Design Notebook: Nov. 1997

Within two blocks of the University of Southern Mississippi and the Forrest General medical complex lies The Curiosity Shoppe, a specialty bookstore and educational gift and supply retailer. The structure reveals a European flair unlike no other building in the area.

DESIGN CHALLENGES. The challenge was to allow the landscape and the hardscape to accent the architecture of the building. A theme of an English Cottage Garden was selected as the most appropriate.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS. Excess stones from the construction of the building were used as stepping stones and bed edges for the planting beds. The original paving was eliminated, and stamped and colored concrete was used for the entry and courtyard paving surfaces. Most of the grading was accomplished by hand since most areas were too small and too wet to allow for the efficient use of equipment. Planting beds were constructed of two parts topsoil (45 cy) and one part compost (18 cy) along with crushed pine bark to enhance the composition and structure of some of the existing clay soils.

The new building has two main entrances – one for the bookstore and the other for the gift shop. The landscape design took advantage of this unique architectural detail to bring customers out into the landscape. A stepping stone path winding through the beds and perennial gardens links each of the two entrances (on the north and south sides of the building). The path is lined with a varying display of perennials that changes with the season. Lower growing perennials were placed along the stepping stone path such as Phlox subulata “white.” The larger planting of Sedum “Autumn Joy,” Coreopsis lanceolata “Sunny” and Rudebeckia fulgisa gives mass and definition along the path and to the stone lined planting beds along the building perimeter.

The project’s landscape spaces were very long and narrow with the widest areas being only 28 feet wide. The irrigation system uses only 12-inch and 14-inch pop-up mist heads placed on 12-foot centers. The irrigation system used a 1-inch service feed to supply water to the seven zones of the system. Turf areas were circuited separately from planting beds due to the vast difference in water requirements. Since the irrigation system was added later into the construction process, the controller had to be located outside of the building which made for additional landscape screening challenges.

The patio serves as the main dining area for the small coffee shop café located with-in the bookstore area of the building. Three Drake Elm trees were used to enclose the space along with the stone wall. During construction, the owner insisted that all materials have an “Old World” look. Colored and stamped concrete was used for all pedestrian pavings to match this need as best as possible.

The paving pattern was “Old Ashlar Slate,” colored a deep gray-blue. Mounted along the top of the patio wall were redwood planter boxes which are changed with flowers at least six times annually. Most of the varieties of flowers were selected for their long trailing traits so they would cascade down the wall.