Melides

The landscape proposal for the Melides project emerged as a direct response to the site’s challenging climatic and lithological conditions. The 10-hectare property sits within an extensive cork oak forest, spanning dry ridges and a sequence of humid valleys oriented toward the Atlantic. Positioning the hotel building at the highest point of the plot to capture uninterrupted panoramas of the ocean required the excavation of a terraced platform, revealing a shallow, rocky substrate formed largely from schist bedrock. Additionally the ridge is exposed to strong north-west prevailing winds and intense sun, creating a harsh environment for traditional garden establishment.

In response, the landscape proposal centres on the creation of two distinct drought tolerant native gardens: the Meadow Garden, set on the flat terrace level with the building entrance, incorporating a 50 meter long shade pergola parallel to the facade, swimming pool, and drop-off area, and the Rockrose Garden, positioned on the rocky hilltop behind the hotel, designed as a maquis scrub or woodland edge that transitions into the climax oak forest on the north side of the hill.

A decision was made to move away from a deterministic planting framework derived solely from the sites potential natural vegetation, towards a more symbolic interpretation of the regions flora, due to the modified nature of the site and its substrate. Instead the proposal seeks to evoke a connection between the ocean and the forest, reinforcing the character of the site and its position within the broader regional landscape of forested hills and coastal plains.

The planting proposal for the Meadow Garden follows a naturalistic matrix approach, combining local plant communities from upland perennial meadows dominated by Stipa gigantea and Scabiosa atropurpurea, and psammophilous communities of the Atlantic littoral, dominated by Lotus creticus, Iberis procumbens subsp. procumbens, and Armeria rouyana, both of which are adapted to the sites siliceous acidic soils and deep sand mulch. The matrix is formed from a dense planting of Melica ciliata subsp. magnolia, from which seasonally emergent species come and go as the season’s progress. Structure planting is used throughout as small clusters of Retama monosperma, Bupleurum fruticosum, and Euphorbia characias subsp. characias, positioned to frame views and give a sense of permanence to an otherwise highly seasonal garden. A compacted gravel path takes the visitor from the vehicle drop-off point directly through the centre of this meadow, first revealing views towards the ocean before reorienting towards the forest below as one enters the hotel.

The planting proposal for the Rockrose Garden draws the eastern edge of the space into the existing forest with a maquis border dominated by the locally abundant tree Arbutus unedo. The centre of the garden maintains an intentionally open spatial character, planted with a mosaic of drought adapted woody species found across Serra de Grandola, with an emphasis on a diversity of Cistus species, something the clients wished to present as a strong component of the sites flora.

An additional shaded space was created from site excavations between the Rockrose Garden and the eastern façade of the building. This sunken linear space became the Shade Garden, which came to represent the heart of the cork oak forest. This space is highly visible from the building interior, and therefore required a strong year-round presence, dominated by evergreen foliage. The planting proposal here seeks to replicate shaded understorey conditions, with a planting matrix dominated by a mat-forming groundcover of Vinca difformis subsp. difformis, Hedera maderensis subsp. iberica, and Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta.  Iris foetidissima, Arum italicum subsp. italicum, and Origanum vulgare subsp. virens behave as a seasonally emergent layer, with a shrubby backdrop to the garden formed with the addition of Laurus nobilis, Sambucus nigra subsp. nigra, and Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca.