Cool Courtyard in the City

Oxford Oasis

Brief

A professional couple in their early thirties looking to extend their living space into the outdoors. This compact courtyard in the centre of Oxford needed to be low maintenance but high calibre.

The plot measured just 6 x 8.5m long and posed a number of challenges, not least the lack of side access! All excavated materials had to be carefully barrowed through the house before all the new hard and soft landscaping could make the reverse trip.

As well as the redesign of the courtyard, the clients wished to extend a first-floor balcony across the width of the house with spiral staircase down to the ground level. We were able to visualise this feature in 3D and conclude the best position for the steps. This proved pivotal in determining the overall layout and flow of the scheme.

The budget for construction was £25,000.

Bubble Planning
© copyright Joel Davey Garden Design Ltd. 2020
These functional diagrams distil the essence of the design into a framework for the final design
Sketch Plan
© copyright Joel Davey Garden Design Ltd. 2020
Here the Sketch Plan (left) is accompanied by three Perspective Renders.
Moodboard
© moodboard copyright Joel Davey Garden Design Ltd. 2020. Images not my own.
The setting called for a limited palette of materials: sawn-edge York stone and slim anthracite granite setts for paving, Bronze and painted timber.
Plants selected for evergreen foliage and architectural qualities.

Visualisations

Sculptural Simplicity
© copyright Joel Davey Garden Design Ltd. 2020
The view from the covered dining area, situated beneath the bedroom balcony.
© copyright Joel Davey Garden Design Ltd. 2020
A sculptural arbor frames the evening terrace and screens from the neighbours.
A right-angled rill gently laps while a border of black bamboo quells the sounds of the city,
The clients enjoy the shadow play of the timber beams and tree ferns in the twilight hours.
© copyright Joel Davey Garden Design Ltd. 2020
In this scheme, the owners were keen to include some original artwork so we designed a concrete sculpture for consideration.
Planting Detail
© copyright Joel Davey Garden Design Ltd. 2020
A limited soft landscaping palette of Stipa tenuissima, Phyllostachys nigra, Dicksonia antarctica and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ provide year round architectural form and a lush green oasis from hectic city travails.