ORLANDO COMAS, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT IN BOCA MAGAZINE - AUGUST 2020

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Written by ROBIN HODES

With a glamorous design that rivals that of the most exclusive luxury resort, Comas blurs the line separating the infinity-edge pool from the ocean, creating a visual illusion where the water seems to flow endlessly into the horizon.

JONATHAN MURPHY

GARDEN VARIETY

To achieve a beautiful outdoor living space in South Florida, it’s important to look beyond Sabal palms and St. Augustine grass. Award-winning landscape architect Orlando Comas—widely recognized for his unique and breathtaking landscape projects—gives us the lay of the land.

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Above, using a multi-tiered approach to the landscape site design of this home’s magnificent rear exterior, Comas creates a large entertainment area at the pool level, provides a play area at the mid-level with an expanse of lawn, and then, just a few coral-constructed steps down, offers lakeside leisure with a wood deck appointed with color-matched Adirondack chairs and a fire table; right, realizing both visual interest and privacy, Comas’ “floating” green garden uses large specimen encephalartos and other tropicals.

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Orlando Comas is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and a director of the American Society of Registered Architects- Florida / Caribbean Council. He was named the AIA – Miami Chapter “2010 Landscape Architect of the Year” and has received state, national and international awards from various other organizations.

LIFESTYLE PRODUCTIONS GROUP

irtually anyone with a green thumb and a good eye can plant and design a garden, but in the industry of landscape architecture, a state-regulated profession that requires passing a rigorous exam plus several years of practical experience, few are as distinguished as Orlando Comas, ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects).

After owning a commercial nursery and practicing landscape architecture for 10 years in South America, Comas moved his studio to Miami, where he continues to create magnificent environments for private residences, luxury resorts and public spaces throughout South Florida, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.“Who would imagine it all started with a vegetable garden at my aunt’s house when I was 9 years old,” says Comas, contemplating the illustrious career he’s enjoyed since then.“Creating outdoor spaces has always been my passion, and forever will be,” he says.

Aside from realizing a beautiful aesthetic, there’s space planning and placement, grading and drainage, privacy and security, and the shape of the overall site to consider… among other factors.“Landscape architecture is more than just pretty flowers,” says Comas.“It’s creating outdoor environments that seamlessly blend softscapes and hardscapes while meeting the clients’ distinct needs for their spaces.”

Whether Comas’ design is casual, formal, eclectic, modern and edgy or natural and wild, it is always well thought out and one-of-a-kind.

“A unique landscape architecture project is one that evokes a powerful emotion,”he explains. And his role in designing swimming pools, spas, sitting areas, fountains and other usable spaces is vital, because, as Comas appreciates as well as anyone,“tropical living is as much about outdoor spaces as indoor. That’s what South Florida is all about.”

In the following pages, Comas shares with us some of his favorite projects.

CAROLINA E

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Above, carefully spaced tall trees and purposefully arranged low-profile plants frame—but do not obstruct—the view of the tranquil waters flanking this lakeside residence.

Accent epidendrum ground orchids color the picture-perfect scene. Below, bubbling fountains bring liquid luxury, as does a water wall—an enclosure element Comas conceived to transform what was once an open landscape space into a private courtyard.

Grand palms placed alongside the pool enhance the ambience and bring welcome shade. Their counterparts in the background effectively integrate the pool area with the lake and remaining rear yard landscape.

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MILLER PORTER

Right, a rustic wood trellis with climbing vines brings verdant, shaded beauty to this dockside conversation area.

Below, fusing landscape architecture with the classical architecture of the residence, Comas uses artfully groomed trees and hedges to showcase the homeowner’s outdoor sculpture.

BARRY GROSSMAN

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“A large water feature is the welcoming element as you approach this residence’s main entry,” says Comas. “Round planters holding tall palms create a ‘green top’ to the reflecting pool while offering a sense of human scale.”

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