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The
Durant Office Center: Commercial Design/Build
Located
in north Raleigh, North Carolina, the Durant Office Center consists
of offices for professional services. The owner wanted a customized
landscape design that would offer exceptional visual interest
while satisfying the City s planting requirements. Included
in the design/build is a complete irrigation system to ensure
the lawn and plantings are provided for during Raliegh s
hot summer months.
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(click
on any photo for a larger view)
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The
Plan
The original
builder s plan for the landscape did not achieve the owner s
creative vision for the property. The drawing of the Durant
Road office complex shows the placement of willow oaks, which
would have dwarfed and hidden the offices from view. We negotiated
with the city to substitute styrax for the oak trees because
they are on a more human scale. |
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A
concept sketch of the property establishes the feel for
the professional building landscape. The goal is a dance between
purpose and beauty. |
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A
sketch of the office building sign by designer Paul Martin
shows the proposed placement of foliage. The owners requested
an eye-catching arrangement of bright colors and low height. |
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The
signage bed was integrated with the overall natural areas,
typically planted in colorful tropicals for the summer season.
With Raleigh s mild winters, cannas, mums and elephant ears
are repeat performers year to year. Sweet potato provides a vibrant
field of color at very low cost. |
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Seasonal
color greets customers first thing as they enter the
drive. Here coleus backdrop the purple variety of sweet potato.
The Koi pond lies just behind. |
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Sweeping
vistas were integral to the design. Here Crape Myrtles
add color in the foreground while the well manicured wax myrtle
and Nellie R Stevens hedges screen the kennel facilities. |
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Trees are
consolidated into sweeping natural areas, with underplantings
of Geroge Tabor azaleas and abelia. The wax myrtle hedge to the
left screens the parking lot from the street view. |
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Graduated
planting softens the shock of architecture against flat ground:
Crape myrtles line the sides of the building s front and
barberries echo the rose of brick walls. Seasonal colors crown
the corners of natural areas, and suddenly the walkways are
enlivened. |
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The texture
and strong color of blue rug juxtapose the brick and barberry,
providing a feast for the senses. Six Styrax trees are an unusual
addition that maintains a smaller scale and provides spring color. |
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Evergreens
provide year-round color as the seasons change. A sequence of
lush beds now greets customers and employees, making the Durant
professional building a more enjoyable place to visit and work.
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A flourishing
Natchez crape myrtle and Saybrook gold juniper form an undulating
peninsula reaching out into the parking lot. Tradescantia adds
a splash of purple in the foreground. |
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Would you
believe it s one plant? The lantana in the background is
quite happy. In the winter months, the Carissa holly anchors the
beds. |
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The koi pond
is the most rewarding (space) in the Durant office complex. A
luxuriant hideaway, this sensual water feature is enjoyed by owners
and visitors alike. |
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Water lilly
blooms stretch above the lilly pads. Along with elephant ears,
they add that tropical flare to this ecosystem oasis, just feet
away from bustling civilization. |
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Koi provide
an essential component of the pond s ecological balance,
as well as entertainment for youngsters and other passersby. |
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