"The team of PDC is excellent in planning complex gardens for medium-sized accommodations. We are grateful for their advice and close supervision of our gardening team. The specialization in the use of native plants - specially for medicinal and fruit - has a very positive effect - the garden is flourishing and the highlight of the resort. I am very satisfied with the work of PDC."
Ingo Lies - Owner
Sketching & Concept Design
One of the challenges we faced at Aqua Beach Lodge is how to improve the fertility of sandy soil. The whole resort was situated on pure sandy soil with a thick existing stand of coconut palms and the indigenous Pandanus kirkii and Scaevola. That created a serious problem, because poor sandy soil does not hold nutrients and can not be productive in the long-term. Continuous addition of organic fertilizers are going to leech out of the soil very fast. To tackle this problem, early on in the project, many plants were cut down to allow for construction. We used this time to produce compost by digging a pit and filling it up with shredded palm leaves and other organic matter generated on site. This decomposed quickly after the first rain and became one of our soil amendments together with locally sourced cardboard boxes used to packaged all the furnitures at the resort, seaweeds harvested on the beach and sugarcane fibers to produce a fertile medium to create the lush landscape we were aiming for.
Implementation
We created different zones based on the proximity to the sea. Hardy indigenous plants with sprinkling of colorful bougainvilleas afforded a tropical feel to the seafront villas as well as provided a security by building rounded coral stone walls in front of the beach. This also helps in stopping erosion. The next row, where it is more protected from the harsh winds and salty air, it was planted to medicinals and aromatics. As we moved towards the back, the landscaping became more dense and was dedicated to fruit trees. This would insure that the lodge will have a good supply of fruits, herbs, medicinal plants for their guests as well as provide them with thermal comfort under the dominant canopies. In a matter of 1.5 years, the almost bare soils of Aqua Resort was turned into a lush tropical habitat by using mainly permaculture tools in building the soil.
Updates from the grounds - what an amazing growth!
Maintenance
The lush vegetation is maintained by constant "chop and drop" method whereby garden waste is put back immediately in the landscaping. This provides mulch to reduce evapotranspiration as well as increase of fertility of the sandy soil. Careful pruning of the trees and shrubs are regularly done.
Tadao Ando - Architect & Environmentalist
"We borrow from nature the space upon which we build."
