Design Notebook: July 1998

The beautiful new residence sits on peaceful Poipu Beach in Kauai. The residence plays host to a garden designed to aid a wheelchair- bound young man, Douglas.

DESIGN CHALLENGES. The challenge was to create a garden environment that Douglas could participate in and not be left out of any area. The goal was for Douglas to be able to smell the flowers and travel about the garden, experiencing a connection with nature by touching a flower or shaking a rosemary bush, to stimulate the senses.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS. The walkways were designed to hug the perimeters of the building and allow Douglas the freedom to travel about the garden without restrictions. The sidewalks move both pedestrian and wheelchair traffic. The changes in elevation were ramped to slope at no more than five degrees inclination and meet the ratio of no more than 1-inch fall in 12. The perimeter of the property is surrounded by a moss rock wall made from the native lava stone.

Because of a paving restriction that no more than 50 percent of the property can be covered by inert material, a grass paving system was installed in the lawn areas that keep the tires of Douglas’s wheelchair from bogging down in the grass. Two patios and one grass ramp were designed with a grass paving system to where Douglas could participate and have a front row seat to watch sunsets and do some Humpbacked Whale watching.

Because the state is an island, extensive and creative re-use of materials such as green-waste, telephone poles, and asphalt must be taken into consideration for every project. The costly and lengthy shipping time to bring things in from the mainland caused us to look for ways to recycle out of necessity.

To add further interest to the landscape an iron art sculpture was placed on the front lawn. The sculpture was made from metal tongs that were once attached to the front end of a bulldozer used to push sugar cane through the fields at harvest time. The sculpture was named Whale’s Tail.

The shower and foot wash support does double duty as interesting metal art and acts as the brace that supports the plumbing. It was once a sugar can crusher that was salvaged from a now defunct mill in Koloa, Hawaii.

On the ocean side of the landscape, wind-and salt-tolerant plants had to be chosen for the garden. Seashore paspalu was the grass selected for the lawn. Ixoras (Nora Casri), Song of Indias (Dracaena refleka varigata) and Lady Slippers (Pedilanths tithyon) hold up well in the windy, salty environment. Red pentas survive the salt and produce blooms 365 days a year. Triangle Palms (Neodypsis Decaryi) frame the view of the sea and add a special scene of pleasure to Douglas’s now heighted feel for balance and symmetry. The Knoa storms don’t bother the Cardboard Palms (Zamia furfurcea) that accent the seaside entrance to the property.

Color and texture were also an important element to bring to the garden along with sound and fragrance. We added night blooming Jasmine (Cestrum Nectarnm) for fragrance and the ocean supplied the sound.

In the more protected areas of the garden Green and Yellow Shell Ginger (Alpinia Zerumbet Varigata) add a touch of class to the garden as well as being used in floral arrangements. Crotons (Cordiacum Variegatum) and Red Gingers (Alpinia Purpurata) add color to the yard.