sanctuary_hills

rockford_michigan

[ landscape masterplan + concept design ] at bishop land design role: project manager, designer

BLD was commissioned by a young Michigander family to develop a landscape concept design and site master plan for their 30+ acre property, located on a major bend along the Rogue River. The site topography and ecological conditions provided an opportunity to design unique landscape experiences. The program for the site included a main house, auxiliary structures, and a variety of trails and landscape amenities. As project manager, under direction of design leadership, I worked on creating a framework to address client’s desired objectives and timeline. The team carried out studies and conceptual schemes to locate the structures, trails, and amenities on the site; address boundary requirements, easement constraints, conservation considerations, existing ecological features, wildlife and habitat; and develop ideas for a variety of landscape types and user experiences. The studies needed to address infrastructural concerns and large scale conceptual level maintenance and operations of the compound. The resulting concept includes a diverse set of woodland, wetland and riparian plant communities and takes advantage of the topographic conditions and elevational relation between wetland and upland areas to create a network of on-grade and elevated paths that accommodate navigating the site and connect various amenities such as the picnic area, river overlook, and boat launch.