Garden pavilion and concrete waterfall

Is it possible to visit different countries or even eras without leaving your home? The answer is definitely positive, if you plan you journey with VII MIRACULA team! The new project posed quite a challenging task to realize: to incorporate history and culture in the landscape within the confines of a country residence.

Aims and objectives:

  • To build several small architectural forms – a pavilion with an outdoor kitchen, open-air zone with a fireplace, a pond with waterfall
  • To face the pillars of the teahouse with architectural concrete

Overall results: We have completed a huge project on landscaping and greening the territory of the private residence, we have created unique art objects and built an artificial pond.

Slideshow

Garden pavilion in Ancient Greek style

VII MIRACULA artists have created a small oasis of classical antiquity on the outskirts of the country residence, that offer a splendid view of the garden and the surrounding landscape. The pavilion stands on reinforced concrete foundation that’s why despite looking pretty old, the construction is 100% safe and fade-resistant.

All cracks and chips were deliberately made in full compliance with the designer’s concept. They were cut by hand using the method of sculptural carving. Details were carefully thought through and won’t arouse any doubts in their authenticity. The frieze of the pavilion is ornamented with Greek symbolics and monograms with landowner’s initials.

The inscription “semper simul semper vincere” is written in Latin and it is translated as “Always together. Always win.”

The pavilion is fully equipped with essentials for outdoor cooking: there is a fireplace, an oven, grill bar, wood shed, sink and kitchen worktop. All elements in the Greek pavilion are finished by architectural concrete. The material is fire-resistant, temperature swing-resistant and heat-resistant.

It’s difficult to imagine the Byzantium Empire architecture style without fresco painting, that’s why we decided to decorate the ceiling of the Greek pavilion with it. Everything in this place looks like as if it was touched by time: the frescoes have faded, now they can be barely seen, the pillars already have marks of deterioration.

Pavilion offers a splendid view on a pond with cascade waterfall. The stone texture and color shade of Greek pavilion match the texture of the nearby pond. You can visit this vibrant place any time to listen to the soothing sound of babbling water. Plus, you can enjoy the vibes of the surrounding landscape, while roasting the meat on grill.

Waterfall made from architectural concrete

What concerns the construction of the pond, it’s necessary to mention that this art object was built completely from scratch. Every stage of its creation was performed by VII MIRACULA experts, starting from digging works up until decorating the bank of the pond. Fair-faced concrete was implemented as a major finishing material. All surfaces that have a direct contact with water are 100% waterproof.

The pond looks like it is nature born, though it’s just a trick of eyesight. The water pond construction stands on a solid metal framework that determines the shape of the future water object. The framework was founded right at the location; hence we were out of need of any heavy machinery. In the backside there is a hidden hatch among the stones that enables access to the water pumps. We have installed necessary utility systems and adjusted their functioning.

We have amplified the composition with a brook in order to achieve the full harmony and the integrity of the location. The brook paves its way down from the waterfall, going around Greek pavilion. You can easily cross the bridge via a picturesque stone bridge. Garden paths and the walking surface of the bridge have roughly the same design of stone masonry.

Fireplace area

In the garden we’ve arranged zone with a fireplace, where landowners could enjoy fire under the open sky. The concept of the construction draws a parallel line with is the faraway past where people gathered around the fireplace and fire was a symbol of safety and an object of worship.

The fireplace has the form of hardened lava. It is surrounded by a dwarf wall that protects the fireplace from the wind. We chose the technique of cobblestone masonry to connect adjacent vertical stones, that resemble Stonehenge.

In order to make the stay more comfortable, we have equipped seats with heating up and booster-lights. Architectural concrete allows to install utility systems inside the construction.

Teahouse standing on pillars finished with architectural concrete

Tea House, that stands above the pond, was built on the bridge, that connects two houses. Having looked through a number of designs, the owners have opted for a hut.

We suggested replacing traditional support pillars with pillars that have the form of mangle trees. Thanks to the proficiency of VII MIRACULA artists, the texture and coloring of mangle trees’ rind was as realistic as possible. A non-professional will never guess that they were made from architectural concrete.

In wild nature mangle trees usually grow in submerged forests, so in our design it feels very natural is that they “grow” in the middle of a pond.Concrete facing can be considered as durable as centuries-old mangle trees. An open-air art object does not require any special treatment and remains untouched by time, even though it is partly under water.

The process of creating Greek pavilion

For this art object our team has came up with a number of sketches and drafts, where each of them depicts pavilion from different angles. Smaller details, like bas-relief on the frieze and the coat of arms with the initials of the customer were drawn separately.

The start of constructive works. Laying the foundation on a wasteland, that will soon become green area with a pond.

The construction of the pond. Here you can see stone slabs, that will be covered with water, however they will serve as a base for containers with aquatic plants. For the waterfall stones, we found a reinforced metal frame, that is later coated by a narrow-meshed net. The framework has two functions: it forms the layout of future stones and enables to apply the first layer of architectural concrete.

Having finished the main part of the work on the waterfall, our team carries out a technical launch.It serves as a kind of test, since during the procedure, shortcomings may be revealed. For example, leaks, incorrect flow of water, improperly functioning water pumps. Fortunately, these drawbacks can be eliminated. That’s why we always do a test launch, before finishing the works.

Greening the territory is the final touch in creating a beautiful landscape. After finishing the work on the Greek pavilion and waterfall, we planted aquatic plants in the pond, laid a lawn and planted trees and shrubs.

Working out the details of fireplace area

The works on open-air fireplace have begun with finding the right concept. The owner wanted it to depict ancient architecture. We drew parallel lines with different ancient cultures starting from Stonehenge megaliths up to Roman architecture.

Creating teahouse

The initial concept differed a lot from the final version. Quite another type of a ladder was planned, but later the idea was rejected. A more compact and weightless winding staircase was chosen instead. A number of design options of support pillars were developed for the customer.

The basis of the teahouse is a solid metal structure with a durable foundation. It was covered by a reinforced base made of a narrow-meshed net. All artistic works were carried out on it later on.