Sonoma’s Roche and Roche Landscape Architecture wins national award

Roche + Roche Landscape Architecture has nabbed an award from the American Society of Landscape Architecture for a residential property they designed in the rolling hills of Sonoma.

The Sonoma-based firm received the Honor Award in the residential design category.

The project is named Smith Residence, for the owner’s of the home.

“The spatial definition of the arbors and the space is great. You can see how well it’s going to grow in,” the awards jury said.

In all, 38 awards were given for projects across the U.S., including several in San Francisco, and in Brazil and China. The winners will receive their awards at the ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO in Los Angeles on Oct. 23, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Additional partners in the project were Cahil Studio Sonoma, Landers Curry Inc., Siteworks Landscape Inc., Christine Curry Design, and Bohemian Stoneworks.

Roche + Roche worked with the architect and builder in designing the landscape, that includes water features, a bocce court, a fire pit, arbors of woven willow panels set in steel frames that provide shade, and stone and gravel steps.

The steep, wooded 17-acre site is less than two miles north of Sonoma’s historic square, and features views over the Sonoma Valley and beyond to San Francisco across the Bay.

“The feel was to be rural contemporary, with clean geometry and a palette of natural materials, including large expanses of glass, rectilinear stone veneer, horizontal cedar siding, and concrete. Preserving and taking best advantage of the existing oak woodland and volcanic rock outcroppings was of paramount importance,” the design company said.

The entire compound is off-grid, generating enough energy with hidden PV panels to power all on-site electrical needs, and charge the owner’s electric vehicles.

ASLA is the professional association for landscape architects in the United States, representing more than 15,000 members.