Private House Garden, Hamburg

Waterside bands of blossoms

Konzept

The horizontal articulation of the facade of the historic town house in Hamburg-Harvestehude sets the theme for the redesign of the garden! New strips of hedges and other materials complement and structure the front and rear gardens into a series of bands, creating small spaces to be filled with different floral themes. The motif begins at the street and stretches along the front and rear gardens, from one side of the plot to the other, all the way to the new paved area at the rear, beside the Alsterfleet.

In the rear garden, a generous terrace was created as a base for the architecture. The exterior stair links the small outdoor sitting area of the bel étage to the garden. This yielded an outdoor room, framed by hedges, with views of the garden and ample space for the young family’s long banquet table. Bands of natural stone extend across the lawn, straddling the garden and stretching out as a trail that leads to the boathouse and the paved area along the water. They are supplemented by “green bands”, in the form of hedges, that form chambers where the existing solitary elements have been given new plant companions, and which integrates a children’s play area.

The thickly grown existing stock of mature woody plants was heavily pruned, and previously established qualities were given new positions and thematically enhanced. The motif of bands of various materials ends at a seating area by the water, alongside the “blue band” of the Alster. There is a paved surface for the boathouse, sufficient space to manoeuvre, and an added meadow at water’s edge as a buffer. Here the view is key!