picture of a sunken garden with a colorful shading structure

The moon in the well, sunken garden in Riyadh

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A sunken garden inspired by the old tale of the moon in the well. A sunken oasis with palms and water, reachable by descending broad lawn steps. Introduced by the scent of lemon trees and Lantana montevidensis shrubs, the moon in the well garden displays a crescent of grey-leaved shrubs (Leucophyllum frutescens, Santolina tomentosa, Senecio cineraria) embracing a black stone fountain. The opening in the light steel shading structure lets the water feature shine of light reflections. A further crescent of ultramarine blue painted wooden planks adds a vibrant touch to the space while screening from the windows overlooking the garden. The well consists of a precious round fountain made of Labradorite, iridescent dark blue stone. At night, the white marble cladding of the retaining walls reverberates the moonlight and the subdued sound of the shallow pond water.


Project: Al Ammariah family estate
Location: Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
Garden area: 262 m²
Highlights: sunken garden, stair with lawn treads and Cor-ten® risers, Mediterranean plant species, Labradorite fountain
Partners: Faris & Faris Architects (Amman, Jordan), Comatec (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), Art Contracting (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
Services: Preliminary, executive and construction design, fountain design, shading structure design, paving design, assistance during construction

palm crowns revealing the presence of a sunken garden
Washingtonia robusta tree crowns reveal the presence of the sunken garden (courtesy of Art Contracting, 2020)
The shading steel structure with yellow, orange and red microforated shelters and the labradorite fountain (courtesy of Art Contracting, 2020)

Al Ammariah family estate landscape project takes advantage of any situation to grow a garden: even a stair, here, gets a green carpet of lawn.

Valerio Cozzi
sketch ot a sunken garden inspired to the moon in the well tale
The moon in the well garden: project sketch by Valerio Cozzi