Terra+ was mandated to design the outdoor spaces for Bertha retreat which is a non-profit organisation. The focus was to create spaces where people could feel safe, interact, and which promotes equality, one of the key principles of the organisation.

Another aspect of the design was to respond to the context of a rural setting, with the inclusion of foraging gardens and a large portion of permaculture gardens.

The design was centered around a central space with a firepit, and we used planting areas and pergolas as devices to create out-door “rooms”. All the spaces were then interlinked with pathways creating continuous experience of the landscape. The plant material was all endemic or indigenous which further strengthened the connection to the context of the Stellenbosch mountains and fynbos biome

From The Bertha Retreat Website: The Bertha Retreat, based at Boschendal Wine Farm in the Dwarsrivier Valley, South Africa, was created as a space where activists, lawyers, storytellers and community groups can work together to progress social and economic justice and equal rights for all. Bertha Retreat serves as a transformative space where people from different backgrounds can gather, align and work. The Retreat provides sanctuary for organizations and movements as part of a critical intervention towards furthering social justice.

Features of the plan: Radial central pattern with different colours mimicking patterns found in nature

Close to nature and the organization of plants in nature

Re-wilding of the site with local indigenous plants

Use of local knowledge and labour

Landscape Plan

TERRA+

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS