• Narrow spaces, wind funneling and winter shade issues: With the tall building taking up a major portion of the erf, re-interpreting our local flora which are adapted to sunny and exposed conditions, for areas that would lose much of the sun in winter required a plant selection that could adapt to such conditions.
• Steep slopes: Embedding steps through planting adds interest and movement to a garden, drawing the residents into and through the landscape.
• Clothing the parapets: Required a palette of shrubs with sprawling growth habits rather than groundcovers.

• Hero Tree Context: Our first order of business was to create context for the hero tree – a beautiful Chinese elm specimen. Although exotic, they are one of the few deciduous trees that in years past were locally available that cope with the Cape’s windy conditions. It was given a terraced area that had only one purpose and that was to celebrate this beautiful tree. The only human use was a pathway past it to better worship its changing faces.
• Wrap-around Access: We designed wrap-around access across the whole site with staircases and pathways. These pathways provide the route to journey through the garden. We kept all stonework as sandstone so that we could retain stone already on site, reducing both labour and consumption of new materials.
• Strategic Planting: Plants were selected specifically for their foliage interest and their ability to cope with the seasonal wind and shade changes where necessary. This required diversion from a strictly indigenous palette, but nonetheless integrates well with local conditions. Plants that are prodigiously floriferous were avoided.

The garden successfully connects the contemporary architecture with the rugged Table Mountain landscape through a cascading design of natural vegetation.

The presence of a cherished hero tree, a Chinese elm, is celebrated with a dedicated terraced area, providing a serene focal point.

The approach minimised the consumption of new materials by retaining and adding to existing sandstone steps and pathways. Plant selection focused on species resilient to wind and shade, reducing the need for constant intervention.

Installation phased around the construction team with filling of roof gardens first while the construction crane was still on site, then moving to the structural items on the natural ground level. Planting completed while building in completion phases.

• Architecture: Gerd Weideman Architects
• Landscape Design & Build: Cara Smith Landscape Design