We are proud to announce that Landscape Renovations received a Merit Award for Residential Landscape Installation at the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association's annual Northern Green Expo in January. The project designed by Landscape Architects Coen + Partners   is a comprehensive site redesign for an existing modernist house, built in 1956 by a University of Minnesota Architecture professor. The residence has had few modifications since and is largely faithful to the original architectural vision. The goal of the landscape plan is to create a series of linked site elements that respect and enhance the modernist architecture. Almost all of LRI's construction and planting teams participated in the construction process at some point. Project management was lead by Scott Frampton and assisted by Jim Kosowski, while  site supervisor Mark Sauer handled day to day construction activities. Team members Todd Schumacher, Filberto Tores, Francisco Barajas, and partner Robert Palmer also had significant roles in completing the project.

NOTABLE ASPECTS

This project is a complete redesign of the entire 1.3 acre property to frame the 1950's architecture while providing dynamic, useable exterior space around the home, integrating a pool, and mitigating erosion stemming from a poor cut/fill balance when the home was originally constructed. The landscape architect, in collaboration with the client, conceived, designed, and detailed everything within the landscape. With the exception of the beautiful oak forest, not a piece of the property was left untouched.

CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

Construction for this residential landscape is substantial. It includes the integration of a salt water swimming pool, a salt water spa, multiple areas for dining and lounging, a new entrance for vehicles and guests, addressing privacy concerns, mitigation of the slope in the rear yard to create useable space, integration of plant material which the owner can tend and trim, and most importantly, the development of a contemporary landscape which complements the modernist architecture.

Our company acted as the general contractor on this project, which charged us with responsibility for site supervision, permits, inspections and weekly site meetings. The owner and architect were involved with day to day site improvements and decision making. Many improvements to the original design were made during construction.  

A series of walls mark this project. The concrete walls, two in the front yard and two in the back yard, were poured in place. The walls are board-formed with sanded fir plywood and custom cone ties. As these walls are critically important to the project, multiple on-site mock-ups using different types of plywood, top edge radii, and cone ties, were reviewed. The last wall, a 105-foot long Cor-Ten steel wall, runs along the east edge of the site. The Cor-Ten sheets are fastened to a Cor-Ten structure attached to a concrete wall.

This project could not have been possible without close collaboration with the client. The client regularly challenged design ideas and questioned everything from material selection and cost, to the spacing of plant material and cone ties for the concrete walls. Weekly meetings through the construction were imperative to the outstanding results that were achieved on this award winning installation project.

More pictures of this project

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Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive insect species native to Asia, has killed tens of thousands of ash trees since it was discovered in southeast Michigan in 2002.  In June, an EAB infestation was discovered within the City of St. Paul.  This invasive pest poses a serious threat to Minnesota's forests as there are over 900 million ash trees in the state. EAB can be present in an ash tree for several years before it is detected. Damage is caused when EAB larvae bore through the bark of the tree and create tunnels or 'galleries' in the vascular system of the tree.  This tunneling destroys the nutrient and water movement capacity of the tree, therefore making it unable to feed itself.  Early detection and treatment is critical in the fight against EAB.  There are treatments available to prevent and control EAB damage in both non-infested trees and trees that already are showing signs of EAB damage.

Below, we have outlined some methods to identify an EAB infestation and protect your ash trees from this devastating pest.  Evidence that this pest is present include:

• Dieback in the tree canopy
• New sprouts forming from around the tree base and on the trunk
• Tiny "D" shaped exit holes in the bark of the tree
• Increased woodpecker activity and damage