Contract - March 2009 - (Page 32)

material on the green Wilson Butler takes sophistication to the high seas with the Lawn Club on the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship By AnnMarie Marano course—about a foot or more of sand. However, the uppermost deck of a cruise ship couldn’t afford to hold that much weight. Their calculations told them the deck could withstand approximately 6 in. of soil. So along with landscape architect The Waterfield Design Group of Winchester, Mass., and the University of Florida, Wilson Butler set up a testing program and spent months looking at different profile depths and soils. In the end, a sand-based mixed soil, with a ceramic shell that has been fired and puffed up to make it feel like a pumice stone, was chosen. The soil is lightweight and drains well while still holding a sufficient amount of moisture. The depth of the entire profile is 125 mm., including a drainage board, the special “custom blended growing medium,” and the sod (a Bermuda grass called Cynodon dactylon). “It needed to withstand at least 22.5 degrees Celsius, high winds, and an irrigation system that could irrigate from below as well as above,” Dennis J. Dale , ASLA, director, Waterfield Design Group, says of the lawn. “It had to be able to be installed and removed easily too. It can be ripped out and replaced.” The profile has a finished steel plate at the bottom. “We also didn’t want to use too much irrigation water. We wanted to make sure the water we used was minimal and that it could be recycled (which it is). The grass also had to be very salt-tolerant,” Butler explains. Plans to feature Lawn Clubs on future Celebrity Cruise ships are in the works. “The Lawn Club is extremely restful,” says Butler, “And offers a great diversion from the typical cruise-ship activities.” Give us your feedback on this story at www.contractmagazine.com/contact. Robert Benson Photography. When the designers for Celebrity Solstice—the premiere ship for Celebrity Cruise Lines—were brainstorming possible uses for the outer decks, they knew they wanted to find something appealing and distinctive for the brand. They eventually used the springboard of “golfing activities” to create the Lawn Club, located on the ship’s highest deck, featuring real grass where guests can enjoy bocce ball, cricket, crochet, and, of course, golf. “The whole notion was to give it the ambience of a traditional lawn club with a British colonial character, offering a variety of activities,” says Scott Butler, a director at Boston-based Wilson Butler Architects. But with the new venture came challenges. According to Butler, there is typically a pretty thick profile to support grass or green on a golf 32 contract march 2009 www.contractmagazine.com http://www.contractmagazine.com/contact http://www.contractmagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - March 2009

Contract - March 2009
Contents
Editorial
Industry
Resources
Color Therapy
On The Green
Shifting First Cost Mentalities
Eco Chic
Realm of Possibility
Favorite Table
About Face
Seeing Is Believing
Domestic Partnership
Designers Rate: Occasional Tables
Behind Business Development
Ad Index
Perspectives

Contract - March 2009