Liza’s Garden was conceived as a grand diorama at the scale of the museum. The inaccessibility of the garden demanded that the visual cues generated by the garden evoke the aural, haptic, and other sensory cues of a garden. A staggered grid of trees shows the movement of the wind, and the shapes and trajectory of the planting beds reinforce that movement. The tilted beds will trap rain to reflect the sky, snow, and leaves, and “show the wind”. A network of cables adds an ephemeral topography to glint in the sun, provide birds perches, and collect snow. Finally, the plantings are chosen to visually evoke lushness in an environment that can only sustain three inches of soil. As an added benefit, the roof acts in several ways to enhance the sustainability of the ROM, through stormwater retention, reduction of the heat island effect, and the provision of a habitat for birds and insects.

Liza’s Garden has been awarded a CSLA Regional Merit award.

Rendering view of the garden at Night




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