This is a new project I am working on, which I have dubbed the “Boulder Shangri-la”. It is a project that could not be built today, because it’s very large, and Boulder does not allow building that size anymore, but as a renovation it can be done. It’s right up against an extraordinary cliff rock formation, so when you step out of the back of the house, you are 30-35 feet from a sheer vertical rock wall. In Feng Shui, this formation is called a “dragon’s back” and usually monasteries are located in such places. The cliff ridge forms the back edge of the property. It’s very dramatic. Much of the rest of the property is on a steep slope. Coming up the driveway to the house, you get an amazing overview of Boulder and the plains. As the driveway goes up the steep slope, it makes a hairpin turn and doubles back, and then you see above you the house along the cliff. From a distance the house literally looks like a Tibetan monastery up there against the cliff. There are also some very large, beautiful Ponderosa pines among many smaller ones for which we will be doing fire mitigation.
I am really excited about this project. I was fortunate to be introduced to the general contractor at a friend’s party, and it just happened that he had also looked at some landscape design work I had done near Chautauqua in Boulder. This is the first of several posts I plan to write about this project.
Here is a photo of the entrance to the property as it is now:
"Boulder Shangri-la" Entrance Before Design Changes
We want to create an entrance that is really in keeping with this remarkable piece of property and the whole of the building and landscape architecture, which will be even more remarkable once we’re done with it! Here is a sketch I’ve done on tracing paper for the entrance design. In the background, you can see the same photo as above showing through the tracing paper, with changes and additions sketched on top:
Entry Gate Design for "Boulder Shangri-la"
More to come!
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