Volvo Village

The landscape for the Volvo showroom Allston is designed to survive in a hot, salt-laden urban environment. Hardscape elements link the site to the iconic Volvo style, and Offshoots created a series of low-maintenance plantings uniquely adapted to the micro-climates found on site:

• Along busy North Beacon street, the plant beds are exposed to intense heat and sunlight making a wave of colorful succulents the perfect fit. This series of mulch-free rock gardens will no longer require water once established and will not require a yearly addition of mulch.
• Along the outdoor café patio, a wire mesh screen will support native Trumpet Vines creating a lush, green nook for patrons to relax and spot Hummingbirds stopping by to feed on the vibrant orange Trumpet Vine flowers.
• The steep bank on the back side of the site was stabilized by a combination of Dogwood shrubs, an all native slope-stabilizing meadow, and Hybrid Poplar trees. The Poplars were not only planted to assist in stabilizing the bank but to also aid in phytoremediating groundwater impacted by lead and the stormwater runoff from the parking lot. Gro low sumac and native shade trees tie up the parking lot landscape design.

By designing site-specific solutions, the result is an attractive, low-maintenance landscape that contributes to cleansing the ground water and will not require regular irrigation once established.