With any development the intervention on the land is always more than we want it to be. Our response is to make a decided and responsible effort to “put back” into the environment that which was compromised in allowing us to make this land livable and enjoyable. The ‘putting back’ is in the form of 20 environments, 18 that are re-introduced and sustained on the property, the nineteenth environment speaks of its unforgettable location in Melawati that celebrates the panoramic offsite views to the mountains and the 20th environment is the collective product of all the environments together to create a memorable sense of place. “Putting back” also means respecting Nature and providing experiences that are natural and close to our environmental hearts. These are microenvironments which speak to us on the instinctive level of wanting to be in contact with Nature. Whether simply enjoying a breeze blowing through a grove of trees, the sound of trickling water, views to the panoramic mountains, gazing at the stars at night, or listening to birds, cicadas and crickets, these are all ways in which Nature has been “put back” and returned to us allowing us once more to be close to that which nurtures our soul and stays with us as a facilitator of good health and proper living.

Material choices are contemporary but not urban, natural but not typical. The “putting back” of stone derived from the site is part of our effort to bring back what once was part of the environment which we have taken but are returning. Our environmental design

intentions are to choose materials that speak of the textures, forms, colors and patterns of Nature, not copying Nature but learning from Nature and abstracting it through a contemporary design vocabulary. The aesthetic beauty of the environment that is sought is not designed as a “pretty cosmetic beauty” but seeks to find only the beauty in Nature itself and to enhance it. Over time the natural habitats return and with it is the timeless beauty that cannot compete with any of man’s best design intentions. All we can do is nurture, respect and yield to it.

The story of 20trees is a natural one. With eighteen microenvironments and two macro environments it is rich with a wealth of experiences. What is fundamental is that they are different but the same.

Different through function and aesthetics that provides a loaded experience for the residents yet at the same time there are the shared elements that amalgamate the overall design thereby ensuring that the overall environment is a potent and lasting memory for the residents and guests experiencing it.

The most memorable shared element within all these microenvironments is 203 sculptural acrylic rods which mark a place and tell a story that connects these environments. They are there as a contemporary “footprint” that one follows as if to have a quiet guide to take one through the development. And on it are words to describe the microenvironments which one is experiencing.