PINE REFUGE

SAUGATUCK, MIGHIGAN

Like many other waterfront homes in the area, this residential property overlooking Lake Michigan has faced the threat of worsening coastal erosion, due to persistent wave action and increased storm events wearing away at an exposed bluff. BLD was commissioned to develop a conceptual design to help remediate the existing landscape, create amenity spaces, and facilitate access to the shoreline. 

To develop a schematic design that addressed the site's core issues, BLD studied the existing landscape through geographical data, in-person reconnaissance, site measurements, and photography that included aerial photos. After sizing up the extent and severity of the erosional process taking place on the site, the team concluded that a combination of engineered solutions should be implemented. The lower portion of the bluff that experiences the most intense wave action will be mediated through the construction of an exposed revetment, which requires the installation of large boulders to protect the slope from the waterfront’s hydraulic forces. This approach synergizes with the aesthetic goals of the greater landscape, as gaps between revetment boulders will be planted with shrub and groundcover species that play a vital role in stabilizing the soil below while lending unique visual character to the site. A set of proposed stone stairs meanders through the slope and the interplanted revetment boulders down to a sandy shoreline.

While the entire site plan is “user friendly” and facilitates beach access, the amenity deck located above the boulders is specifically programmed as a place to enjoy the sights and sounds of the lakefront from the comfort of custom-made benches and a lush, vegetated backdrop. The deck structure and the stairs leading to it are suspended over the bluff surface on helical piles in order to avoid disturbance of the slope’s soil.The plant palette for this area and the upper portion of the site was meticulously selected by researching native species that assist with bluff stabilization while also providing the landscape with a feeling of lushness and refuge.