DUNESCAPE

HOLLAND, mICHIGAN

Dunescape is an evolving residential landscape located on the tertiary forested dunes overlooking lake Michigan, south of Lake Macatawa. The building and site were subject to the Michigan Dune preservation legislation, thus both site development and landscape development had considerable restrictions that lead to interesting innovations in the landscape. 

The first phase of the project was to establish a nursery-like condition where plant material could be established within the landscape. The plant palette consisted of 100% native plants, thus many of the plants needed extended establishment timelines. As the plants matured, they were moved into their permanent location in the landscape. 

The project includes green infrastructure elements integrated into the landscape which then become formal elements, such as the sedum and juniper infiltration basin. As it moves away from the building, existing plant materials are maintained to allow for views and to diversify the plant palette, with the goal of preventing erosion of the site and the slopes next to the building.  Along the road, a hybrid landscape was created. Both prairie and buffer dune allow for the building to nest into the landscape, creating privacy while hosting a fuctional ecology for plant and animals and stabilizing the dune over time.