NEIGHBORHOOD: HOLLY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FIRM: STUDIO BALCONES ARCHITECTURE FIRM: WEAVER BUILDINGS LANDSCAPE SQUARE FEET: 1,100

In the world of landscape architecture, there’s a concept called “hypernature.” It is the idea of using natural elements in original, highly compressed yet ecologically functional spaces.

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Claire Eddelman, a senior designer at the all-woman landscape architecture firm Studio Balcones, offers further explanation of the concept: “A pocket of space that’s dedicated to an abundance of plants—more than could naturally exist together—to get something that’s really high-contrast.”

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But to really understand the idea, one should visit the eye-catching landscape of an urban infill home in the Holly section of East Austin. The hypernature—in this case a 500-square-foot section of the front yard of the home—features loquat, agarita and a seemingly endless list of native plants from the region’s blackland prairie. More than 20 species of plants exist in this space alone.

“What a hypernature can do in an urban setting is attract more pollinators, which is so important today,” says Ilse Frank, a founding principal of Studio Balcones. “It also has complexity, so visually it will constantly be changing throughout the year. There will always be something new to observe and experience when you are in this space.”

The hypernature is just part—but the most visually stunning part—of the outdoor space of a modern, 850-square-foot, three-story split home on a long, narrow lot. The entire landscape is the work of Eddelman, who was the project manager on the renovation, and her Studio Balcones colleagues.

In the summer of 2015 Studio Balcones was hired by the home’s architect, Jen Weaver of Weaver Buildings, to overhaul the landscape. The existing one featured an uneven lawn that was four feet above the street level and some small plants.

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Studio Balcones’ design included two landscape types: the lush, plant-heavy areas such as the hypernature and the dwelling spaces such as an outdoor kitchen, dining area and three seating spots.

Today, the landscape looks nothing like it did in 2015. A 7-foot prickly pear cactus, which was relocated from elsewhere on the lot to the corner of the hypernature and sits in a raised steel box, has become the visual centerpiece of the landscape. In addition to its visual benefit, the hypernature has another advantage.

“Because you are four feet above the street level, you are a little bit on display,” Frank says. “So we wanted to give a sense of privacy through the plantings. It’s a bit of a buffer between the street level and the front porch level without being a wall.”

With the project only about a year old, the plantings are just in their infancy. As lush as it looks now, the hypernature will only become even more abundant.

“My business partner [Jennifer Orr] has a saying about landscapes: ‘The first year it sleeps. The second year it creeps. And the third year it leaps,’” Frank says. “I think a year from now it will really be full looking.”

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