This award-winning dunescape in Long Island is eco-friendly, renewable and a great reminder that we are partners with nature. This Dirtworks, PC Landscape Architecture project took home the Residential Design Award of Honor from the ASLA, for this innovative and captivating sand dune oasis, which reminds us of the fragile ecosystems on our planet.
“The sustainability of this project is quite impressive and the landscape architect is to be commended. The materials and plants are modest, yet powerful in their simple gestures. The wood going into grasses provides useful interplay. The deck is innovative and appears to be dropped into a moving landscape.” – 2008 Professional Awards Jury.
An oasis was created in the middle of this sand and rock haven. The beach house is enclosed with numerous private, outdoor living spaces designed for a minimum impact on the surrounding sand dunes. Cedar, a wood that endures without splintering and does not need any treatment, is both durable and eco-friendly, ensuring that no chemicals will leach through the wood, since it is pure. The Cedar is smoothed for the most comfortable surface for little and big toes alike, to walk along the mazes around the house. Lounge chairs are placed amongst the long grasses to provide a quiet and peaceful place to read or catch some rays of sun. A sitting area providing a table and chairs is the perfect spot to catch up with old friends or play a round of cards, while adding a splash of colour with deep blue seating pillows. Because of the native plants surrounding the beach house and decks, minimal care is needed, and it adds to the natural oasis feeling of the dunescape.
