Residential Landscape Project at Malwana, Sri Lanka
To create a secure, culturally rich residential sanctuary that actively mitigates the challenge of seasonal flooding, blending Sri Lankan tropical modernity with the functional elegance of Korean landscape philosophy.
Front Yard & Entry Landscape
The Front Yard was meticulously designed to deliver a powerful first impression that seamlessly integrates social functionality and private relaxation for the client. The aesthetic relies on strong, contemporary contrasts, featuring a minimalist white boundary wall and dark-toned metal gate for security and curb appeal. Crucially, this area is zoned to address the client's high-pressure work life: an intimate egg-chair swing is placed to offer a private sanctuary for personal relaxation, while the adjacent gathering tables and chairs create a dedicated, inviting space for socializing with friends. Large, strategically placed tropical trees frame the contemporary architecture, making the home visually prominent yet softly integrated into the surrounding Malwana landscape.
East Side Garden
The East Side Garden serves as the project's intimate cultural retreat, successfully fusing modern tropical surroundings with the client's request for Korean-inspired landscape features. This tranquil space is zoned for quiet contemplation and transition. A subtle yet impactful Zen philosophy is incorporated through a dry landscape (karesansui), where meticulously placed, large sculpted rocks and neat bamboo evoke a sense of meditative calm and spatial minimalism. The design ensures a flowing transition, with timber decking and stone-clad walls leading the user through this serene space. Enclosed by high walls, the East Side Garden prioritizes absolute privacy, transforming a constrained area into an accessible sanctuary of peace.
Back Yard
The Back Yard was strategically designed to optimize pedestrian flow, accessibility, and visual dynamism across the property. As a key connective tissue within the garden, the design primarily focuses on enhancing the walkability for users, linking the various distinct spaces created in the East and West Side gardens. Scapes By Terra utilized level changes within the Back Yard to break visual monotony, turning necessary site transitions into engaging design features. Furthermore, the installation of permeable and natural paving throughout this circulation area ensures superior water drainage, maintaining secure and comfortable accessibility even during periods of heavy rain, which is essential for managing the site's flood-prone environment.
West Side Garden
The West Side Garden is a demonstration of low-profile, high-impact landscape engineering. Its function is purely critical: to deliver a secure, elevated secondary entrance and utility access point that remains fully operational even when the surrounding flood plain is inundated. This solution features a raised pathway, where steps and a wooden plank walkway lift the surface above the surrounding grade. The surrounding hardscaping, which incorporates the same permeable and natural paving, further enhances the site's ability to shed water efficiently. Even in this high-utility zone, the design maintains aesthetic discipline, using durable stone cladding and a subtle contemplative arrangement of rocks and sculpted shrubs, proving that critical resilience can be achieved with profound elegance.
Development Phases
Site Analysis
Comprehensive site assessment including flood risk evaluation
Design Development
Conceptual design and client collaboration
Documentation
Detailed construction drawings and specifications
Construction
Full landscape implementation and installation