Landscape works, decorations, plants References Residential

Redesign Residential Complex – Stejeriș

5 min read

The landscape design of this residential complex, located in a mountainous area near Poiana Brașov, was not the kind of project built from beautiful renderings and perfect drawings. It was long-term work, carried out on challenging terrain, with a constantly changing construction site and many decisions made on the spot—often dictated by the weather.

The works extended over almost two years and progressed hand in hand with the construction of the buildings. In practice, the landscape grew together with the apartment buildings. It was not possible to access all areas at once, so the work advanced piece by piece, whenever an area became available and whenever the season allowed. It was a fragmented yet coherent process, where patience mattered just as much as experience.

During this time, over 70 trees were planted—some very large, others younger—chosen not only for how they look now, but for how they will look in years to come. The goal was to create volume and shade from the very beginning, while also offering a promise for the future. More than 2,000 shrubs were used to connect the spaces, soften the edges of the buildings, and create a sense of continuity. Hundreds of perennial plants formed the detail layer: color, texture, and subtle seasonal surprises, without anything feeling forced.

Perhaps the greatest challenge was the steep slopes, some with inclinations of 60–70 degrees. There, aesthetics alone were not enough—logic and stability were essential. Each plant had a clearly defined role, and working on such terrain required serious physical effort and great attention. Despite these difficulties, lawn installation was successfully completed across the entire site, including the most demanding areas. Thousands of square meters of turf were installed in stages.

To ensure that all this greenery could truly thrive in the long term, an automated irrigation system was installed across the entire area. Without it, maintenance would have been a constant compromise—especially in a mountainous region, where the weather rarely follows plans.

A separate chapter is dedicated to the extensive green roofs of the apartment buildings

Here, different approaches were used depending on the structure: direct seeding, vegetation mats providing around 60% coverage, or in some cases Sedum vegetation rolls with over 95% coverage. In the end, the result is not just a residential complex with green spaces, but a place that breathes better and naturally integrates into the surrounding mountain landscape.