Paul Sangha Landscape Architecture, a Vancouver-based firm, was approached to develop a garden for a contemporary home designed by Chris Doray. The 66’ x 168’ view property sat nestled into Vancouver’s coastline and looked on to the North Shore Mountains and the city. Developed through close collaboration between architect & landscape architect, the garden serves to stitch home and landscape, allowing the two to flow seamlessly together. Adding a layering of complexity and refinement, sculptures weave their way through the garden to enhance and unify spaces.
Sangha and his team, working closely alongside with Doray, developed a garden concept rooted in strong geometry and subtle contrasts. The arc became a unifying element, which contrasted the rectilinear geometry of the home while creating a sense of movement throughout the property. As the design progressed, the site began to define itself. The arc stitched together the coach house at the northern end of the property and extended to define the pool’s boundaries, positioning itself in such a way as to maximize the entertaining space in the backyard. The arc also carried through to the property’s entrance at the southern end of the property and became the plinth for Critical Mass.
Located on the non-view side of the property, the arc was designed with the intention of creating a moment or feeling, rather than with a specific artist in mind. The firm worked with Vancouver artist David Robinson on the conceptualization, and Robinson brought forth several ideas of what could be on the arc. The selected design was named Critical Mass. Mounted on a basalt base, the final bronze sculpture would stand within a 30’ x 10’ x 16” arc of 43 corten steel fins.
Sangha worked closely with Robinson who developed numerous sketches of the sculpture and ultimately a maquette of the final choice. The maquette allowed the team to visualize the concept on a smaller scale, sculpting and shaping it before it was fabricated. A full-scale Styrofoam figure and fins were laid out on site to determine the best angle to space and collapse each and to establish weight, in order to maintain views of the planted backdrop. The center of the arc and figure were carefully aligned so the windows within the home framed the exterior sculpture, creating a visual extension of interior spaces into the garden. Initially level with the ground, the base and its fins were elevated two feet up to create the ideal elevation relative to the rest of the garden and the floor plates of the home. The process also integrated full size clay development where Robinson meticulously shaped the figure’s limbs, etching each protruding muscle in such a way as to express the figure’s struggle to push between the collapsing corten fins.
Water played an integral role in the design of Critical Mass and surrounding garden, acting as the weaving element between garden, sculpture, sky and back to the home. The home sits as if floating on a fine layer of water, which extends to the base of the sculpture. Partially submerged stepping stones line the arc, allowing you to walk along and experience unique views of the piece. Sangha and his team developed a carefully selected planting scheme to compliment the curves and colours of the sculpture. The perforated views between the fins give way to a brilliant backdrop of Acer griseums, which reflect the burnt orange hues of corten steel.
This unique garden shines as an example of Sangha’s belief in a multi-disciplinary approach to design. The collaboration seen throughout the development of the garden brought forth a scheme rich in perspectives and interpretations. Today, the completed sculpture stands as a unifying element and anchor to the property, creating harmony, fluidity, and spirituality among the art, home and its garden.
Artist’s Statement
My own conception of and affinity for this work is the way it troubles two polarized aesthetic orthodoxies; namely those of abstract minimalism and
