23̊ Estate Takes Care of Erosion in the Most Beautiful Way Possible

By Land8: Landscape Architects Network on April 23, 2015 No Comments / 10801 views

23̊ Estate, by Shma CO, in Khao Yai, Nakornratchsima, Thailand. It goes without saying that erosion is a great problem for a landscape with both a valley and a steeply sloped area. Erosion has the potential to cause flooding and landslides. But the Shma landscape architecture firm decided to embrace erosion in designing the 23̊ Estate in Khao Yai. They successfully turned this area of potential high erosion into a simply stunning sustainable landscape. 23̊ Estate in Khao Yai is a residential complex developed by Sansiri that consists of condominiums, villas, and a hotel designed to allow people to commune with nature, surrounded by a terrain rich in foliage and lush vegetation that offers a relaxing atmosphere for leisure time. The complex is located two hours’ drive from Bangkok, making it a perfect option for urbanites to escape their stressful routine.

23̊ Estate. Photo courtesy of Shma CO., Ltd.

23̊ Estate in Khao Yai

Erosion that occurred on this site and shaped the landscape itself has become a beautiful feature in the design. First, the water features are pools that penetrate the grassy terrain, with adjacent dunes acting as pool decks. At the lowest level, a large pond was introduced to enhance the atmosphere and also act as a rainwater collection point for the plantations during the dry seasons. Secondly, by emphasizing materials and plant considerations, species were selected to tolerate drought in order to minimize the use of water.

23̊ Estate. Image courtesy of Shma CO., Ltd.

23̊ Estate. Photo courtesy of Shma CO., Ltd.

How This Project Connects With the Wildlife A mix of species blends in with the surroundings while connecting with wildlife. By protecting and conserving the slopes as a main feature in their site, Shma designers have succeed in minimizing the potential erosion and turning this site into an amazing sustainable landscape. This goes along with Shma’s passion to seek simplicity in design strategies and approaches that carefully respond to the landscape and environment.

23̊ Estate. Image courtesy of Shma CO., Ltd.

Wonderful Views Compliment an Awesome Landscape Surrounded by green, rocky mountains, 23̊ Estate offers many wonderful views. Shma did a great job of framing the beautiful natural scenery. Using a building and trees as a frame, and a clever choice of soft-colored and simple hardscape material, they perfectly turned the natural mountain scenery into a focal point. The use of lighting also gives the perfect tone for the dusk and night scenery. See More Articles Featuring Outstanding Design from Shma:

23̊ Estate. Image courtesy of Shma CO., Ltd.

23̊ Estate. Photo courtesy of Shma CO., Ltd.

Ingenious Choice on Materials The domination of gray and white concrete combined with reddish-brown wooden material as a sweet accent perfectly blends with the green of the natural landscape itself, making the whole site look beautifully harmonized. This perfect combination of material selection with the simplicity of nature provides a relaxing atmosphere for everyone’s leisure time. Using Vegetation to Protect Slopes Shma did a good job in preventing erosion by using grass as a ground cover to protect and maintain the slopes from soil loss. The use of ground cover vegetation is an effective way to protect slopes from erosion. It can effectively reduce the intensity of surface run-off reduce the impact of rainfall force toward the ground, and strengthen soil stability by enhancing root development. The good response to this environmental challenge and how the designers dealt with it are the key to making this hilly site a sustainable landscape.

23̊ Estate. Photo courtesy of Shma CO., Ltd.

In conclusion, Shma did a really wonderful job of turning this mountain-surrounded site into a simply amazing yet sustainable landscape. They have fit the design into the existing landscape by protecting the slopes by using ground cover vegetation, choosing the materials and details for their landscape design, and framing all the beautiful views.

23̊ Estate for Thai Landscape Architecture Awards

The whole concept used to develop this potentially high-erosion area into a sustainable leisure spot for a holiday escape really deserved the this year’s General Design – Residential Complex Award from the Thai Landscape Architecture Association.

23̊ Estate. Photo courtesy of Shma CO., Ltd.

Full Project Credits: Project Name: 23⁰Estate Location: Khao Yai, Nakornratchsima, Thailand Designer: Shma Landscape Architect Date of Construction: August 2013 to February 2015 Client: Sansiri Developer Awards: Thai Landscape Architecture Awards 2015 Nominee, General Design – Residential Complex Project Show on Google Maps

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