Prospect House: The Value of Green
- Award Year: 2021
- Award Category: Residential Design
- Award Designation: Merit Award
- Client: Good Property
- Location: Aspen, CO
Located at 8,500’, the landscape architecture of Prospect House draws inspiration from the surrounding mountain environment, incorporating indigenous plant communities from the native ecosystem to serve as the foundation for its design.
From the street, guests meander through a meadow of native grasses, punctuated by a veil of quaking aspens and pines purposely located to filter views from oncoming traffic.
Prompted by a strong environmental ethos, the developer requested a series of outdoor living spaces that engage every room with the surrounding environment. Promoting healthy habits and lifestyles through nature became the marketing directive for the project.
The home—a simple L-shaped, contemporary wood structure— rests on a naturally-formed topographic bench. Organized around the view, all rooms open on to a foreground terrace and mountain panorama.
The design incorporates a modern interpretation of a classic ha-ha, which acts as a vertical boundary for migrating wildlife. The intervention also leaves the larger hillside preserved and intact – a benefit to the neighboring community.
Along the terrace edge, the landscape architect avoided the need for a guardrail by designing the terrace within 30” of adjacent grade to meet code. A massing of dwarf sumac provides an informal foreground boundary to the gathering space.
The terrace integrates primary gathering functions including a dining table, sitting lounge, and small spa. Strategic suppression of the terrace 18” below the home’s finished floor elevation allows for unimpeded views to the valley floor from inside the home.
The guest bedroom terraces successfully integrate the property’s existing specimen pine tree to create a comfortable respite. In lieu of bluegrass, a native meadow effectively reduces irrigation by 40% and overall maintenance regime in line with seasonal—not weekly—needs.
The .73-acre site falls within a distinct ecosystem characterized by aspen and Ponderosa pine, interspersed with native meadows. Near the breakfast terrace, a vegetated swale captures and infiltrates runoff prior to reaching the slope, significantly reducing erosion risk.
Choosing simplicity over complexity, the garden is built of modest materials and organized in simple geometric forms. Organically-derived design elements purposely blur property boundaries, strengthening the notion of living in the great outdoors.
Distinguished by its contextual setting, the home sold for a record price eight months prior to completion. The project illustrates the interdependence of progressive design and fiscal return on investment.
Collectively, the garden’s design communicates the benefits of a designed natural landscape, both as a contribution to its surrounding neighborhood, and as a salable commodity in a competitive real estate marketplace.