Garden of Silence
LOCATION
Sandanski
AREA
980 кв.м.
YEAR
2022
The landscape concept responds to the geometry of the house while seeking internal balance through elements inspired by Eastern garden philosophy. The space is developed not merely as a front yard, but as a sequence of outdoor rooms for privacy, shaped by shifting levels, terrain modeling, and the structural presence of wood.
The defining narrative is the pursuit of stillness – from the minimalist patio at the core of the building to the hidden areas along the periphery, where landforms and architectural wooden screens isolate the individual from the outside world.
01
Design Concept
The layout is divided into zones with distinct emotional qualities, directly connected to the interior. The first core is the enclosed internal patio. It is developed as an interpretation of a Japanese garden, centered around a small modeled earth mound, combined with stones and precise greenery – a living canvas visible directly from the living areas.
The second zone encompasses the active southern yard featuring the pool and wooden decking, designed for social life. The transition culminates at the covered pergola, which serves as a bridge to the quietest part of the property.
02
Spatial Structure
The choreography of movement shifts from structural rigidity to absolute privacy. The entrance area handles the slope with restraint, guiding the flow alongside the house.
The linear pathways stop at the pool, where the logic of the yard alters. A massive landform (geoplastic) is constructed at the lowest part of the property. This sculpted green mound serves a functional purpose – it physically and visually separates the active yard from a meditation zone hidden at the back. Behind the ridge, the space closes into a private nook with a solid stone bench, natural boulders, and an intimate atmosphere defined by the rhythm of vertical wooden elements.
03
Design Approach
The project relies on scale, tectonics, and architectural wooden details. The warm timber decking platforms by the pool appear detached from the ground, softening the transition to the building, while in the meditation zone, the wood changes both its direction and function.
An architectural screen of vertical timber slats along the fence contour filters the setting sun, creating a dynamic play of light and shadow across the terrain. The role of a sculptural accent here is assigned to a Japanese maple. Its distinctive canopy, positioned in the background behind the landform, catches the eye from the inside out and marks the seasonal shift within the garden.
04
Plantings
The dendrological composition is divided into a structural framework and conceptual accents. The outer perimeter is secured with dense evergreen masses for year-round insulation and wind protection.
In the inner yard, the focus shifts to softening the architectural forms. Large masses of airy ornamental grasses and low shrubs are utilized around the pool. In the peripheral spaces – at the center of the patio and within the hidden nook behind the mound – the planting character becomes more specific and delicate, supporting the Japanese aesthetic through a combination of evergreen silhouettes, flowering shrubs, and low grasses spilling around the stones.
05
Materials
The materials maintain a graphic, clean character, relying on a direct contrast between the raw and the warm. A combination of large-format concrete and stone slabs is used for the stepping pathways in the lawn, leading toward the relaxation nook and ensuring a fluid sense of movement.
The vertical timber elements of the screen find their horizontal balance in the decking and the details of the bench. The transition between solid paving and the modeled terrain is softened by clean sections of green lawn and river stones, emphasizing the modern character of the environment.
The project balances modern functionality with an Eastern sense of contemplation.