039_Old-Growth Hammock Garden
039 Garden Hammock
039 Garden Entrace
039 Pool
Project: Old-Growth Hammock Garden
Architecture: Brillhart Architecture
Landscape Design: TROPICA
GC: iBUILD
Landscape Installation: TROPICA
Status: Built
Design: 2025
Build: 2025
Location: Upper East Side, Miami, FL
TEXT: Our office was tasked with designing and building the landscape for this existing home in Miami, FL.
Before construction, the plot was an old-growth hardwood hammock - characteristic of Miami. The architecture formed an open courtyard in the center of the property with only a few trees which were able to be saved.
Our team both designed and built this garden in 20 days to recreate the previous hammock landscape on the plot.
Our team visited 15 nurseries to find the correct tall and slender trees that would mimic the exact lanky growth pattern of trees within a typical natural hammock. These trees compete for light and therefore grow vertically, rather than spreading branches horizontally.
Under these seemingly ancient trees, which were selected specifically for their reddish bark (to mirror the shutter colors), young saplings were installed along the ground plane. This duality of both old and new growth is typical of these forest conditions, where young seedlings sprout at the bases of each tree.
20 species of trees are represented within the courtyard and will flower and produce berries at different times throughout the year.
Also within the courtyard are 12 massive oolite boulders, quarried near the site, to act as both sculptures and benches. On some of these boulders, trees grow directly on the stone as they would in nature.
The house is lifted from the earth and the garden responds to this gesture: elements of the landscape design move straight through the home. The shapes of the planting beds continue through glass bridges and appear on both sides of the courtyard.
A pool in the back yard is created in dark material to appear as a hole within the ground - similar to the sinkholes and springs found in Florida. An extensive variety of native screening plants characterize the property lines and provide privacy for the home.
Images:
Project: Old-Growth Hammock Garden
Architecture: Brillhart Architecture
Landscape Design: TROPICA
GC: iBUILD
Landscape Installation: TROPICA
Status: Built
Design: 2025
Build: 2025
Location: Upper East Side, Miami, FL
TEXT: Our office was tasked with designing and building the landscape for this existing home in Miami, FL.
Before construction, the plot was an old-growth hardwood hammock - characteristic of Miami. The architecture formed an open courtyard in the center of the property with only a few trees which were able to be saved.
Our team both designed and built this garden in 20 days to recreate the previous hammock landscape on the plot.
Our team visited 15 nurseries to find the correct tall and slender trees that would mimic the exact lanky growth pattern of trees within a typical natural hammock. These trees compete for light and therefore grow vertically, rather than spreading branches horizontally.
Under these seemingly ancient trees, which were selected specifically for their reddish bark (to mirror the shutter colors), young saplings were installed along the ground plane. This duality of both old and new growth is typical of these forest conditions, where young seedlings sprout at the bases of each tree.
20 species of trees are represented within the courtyard and will flower and produce berries at different times throughout the year.
Also within the courtyard are 12 massive oolite boulders, quarried near the site, to act as both sculptures and benches. On some of these boulders, trees grow directly on the stone as they would in nature.
The house is lifted from the earth and the garden responds to this gesture: elements of the landscape design move straight through the home. The shapes of the planting beds continue through glass bridges and appear on both sides of the courtyard.
A pool in the back yard is created in dark material to appear as a hole within the ground - similar to the sinkholes and springs found in Florida. An extensive variety of native screening plants characterize the property lines and provide privacy for the home.
Images:
039 Central Garden
039 Central Garden
039 Central Garden
039 Garden Bridge
039 Garden Bridge
039 Central Garden
Process:
039 Boulder Installation
039 Boulder Installation
039 Garden Installation
039 Boulder Installation
039 Boulder Installation
039 Garden Installation