Transformation of a hotel courtyard garden
This internal courtyard is a government-protected green space and as such, the area of planting must be treated with great care and the rainwater allowed to infiltrate the soil as much as possible.
The priority was to restore the garden atmosphere, lost during previous changes to the building. Several sickly chestnut trees were removed, allowing light to stream back into the courtyard. Low retaining walls were removed to bring back a more spacious garden feel and aging concrete pavers were removed and replaced with a rain-permeable and sound-absorbing concrete.
The design is inspired by formal French gardens, with hedges of clipped yew, retaining beds of lush vegetation, consisting mostly of ground-cover plants. The focus is on textured foliage, with Japanese maples and tree ferns.
An egg-shaped sculpture plays with the idea of the rebirth or “renaissance” of the hotel.
