Zululami

OBJECTIVE : Balancing Ecology, Beauty and Human Needs through contextual design for Zululami - A SUB-TROPICAL LANDSCAPE LANGUAGE 

Our design philosophy was informed by the local ecology, aimed at beauty for the joy of the community.

We concur with Elizabeth Meyer’s statement "Beauty is performance" which challenges the traditional view that beauty in landscapes is merely about appearance.

Instead, she argues that beauty is dynamic, ecological, and experiential, it engages people, responds to environmental conditions, and evolves over time.

Some Key Interpretations of "Beauty is Performance":

1. Beauty Engages the Senses
   • Beautiful landscapes are immersive and interactive, shaping how people feel and experience a space.

2. Beauty Supports Ecological Functions
   • Aesthetic design should enhance, not override, ecological performance.
   • The stormwater gardens, rewilded grasslands & wetlands are both functional and visually striking.

3. Beauty Inspires Stewardship
   • People are more likely to care for landscapes they find beautiful.
   • Visually compelling green spaces encourage conservation and appreciation.

4. Beauty Changes Over Time

• Seasonal landscapes are a common thread in our studio, observing nature.

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT : A residential development on a 140 hectare sugar cane farm, our scope of work extended to all outdoor realms: Roadways, formal parks, informal parks rehabilitation & re-wilding, detail design within & around the communal buildings and facilities and hardscaping.

• All Community buildings were intended to integrate with nature rather than dominate
• Create a quality of life that is inspired by community
• Specie diversity is at the core of the plant palette, with seasonal changes for awareness and beauty
• The 12 hectare valley is the ‘HEART’ of Zululami, being rehabilitated into a diverse ecological zone reflecting the diverse endemic characteristics found in KwaZulu Natal

Our common landscape design values ​​for Zululami were focused on Ecology, Beauty, Community & Sense of Place.

These values ​​matter to us because:

• improved ecologies foster sustainability, biodiversity and improve climate resilience.
• Community based design ensures access, use, care, and an emotional connection.
• Beauty and usability work together to foster stewardship.
• Through meaningful interventions we aim to establish sense of place

This project proposed a duality of design scale both allowing macro and micro design opportunities:

MACRO _ ecological/restoration VALUE

MICRO _ community & beauty VALUE

They situate local ecology and aesthetics together for the purpose of achieving Stewardship, Sustainability, Emotional connection & Sense of place

The macro scale responds to the natural ecology and the large-scale rehabilitation required to rewild from a monocrop of sugar cane back to indigenous coastal grasslands, coastal forests, wetlands, & swamp forests. We also allowed the local ecologies to guide us: 

• allowing local biomes to inform plant aesthetic & species

• Using terrain, hydrology, vegetation patterns as design drivers

• using the existing topography to inform manicured areas

• Beauty in entropy: allow aging, growth, weathering & seasons.

WHY:

• Enhanced Ecosystem Services
• Biodiversity & Habitat Creation
• Water Management & Hydrology
• Resilience & Climate Adaptation
• Fostering connection to nature & thereby promoting well-being

We aimed to make the rewilded ecologies legible through interpretive signage, community harvest gardens, trails, boardwalks, bird hides and outdoor activities

The micro scale allows detail design within and around the community facilities to enhance

• • Ownership
  • belonging,
  • interaction, and
  • well-being
• Creating intimate spaces within and around the built form that are beautiful & engaging for residents
• Using beauty & ecology to anchor a sense of place for the community