Phoenix House
Rana Creek worked with Sebastian Mariscal Architects on the residential landscape design of a 4300 square foot home tucked into a small 130’ by 60’ lot. Guided by the architect’s image of ruins overgrown with foliage, Rana Creek used plants to fuse indoor and outdoor space, create vistas and protected hollows, and give a sense of wilderness within the suburban fabric of Cardiff, California. The planting plan employs southern California’s diverse range of plant communities as a guide, pulling inspiration from shady oak canyons, windy coastal strand, sunny chaparral and bunchgrass meadows. These habitats are found in small fragments throughout the vastly developed area of metropolitan San Diego. Plant choice depended on the species’ natural adaptation to extreme shade, wind and drought. The arrangement uses hierarchy of height to create areas of refuge and habitat for birds, while also providing year-round food sources. In this way, the site becomes a scaled model of Southern California’s wild places.