DORADO 

RESIDENCE

DORADO BEACH, PUERTO RICO

PROJECT STATUS | BUILT

 

PROJECT BACKGROUND

When we started this project in 2020 the land to the north-east of the home site was still unbuilt and open, while an extension of the golf course fairway was going to be built to the west where the backyard would be located. In the aerial image from 2022 when the home was under construction, we see the remainder lots to the east being quickly built over with very large buildings, reflecting the frenzy speed of homes construction of Dorado Beach Estates and Dorado Beach Resort due to favorable tax incentives in Puerto Rico. In the 2023 image the first fill operations to prepare pads and detention ponds for additional homes can be seen in the aerial images below.

 

The orange-looking color seen in the aerial images of the site is imported fill material easy to compact used to stabilize the foundations of buildings in Puerto Rico. It is heavy in calcium carbonate mixed with silt and clay, deleterious for plant growth after compaction. No soil or existing landscape is left at the end of construction for these kinds of luxury subdivisions in small lots, which share resort amenities but have a lot of neighbors close by and a lack of privacy. The fill material is extracted from the carbonate deposits in the Karst region in Puerto Rico and often from “Mogotes,” unique hilly vegetated landforms that are very important in capturing rainwater, absorbing it slowly in their porous cavities, delaying its release down into the aquifer as a resource, thereby preventing flooding. Therefore, this practice of development in the end affects the natural geomorphology and hydrological patterns that feed groundwater to the island, increasing also the demand for water to irrigate the additional lawn grass planted in each lot to mimic the appealing green look of the three golf courses surrounding them.

 
 
 

EXISTING CONDITIONS

Views toward the neighboring houses to the south and north prior to construction show stunted palms at the property boundaries. These palms are struggling due to poor soil drainage and inadequate nutrient uptake, issues caused by the imported construction fill. Effective site preparation for planting involved removing this fill from all areas designated for landscaping. Few homeowners undertake this step, resulting in landscapes across the development that feature compromised and unhealthy plants.

 
 

View to the future golf course from the owner’s homesite before construction begun. The West Indian Locust tree (Hymenaea courbaril) outside of our site seems to be part of our property. The golf cart resort road snaking by the tree needs to be hidden by raising the ground at the back yard to make this landscape beyond the owners’ lot appear as if it was inside, making it feel larger.

 
 

BUILDING RENDERINGS

The Architect was originally Felipe Hess from Brazil, then Arch. Gonzalo Ferrer, principal of D+DesignDevelopment took over, redesigning almost completely the building. They already had a well-developed scheme when we joined the design team to prepare landscape plans. These 3D images show here a very large expanse of grass, which the owners wanted, waiting for a landscape proposal. The real space available to plant around this large house is smaller and narrower than what the model images make believe, and it became apparent when staking the house footprint on the lot before construction.

The perceived space is even smaller because of the homes all around. From the second-floor terrace, the limited size of the backyard becomes apparent. The grass lawn is shown level with the raised building pad held by two small retaining walls at golf course side; lawn is shown also as a roof garden treatment above the kitchen one-story compound. A three-car garage is planned on the north side yard creating the need to pave most of the area. Grass and not paving is shown in the pool terrace.

 

For privacy in the front yard, a tall free-standing stone wall engaging the building at ground floor leads to a hidden pedestrian entrance in the interior courtyard, which the owner wanted super minimalist with one tree only and gravel or sand cover. Once inside, a vast living area is orchestrated in sequence with the outdoor pool area.

 
 
 

CONCEPT GRADING

The civil engineering plan was not dealing with soil erosion and drainage correctly, but the owners could not graphically visualize their approach because the drawings showed no contours but only numbers and computer calculations. They asked us to explain and then revisit the grading plan, and we did many free-hand revisions before a final scheme was accepted and incorporated into the bid package. Our second concept plan shows revised level changes, drainage, and slopes. We also changed the position and shape of the pool, among other site improvements.

 
 
 
 

THE HA-HA

To incorporate the view of the large golf course lawn that existed below at the lot boundary towards the west, but hide at the same time the golf cart road right below the lot, a “ha-ha” could be achieved instead of building two retaining walls. The backyard could slope gently towards the pool with a collecting stormwater swale, with the lawn at a lower level than the pool terrace and the pool cantilevered above the view as shown in our concept grading plan. This, we felt, was in tune with the modernist idea of “cantilevering” the covered barbecue-area of the building as well.

The ha-ha idea and cantilevered barbecue area got slowly lost in the design process as the owner wanted more lawn and less planting and did not like the cantilevered effect at the pool terrace and building, which allowed the ha-ha concept to work. They wanted to walk immediately on grass lawn with no plants around. In this revised sketch, the steeper change of grade and retaining wall necessary are shown.

 
 
 

PRELIMINARY GARDEN LAYOUT

In green are outlined the areas where the owners wanted only grass lawn. The free-standing tall security stone-clad wall becomes a backdrop to the front yard palms. The north side yard provides the only opportunity for lush plantings in shade, a feature from the large dining room and kitchen windows. For the south side yard that needs screening for the mechanical area and neighbors, a hedge and long trellis are proposed to cut the sun glare on side windows. The backyard is mostly open to connect the property with the distant views. Trees and shrubs will be used to frame the view at each corner of the lot and to stabilize the slopes.

The owners requested only a single specimen tree inside the entry courtyard, with no other plantings. Three flowering trees frame and screen the imposing buildings at the front yard entrance. Four tall Corozo palms at different heights balance and contrast the building mass and screen wall when approaching the house. In the narrow north side yard, the three existing queen palms by the neighbor are complemented by more of the same to create a grove. Two potential places to sit or put a sculpture are created in the backyard. Additional palms add a vertical focus to the pool corner when viewed from the living, kitchen, and barbecue-covered area. The plan proposed changed dramatically during Design Development.

 
 

THE FRONT YARD 

The front yard had no privacy from the massive homes being built so close. The very high security wall, cladd in stone, provided some separation at the ground floor living areas and courtyard but was not tall enough to screen these buildings in the upper bedroom suites.

 

Images of the front yard security wall under construction. We suggested vertical slivers in the design of the wall to provide cross ventilation for the tree to be planted in the courtyard beyond this wall. Tall palms of different heights would be added in front to provide immediate relief both in the front yard and for the picture window on the second floor.

 
 

Ground covers and ornamentals are planted after staking the palms in place. The driveway leading to the garage and temporary parking area is paved with a grass reinforcement system to make the lawn area look larger.

 

THE NORTH SIDE YARD

After removal of the bad soil fill, the area was regraded with a swale that was planted with tall and narrow mast trees for immediate screening of the neighbors. Additional Queen palms were added to the three that existed in a row at the property.

 
 

THE COURTYARD

One single picturesque seagrape tree was planted, as the owners did not want anything else in the entry courtyard. White sand was added as a cover among the large pavers. Illumination at night highlights this tree and the vertical openings in the stone wall in a dramatic way.

 
 

THE BACKYARD

The spectacular Hymenaea courbaril tree just below the property frames the golf course view and partially hides the homes beyond.

 

Boulders were placed to retain the steep slope on either corners of the backyard at the mouth of the south and north stormwater swales that were planted with shrubs and ground covers.