Date: 2024

Material: Oolite Limestone

Location: Pinecrest, Florida, US

Program: Garden

Information: A landscape project designed by Laura Stargala

Status: Built

​​This project uses locally sourced oolite limestone to create a new landscape within a garden in Pinecrest, Florida. This terrain is known for the geological formation of limestone, characterised by the fossilised marine life formed over 200 million years ago. We visited historic limestone quarries in the area, such as the Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park and the Venetian Pools in Coral Gables, in order to gather information about the peninsula's history of limestone extraction. We remained critical towards material supply chains, questioning how the quarries impacted ecosystems. By visiting a local stone supplier we learned about their methods of quarrying, which often involved digging shallow pits, which are then filled with rubble before the land is used for new housing developments. The research revealed the layered history of land transformations of the southern peninsula of Florida, which has experienced rapid urban development within the last century. 

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The new space includes a plaza for gathering and paths leading to main auxiliary roads. Native plant species, such as seagrape tree (Coccoloba uvifera), live oak (Quercus Virginiana), and firebush (Hamelia patens) grow in the garden. A bench and water collection bath have also been designed for the project.