Schoolyard
This garden was designed for Backyard Blitz on Channel 9.
The challenge was to design a landscape area for a school in Melbourne. The space had to provide informal seating for outdoor classrooms, as well as a place for the children and teachers to sit, relax, eat lunch, and have some time out to think away from the challenges of the classroom.
Inspired by the architecture of City Link, Jim designed a modern urban landscape. A row of large bright red cypress cross beams act as the centrepiece sculpture under which a long straight water channel flows to symbolise reflection.
Playing with the existing concrete surfaces, Jim has broken the groundscape using crushed grey granite and large granite feature rocks, which double as informal seating.
A long curved bright yellow timber bench seat runs along the existing high wall, again to add seating as well as guiding the eye through the space.
At each end, white blocks made out of Hebel block act like teeth jutting out of the ground. The blocks provide definition at each end of the landscape as well as again providing seating space.
Green life is achieved using very hardy tough plants in the planter box and concrete planters on the upper terrace. A double row of Catalpa bignoniodes, (large deciduous tree balls on sticks) provide an upper canopy, as well as shade, and bring a sense of scale to the area.
The end result: a very modern architectural landscape design inspired by city living and using landscape sculpture as the centrepiece to the garden. The designer intended to inspire the art students, who use the surrounding classrooms, as well as to provide an informal outdoor classroom space.
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