into a sitting
area, reading nook, play space, etc.
A conversation with landscape architect,
Doug Hoerr, FASLA | Partner | Hoerr Schaudt
Many homeowners invest in enhancing and decorating
their home’s interior, but forget to focus on the outdoor
space. Well-conceived landscape design can be a significant enhancement to any home, and when done correctly
can extend the home’s “living space,” thus improving its
market value. We asked award-winning landscape architect Doug Hoerr of Hoerr Schaudt to share some insight
into how he creates beautiful urban gardens and creates
outside living spaces.
Live & Play: Where do you find inspiration?
Doug Hoerr: I’m observing nature constantly, looking at how plants organize themselves, noticing natural
plant communities and how the man-made environment
patterns itself against them. I also look at crafted and industrial design objects like furniture; contemporary art is
always inspiring.
L&P: What is your first step when you see a
“blank canvas”?
DH: In an urban environment, you never have a truly
blank canvas. Too often, people don’t think about the
views and influences beyond their own “canvas” or
property line. I look at what surrounds the site to decide
whether the canvas should interact with it or turn its back
on it and become an insulated environment. I listen to
the client to find out what kind of meaning and function-
ality they want out of their spaces and look to the home’s
architecture as well.
L&P: Do you believe more homes will have green
roofs in the future? Can you retrofit an older
house to have a green roof, or is that something
that is better suited to new construction.
DH: By definition, green roofs are simply about covering
the usable surface of one’s roof with plants to obtain en-
ergy efficiency, reduce the amount of heat that the roof
puts out into the city atmosphere, and reduce the amount
of water entering the city’s stormwater system. But there
can be a happy balance between a roof that is strictly for
environmental benefits and one that is solely for recre-
ation. We have used grasses, herbs, and hardy flowering
plants to create roofs where people want to spend their
leisure time. Architects and builders are becoming in-
creasingly receptive to green roof technologies that can
now be integrated from the start of a project, and I think
homeowners will continue to see and want the benefits
of having one themselves, particularly if it extends their
living area. You can absolutely retrofit an older home for a
green roof, but you do need to have a structural engineer
involved to make sure you are okay in terms of weight
loads on your roof.
L&P: How do you give people want they want
while still realizing your own vision?
DH: I am a filter. I listen to the dreams, aesthetic tastes
and functional desires of my client and match that
against what can grow on the site and what is appropriate
architecturally. I filter all this through a mental matrix
and design something unique that is responsive to the
people who live in and use the landscape.
L&P: What is your favorite part of your job?
DH: I love sifting through all the complex pieces of a design puzzle to find a solution that delights people. L &P
