Carlton Drive

Where art and science meet

A Renaissance-inspired water garden where art and science meet

 

The Renaissance was a moment of cultural renewal, when the great polymath painters made extraordinary breakthroughs in science and art. Our landscape at Carlton Drive celebrates that collision of discovery and aesthetics in a formal water garden that looks both forward and back.

Two Italianate Villas frame the residential development, providing aesthetic cues for the formal, symmetrical, understated design.  Acacia, Agave and Agapanthus evoke the scent and form of planting at the great Italian masterpieces - Villa Lante and Villa D’Este.

If the design echoes historic precedents, there is a striking modern twist; cutting-edge science provides the intellectual backbone here, with a narrative inspired by advances in biotechnology and the field of genetics.

Blocks of aquatic planting express the banding of a DNA chromatogram within a reflecting pool – a gene pool if you will!  

In this captivating world of aquatic topiary, upright stems pierce the surface to stand soldier-like above the lily pads – punctuated by vivid splashes of pink. With planting appearing above and below the water line, the impression of a sunken garden is created.  

The design of the pool is a masterclass in natural science, with a ground-breaking planting concept using specially selected species to filter the water and restrict the growth of algae – doing away with the need for costly motors and nasty chemicals.

 (Churchman Thornhill Finch)
 (Churchman Thornhill Finch)

"Design is multidimensional – pulling together threads from art, science and nature to find an elegant solution"