Westcott House Garden and Teahouse

In the context of Frank Loyd Wright’s Westcott House and a proposed future visitors center designed by Peter, Bohlin we were asked to design an accompanying garden with an integrated performance space and tea house. The challenge was to craft a space of ceremony by pulling from the context of the site and architectural relevance. Designed around the extended axis of the existing house, retaining walls pull and slide past one another. The landscape combined with plant vegetation choice creates a contrast between private and public spaces. The primary public space is designed to welcome those starting their tours of the historic house while drawing inspiration from both the pulling forms of the landscape and the existing veranda at the front of the house. The Tea House at the bottom of the site sits as a quite place for intimate gatherings, positioned against the water retention system and taller vegetation growth.