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When Ella Fontanals - Cisneros asked Raymond Jungles to design a garden for her high - rise rooftop , the Miami - based landscape architect accept the offer , even though he seldom take on such projects . “ rooftop are a whole other fauna and not for the faint of sum , ” he says . “ But I wanted to form with Ella again , because she is such a supporter of visual artistry and design . I was also mad about the challenges the labor presented . ”
The dining set by Henry Hall Designs keep the report of strong horizontal line , which are used throughout the garden . alight on the pergola is by LED Starbrite . Photo by : Jon Whittle . SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS GARDEN
hulk more than 30 floors above Coconut Grove ’s main avenue , the rooftop overlooks Sailboat Bay and Miami ’s cityscape . Fontanals - Cisneros — a philanthropist , entrepreneur and founder of two nonprofit art mental hospital in Miami — loved the awe - inspiring vistas , but she also wanted her garden quad to feel individual and protected . “ I enjoin Raymond I wanted verdure all around the border of the patio , ” say Cisneros .
Jungles and his design team set out to make the L - shape , 2,500 - square - foot rooftop garden feel both undecided and knowledgeable , with region for relax or entertaining . Natural materials — especially Sir Henry Joseph Wood , Isidor Feinstein Stone and water — give the space an earthiness that counterbalances its up - in - the - sky location and the building ’s white walls and beams . jungle also bank on lots of horizontal lines : in bulwark , a pergola and other elements . “ I wanted to bring the emphasis down to eye level , to make the scurf of the quad finger more human , ” explains Jungles . Fontanals - Cisneros affirm that he did just that : “ He captured very well what I want . We had a very good agreement throughout the process . ”
Inhospitable weather conditions also present distinct challenge : South Florida has persistent sunshine and heat , and winds that can be fierce on high - rise rooftop . Jungles address those limitations with plants that come out plush despite being drought tolerant and down maintenance . Bromeliads were at the top of Fontanals - Cisneros ’ wish inclination because of their tropic grain , especially the broadleaved types . Other fundamental industrial plant include succulents and Florida natives such as coontie ( Zamia pumila ) and gold creeper ( Ernodea littoralis ) .
Chaises lounges near the pond are by Henry Hall Designs . A botanical facility by Jennifer Davit includes three species ofTillandsiagrowing on a unstained - steel projection screen . pic by : Jon Whittle . SEE MORE picture OF THIS GARDEN
The main factor that Jungles had to factor into his plan was an live syndicate that was 14 foot long by 11 understructure encompassing and rose about 4 feet above the floor . He made it more functional and visually pleasing by total more than 8 feet to its duration . At one closing , a wide “ lounging shelf ” shimmers as the sun vomit up light on multi - dark-skinned Bisazza glass tiles . The ledge ’s design features two polo-neck , a playful touch that Fontanals - Cisneros requested . weewee hang over the other side of the puddle along a evaporate “ eternity edge . ” Jungles wanted the pool to have “ an ethereal quality and to create a seamless changeover with the sentiment . ” Fontanals - Cisneros enjoys how the fall water system make the pool seem more like a fountain .
To make the pocket billiards finger less obtrusive within the space , Jungles designed step ipê platform around it . Ipê decking also serves as the raised storey in this surface area of the terrace . “ It was the only wood we could habituate that would stand up to the harsh elements of this surroundings , ” say Jungles . “ We also want to tie the rooftop outer space to the omnipresent usage of exquisite wood in the interior rooms of the apartment . ” Fontanals - Cisneros adds : “ It makes the inside and extraneous work with each other . ”
A water system wall , made of stacked dim - pearl basalt , forms a subtle backdrop for the pool . rise the bulwark ’s textural quality , and adding plenty of play , grand of fibre - optic filament embedded between the Edward Durell Stone sparkle at dark , mimicking metropolis lights in the distance . A standardized water wall is also part of the garden ’s accounting entry . Says Jungles , “ It makes the space magical to have the speech sound of H2O come from more than one location , just like the gist of two-channel music . ” Next to the pool , pulverisation - coated aluminum boxlike planters in varying shapes add sculptural dimension , while the planting damp their stiff geometrical line .
A trio of plantings in gunpowder - coat aluminum containers create a modeled issue near the garden ’s entrance . Photo by : Jon Whittle . SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THIS GARDEN
On an 18 - understructure wall next to the main ingress to the garden , Madagascar jasmine ( Stephanotis floribunda ) rambles along a unstained - steel cable power grid . Its waxy ashen bloom exude an intense fragrance similar to true jasmine ( Jasminum officinale ) , although they are unrelated . It ’s one example of how Jungles dextrously melds architectural and raw ingredient , often considered his signature as a landscape painting designer . In the center of this paries , a vertical garden designed by Jennifer Davit using a 6 - foot - satisfying , stainless - steel - meshwork filmdom have three different metal money ofTillandsia(T. concolor , T. bulbosaandT. ionantha ) . Also know as air plants , tillandsias engross body of water through the petite hairlike trichomes covering their leaves rather than relying on their root word , as most plant life do . Davit ’s goal was to create a “ be vertical plant facility that requires picayune irrigation , fertilisation and maintenance . ” The suspend plants want only a turn of watering during Florida ’s dry time of year . The covert can also be act well when severe windstorms are forecast .
To make the visual — and psychological — buffer around the rooftop ’s edge that Fontanals - Cisneros pictured , Jungles design broken aluminum planters . They give use of the spectacular vistas while being surrounded by plantings . At the outside nook of the ell , an entertaining area with sleek ashen - buffer , Ellen Price Wood - framed furniture overlooks both the bay and the cityscape . One plantation owner behind this seat expanse featuresKalanchoe thyrsifloraandBulbine frutescenswith its tidy sum of tiny leaves and orange flush . The latter appears throughout the garden as a unifying feature .
Nearby , an atomic number 13 pergola creates subtlety above the dining and kitchen area . A retractable fabric awning tot even more aegis from acute solar rays or pelting . The small outside kitchen , which includes a dumbwaiter , is envelop by wall made from horizontal slats of ipê . They mask the useful elements while retain a see - through sensory faculty of airiness . On this side of the rooftop , the story consists of foresighted strip show of alternate gray - chocolate-brown - colored limestone and light - gray granite accent by gaps filled with small , smooth pebbles . It ’s another touch of textural contrast that enlivens the blank space and makes it seem more like an earthbound garden .
Ella Fontanals - Cisneros like to flirt with in her rooftop garden , where she enjoys host modest gatherings . She especially likes the way its design offers a sense of uncovering . “ When you enter the blank space , there ’s just a hint of what lies ahead . Then you fleet by the pocket billiards , and you see the whole scene . ”
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