'Tier-Ful' Project Featuring VERSA-LOK Retaining Wall Wins First-Place National Design Award

    March 1, 2007 -- Jim Christensen's award-winning landscape design for a rural Wisconsin residence will bring tiers to your eyes, but that's a good thing. Christensen, senior landscape architect for Villa Landscapes in Oakdale, MN, won first place in the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute's National Concrete Paver Design Contest for his stunning multilevel design of a backyard in the St. Croix County countryside.

    Featuring VERSA-LOK Retaining Walls

    A large paver patio featuring a pair of circular patios overlooks a broad expanse of farm fields and anchors the lower level of this complex. The twin patios--one a sunken fire pit with tiered seating around the edge and the other a raised dining area--are partially ringed with freestanding walls and create a pleasing symmetry on the landscape.

    The lower patio area is connected by a walkway to a massive three-tiered series of gardens of various shapes and sizes on the other end of the house. Filled with colorful plantings, the gardens are bisected by offset stairs that weave between them with landings at every level. Freestanding columns capped with natural stone accent each landing. Stepped serpentine walls wrap around the end of the house and tie the tiered garden complex back into the slope of the yard and the driveway above.

    "This is a magnificent site that begs for taking advantage of the wide open spaces," says Christensen. "The twin circular patios provide comfortable gathering areas while the spacious patio around them offers plenty of room for other activities."

    At the other end of the yard, Christensen says, "We had to tame a slope to allow for a gentle, stepped transition between the lower patio and the garage and house above. Instead of straight tiered walls and stairs, I opted for a more sculpted look by offsetting the stairs and landings and adding some curves, corners and columns. As a result, the entire structure has much more visual appeal and looks less imposing."

    About 2,000 square feet of VERSA-LOK Standard retaining wall units in a chestnut blend color were used for the walls, raised patio base, columns and stairs throughout the project. Nearly 2,000 square feet of Willow Creek paving stones in a matching chestnut blend color were used for the paved surfaces--Circlestone for the sunken fire pit and raised dining area and random-pattern Cobblestone for the remaining paved areas.

    "The flexibility of the VERSA-LOK wall product makes it an easy system to design with," explains Christensen. "With one unit you can design a plethora of elements--retaining walls, freestanding walls, planters, benches, columns, stairs. There's really no other retaining wall system that can do that."

    Christensen notes that the ability to match colors between walls and paved surfaces made Willow Creek the natural choice for paving stones.

    "Willow Creek's quality is consistent in color and durability and is an excellent complement to VERSA-LOK's appearance," says Christensen. "Together, they are a nice pallet from which to work."

    CONTACT:
    Karl Bremer, Communications Specialist
    VERSA-LOK Retaining Wall Systems
    Phone: 651.770.3166
    Email: kbremer@versa-lok.com

    Web: www.versa-lok.com