Multifamily Dwellings
General Heath Square Apartments Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
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Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect with Prellwitz Chilinski Associates
A new affordable housing project is being planned for the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. The construction documentation phase is currently underway. Construction to begin March 2018! |
Jackson Commons Roxbury, Massachusetts
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Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect with Prellwitz Chilinski Associates
An existing one-hundred year old brick industrial building fronting Columbus Avenue is preserved and renovated to include an addition that together houses thirty-seven mixed income rental apartments, community and retail/office spaces. Tucked behind the new “L” shaped structure is a south-facing courtyard whose use is targeted to both the residents and office workers. A play structure sits at the center of the area devoted to residents. It is edged with native planting including trees, shrubs, perennials and groundcovers. Fixed seating and bicycle racks are shaded by an overhead structure. An adjacent grassy slope is the perfect place for unstructured play. A paved terrace with fixed outdoor dining tables and umbrellas is dedicated to office workers. It, too, is edged with native shrubs and groundcover. LEED for Homes Gold Certified |
Newbury Street Residences Quincy, Massachusetts
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Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect with Tim Johnson Architect, LLC
Set on a parcel of land with both near and distant views of an exceptional salt marsh landscape, this sixteen until development aims to provide potential residents with a quiet environment to call home. Outdoor gathering spaces offer a variety of seating options within a seaside garden setting. Residents can sit alone or in groups surrounded by a planted native landscape that reflects that of its larger environs. An osprey perch, located in a somewhat remote area of the garden, adds opportunity for wildlife interaction. |
Longyan Violet Paradise Sports Park A-1 Housing Neighborhood Fujian, China
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Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect with iPlace
Fujian, a mountainous province along the southeast coast of mainland China, provides the majestic setting for the Longyan Violet Paradise Sports Park project. The A-1 Housing Neighborhood is comprised of villa, duplex and multifamily residences setting up the mountainside. Early in the schematic design phase, private garden spaces were developed for several individual residences as part of a study area meant to be constructed in advance of the entire neighborhood. The demonstration properties were to provide potential buyers with an idea of what personalized private spaces might look like throughout. |
Diplomatic Housing United States Embassy Seoul, Korea
Diplomatic Housing Design Development Site Plan
With Michael Graves Architects and Sasaki Associates for the United States State Department, Office of Overseas Building
The embassy compound was to be located north of the Hang-Gang River in the Chong-Dong district of central Seoul. The compound is comprised of the existing Ambassador's Residence, the future diplomatic housing compound and the new office building.
The Diplomatic Housing site is made up of a series of linked walled gardens including the Ambassador's Garden, the Water Garden, the Entry Garden, the Walled Garden, the Picnic Grove, and the Kitchen Garden. There are two separate access points. One is exclusively for the Ambassador and the second is for the residents as well as the Marine Security Guard that protects the entire compound (with particular emphasis on the new office building, see "Corporate").
Due to community protest, this project was never realized.
The embassy compound was to be located north of the Hang-Gang River in the Chong-Dong district of central Seoul. The compound is comprised of the existing Ambassador's Residence, the future diplomatic housing compound and the new office building.
The Diplomatic Housing site is made up of a series of linked walled gardens including the Ambassador's Garden, the Water Garden, the Entry Garden, the Walled Garden, the Picnic Grove, and the Kitchen Garden. There are two separate access points. One is exclusively for the Ambassador and the second is for the residents as well as the Marine Security Guard that protects the entire compound (with particular emphasis on the new office building, see "Corporate").
Due to community protest, this project was never realized.
Single Family Dwellings
An Urban Retreat Dorchester, Massachusetts
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Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect
Step through the six foot tall cedar fence and gate into an urban retreat. Three paved terrace spaces change this sloping back yard into distinct comfortable outdoor rooms for dining, sitting and playing- all viewed from a mahogany deck just outside the living room. Permeable concrete unit pavers, granite steps, stone walls, fencing and deck together with the planting beds provide the framework for this calm and restful landscape. Completed fall 2016 |
Perennial Garden Albany, New York
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Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect
Peace and tranquility are brought to this lush garden landscape with the infusion of color, texture and ornament. Mature garden photos taken summer 2016 |
Jamaica Plain Residence Boston, Massachusetts
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Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect with Beausoleil Gardens
Creating a tranquil urban oasis was the goal of this garden re-design project. Including a new outdoor gathering space into the existing garden meant re-envisioning the plant palette and adding more seasonal variety. A new antique brick patio was added, existing plants were re-positioned and new plants were placed. The richness of texture, color, hue and dimension were built upon to imbue the space with a calm and peaceful feel. Completed summer 2014 |
Summer Street Residence Arlington, Massachusetts
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Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect
When the homeowners demolished a small back porch and replaced it with a spacious open deck, the remainder of the property longed for a new vision. The landscape was structured to reflect the recent deck, providing an organizational framework to house a full and lush palette of plant material that provided four season interest including both edible and ornamental varieties. To better describe the proposed plan, the garden was divided into sub-areas with drawings, photographs and descriptive text for each. In this way, the homeowners could more easily phase in the new design over time. Many existing perennial plants were re-organized and re-located as per the proposal. |
Sawin Street Residence Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts
Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect
The water front residence sits at a promontory just at the edge of a bluff overlooking one of Martha Vineyard’s many ponds. A series of intimate garden rooms is being developed with a variety of outdoor seating areas, a rain garden and native planted garden spaces.
The water front residence sits at a promontory just at the edge of a bluff overlooking one of Martha Vineyard’s many ponds. A series of intimate garden rooms is being developed with a variety of outdoor seating areas, a rain garden and native planted garden spaces.
Goddard Circle Residence Brookline, Massachusetts
Planting Plan
Catherine Oranchak/Landscape Architect
The architecture of the house puts the garage in a prominent vantage point and nestles the front door within a private nook. The design of the front garden sought to shift the focus from the automobile to the pedestrian. The renovated front garden is divided into three distinct zones; Arrival, Lawn and Entry Garden.
The Arrival remains predominantly vehicular but simplified. An open green lawn incorporates planting at the edges only, creating the illusion of a broad and expansive property. Clusters of planting were used to screen views of neighboring homes and concentrate all landscape detail precisely at the front door. The driveway, then, becomes an element within a larger landscape.
The architecture of the house puts the garage in a prominent vantage point and nestles the front door within a private nook. The design of the front garden sought to shift the focus from the automobile to the pedestrian. The renovated front garden is divided into three distinct zones; Arrival, Lawn and Entry Garden.
The Arrival remains predominantly vehicular but simplified. An open green lawn incorporates planting at the edges only, creating the illusion of a broad and expansive property. Clusters of planting were used to screen views of neighboring homes and concentrate all landscape detail precisely at the front door. The driveway, then, becomes an element within a larger landscape.
View of Entry Garden from Lawn
A fieldstone wall separates the Lawn area from the Entry Garden, making both a private and quiet space set apart from the more public lawn. A row of Japanese Maples and Daylilies helps reinforce the separation. A rich plant palette is utilized within the Entry Garden including Inkberry, Christmas Fern, Sweet Woodruff, Iris, and Pachysandra. A rectangular Koi Pond, however, is the jewel of this garden. Magnolia Waterlily, Horsetail and Water Lettuce over which regularly spaced spray jets dot the surface of the pond share this aquatic landscape with the magnificent Koi fish.
 Koi Pond |
 Spray jets at Koi Pond |
 Steps to side garden |
 View of rear garden and roof drainage |
 Water garden plants |
 Pennsylvania Flat Fieldstone detail |
