Rain Sympony

living —Mclean, VA

Resonating the Rain is a single-family residential garden renovation in McLean, Virginia. The client came to Moody Graham after experiencing severe flooding cuased by unresolved grading and storm water runoff from the adjacent street.

The client was drawn to our design principles of engaging people in a meaningful interaction with nature and harnessing its healing powers. The goal was to prevent future flooding by finding the right balance between functional infrastructure and beautiful design. The client envisioned a garden that juxtaposed the contemporary architecture of the home with an embrace of wabi-sabi - the Japanese mindset of finding beauty in life's imperfections.

The focal point of the garden, a curvilinear corten steel runnel, starts at the base of a large boulder, resembling the beginning of a stream in the mountain. The runnel weaves between the plants and the ground, drawing your eye through the garden. During a storm, the runnel comes alive as the rain drizzles, trickles, splashes, and drums through the corten steel. The movement, sound, and drama tell the unique story of each storm.

Photos by Kate Wichlinski unless otherwise noted.

The original garden design had unresolved grading that exacerbated the stormwater runoff from the adjacent road and led to flooding, scary experiences, and undesired memories for the client.

Photography Credit: Client

Study model of the site's topography and drainage patterns. The design of the corten steel runnel and walls begins to take shape.

Proposed site plan that developed blue-green infrastructure strategies to harness the stormwater runoff and transform it into an artistic garden composition.

An extensive spring bulb planting plan creates a joyful dance of colors to complement the April showers.

Moody Graham collaborated with a civil engineer to transition from underground pipes (gray infrastructure) at the upper arrival to a series of rain gardens at the lower garden that daylight the runoff (green infrastructure).

Terracing the northwest corner of the garden with corten steel walls and planting the garden zone with native plants and Spring flowering bulbs further mitigated storm runoff.

The boulder identifies the beginning of the corten steel runnel. Weaving through the irregular sone patio and planted joints, the top of the runnel is flush with the grade. The runnel gently elevates above ground to move the rainwater through the garden and spill it into the rain garden.

East garden, looking north to south - study sketch showing the proposed runnel meandering through the garden and bringing the rain water to the rain garden.

The seasonal garden provides opportunities to experience plants' evolution and life cycle, encourages appreciation of the moment, awakes your senses, and inspires creativity.