Botaniko

One of the strategies of smart growth and sustainable communities is to promote infill development, Botaniko adopts and embraces this concept. Botaniko is located in the City of Weston, Florida. It is a 50-hectare master planned residential development with 125 modern home sites.

Site Context: Botaniko is an infill site located near the edge of the Everglades National Park, a world heritage site with an ecosystem dominated by water & wetlands. Since 1900 the everglades has been under tremendous pressure from development and according to the United States Geological Survey it lost 50 percent of the original wetlands as a result.

Design Intent: The guiding idea was simple, if we want to reduce the pressure on the Everglades we have to re-evaluate current development within the urban area and redevelop existing under-utilized spaces in a resilient way. Influenced by proximity to everglades, the landscape architect recognized the importance of water and decided to make it a key design feature, maximizing water views for the future residents.

Environmental Sensitivity & Sustainability: A Site Assessment Report using soil sampling found that years of intensive use of pesticide and fertilizer resulted with arsenic contamination. A Remedial Action Plan was devised to excavate and dispose of the arsenic-impacted soils and provide clean fill. The design team specified the removal of all invasive plant species and the protection and preservation of existing native trees.

In this project the landscape architect distilled the essence of the surrounding environment and used it as a guide. What emerged from this investigation was a resilient community featuring the importance of water and strong relationship between modern architecture and open space.