Andrew Trotter Landscape Designs

  • Home
  • Gallery
  • Services
  • Andrew
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Gallery
  • Services
  • Andrew
  • Blog
  • Contact

projects - news - insights

Rushani's Cafe Lyttelton 

13/1/2017

0 Comments

 
In May 2016 I was engaged by well known Lyttelton locals Rushani and Jonny Bowman to assist in the development of their outdoor cafe - 'Rushani's'. This was a project they had been chipping away at for many months. They had already purchased a mobile cafe trailer and had secured an excellent site on the main drag of Lyttelton but were not quite sure how to go about putting it all together on site.

Like so many of the empty lots around Christchurch, the weedy wilderness had taken hold and it was looking somewhat derelict (as you can see from the picture). 

The design brief basically read as follows:

-  locate and orient the mobile cafe/trailer 
-  express the core values of Rushani & Jonny 
-  allow for comfortable seating and ease of flow from the street 
-  a simple design that is easy to construct and budget conscious 
-  look at the feasibility of housing chickens on site 
-  retain an area at the rear of the property for parking 
-  design appropriate fencing or screens to define the site 
-  incorporate areas for lush planting both edible & aesthetic.

From our first site meeting, it was immediately obvious, with the property's prominent position and sunny aspect, that there was fantastic potential to create the green and inviting space they needed. I could definitely see why they were so excited about this location! 

I realised very quickly, with the sunken nature of the site, that a well designed timber decking would lie at the heart of the solution. The main benefits of a large deck were twofold. Firstly, it would allow us to hide the trailers chassis and bring the cafe's floor flush with the surrounding area. No unnecessary steps! Secondly, it would help us to avoid bringing in copious amounts of hard-fill which would likely be costly and require resource consent. Getting the levels right would be critical to the success of this concept and having a decking made this significantly easier. 

An important part of Rushani and Jonny's brief was to incorporate as many herbs, edible flowers and fruits as possible. Therefore, great care was taken to find a good balance between providing adequate functional space for customers whilst still allowing plenty of productive garden area.

As budget and speed of construction were also key parts of the brief, I invited Vern Dartnall from Mayfair Park Landscapes to get involved before the final concept was finalised. As I prefer to do more and more these days, involving the contractor as early as possible has many advantages. In this case, Vern provided excellent cost estimates which helped steer decisions regarding choice of materials and the inclusion or exclusion of different ideas. 

With a very tight schedule in place, Mayfair Park Landscapes were onsite doing set-outs the very day the plans were finished!

Rushani & Jonny also engaged me to oversee the construction. Being present to answer any questions the contractors had during the build certainly helped to ensure the concept was realised true to plan and in the best way possible and it helped put Rushani and Jonny's minds at ease. 

Now that the cafe has been in action for 6 months its wonderful to see the gardens putting on good growth and the space getting lots of use. Next time you are Lyttelton - pop in - you won't regret it. Jonny's coffee is top notch and Rushani's cooking is top shelf!

RUSHANI'S - FACEBOOK PAGE
MAYFAIR PARK LANDSCAPES - WEBSITE
0 Comments

Ohoka Bush 10 year anniversary! 

30/10/2016

1 Comment

 

Last week the North Canterbury community of Ohoka celebrated 10 years since the beginning of their bush restoration project. 

I remember, it was pretty slow going in the early years. Invasive weeds, hare damage, dry summers, rock hard clay and punishing nor-westers all took their toll.  

However, this seems like a distant memory now when you walk along the tracks - especially in the older parts. The greenness is growing denser by the year and providing new sanctuary for both the locals and native fauna. 

A huge congratulations to the Ohoka locals. It makes me proud to say that I have been part of this initiative. I am looking forward to seeing it after another 10 years!  



1 Comment

Welcome to my new website! 

21/9/2016

0 Comments

 

Would you believe that I first started my landscape design business way back in 2001.

Fresh off the boat from Wellington - where I had been working as a landscape contractor - I gradually built up my design clientele. At first, the bulk of my work, being based in Ohoka, was in developing lifestyle blocks around North Canterbury. However, as my business grew so did the diversity of the work.   

Fifteen years later, it gives me a great sense of satisfaction looking back at all the designs. Many of my clients have remained good friends and I continue to watch with interest the wonderful evolution that arises from a decade or so of plant growth and use.

Although almost all of my work has come through word of mouth over the years, creating a website seemed like a great opportunity to collate the work and also connect to new people and opportunities.

Here on this BLOG page - I will be displaying many of my current and past projects plus a few musings on various related topics.

To get the ball rolling... here is a picture from my first design project back in 2001. This was one of the first residential builds at the Clearwater Resort. One of major elements of this design was this walled courtyard shown below. A long water channel spilled down to a central sunken pool. Raised plastered beds allowed for generous foliage and defined the other functional spaces for relaxing and playing outdoor Chess.      

Picture
0 Comments

    "One of the delightful aspects of this profession is you never know where the next project will come from or lead you. In this blog, I will be sharing with you some of my most recent projects and experiences."

    Andrew Trotter

    Archives

    September 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Location

What Andrew's Clients Are Saying

"Andrew listened carefully to us to work out what we were aiming for. Like a good architect does, he came up with a great design that fits well with our style and bettered our vague ideas by far. It was worth getting him for the unique shape of the deck alone, which is stylish and modern. It complements our house and garden brilliantly, and everyone who comes comments on how good it looks. Not to mention the wonderful planting plan, which is precise, easy to follow and full of beautiful plants. He's been helpful with tips while we've been putting the plan into action too. I'd certainly recommend him and would use him again if I had another garden."

021 366 496

PO Box 22 416
Christchurch 8140
Aotearoa