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Composite was commissioned to improve the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin. A brick walk and plaza now enhance the experience for visitors to this much-loved site at historic Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. The grave is adjacent to Independence National Historic Park and the National Constitution Center. Working with the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust, Composite completed the work in time for Franklin's 300th Birthday on 17 January 2006. The plan was prepared by Mark Thompson Associates Architects.
DogHaus, the Pennsylvania SPCA's designer show house included a colorful fall garden designed and installed by Composite. The terrace garden provides the richness of autumn color in metal, glass, and flowers.
The flagstone terrace garden was furnished with Richard Schultz's Topiary and Confetti line of outdoor tables and chairs in colorful yellow, red, and green. The luminous glass orbs by La Sorgente, a local glassblower, provide subtle warmth during the day and celestial beauty at night. The plants selected for their fall colors and textures mimic the orbs with their globular shapes and swirling leaf patterns.
In Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, Composite is working to restore an historic connection between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Fairmount Water Works. The steep Cliffside Path was constructed in the Victorian Era but had fallen into disrepair. Restoration of the stone arches and walls by Masonry Preservation Group is enhanced by the brick swale and paved walkway by Composite. An ornate railing and new lighting will enhance the rugged setting.
On Maryland's Elk River, a house addition called for a new landscape plan. The home and addition, both designed by Cecil Baker Associates, capitalize on the riverfront views while reflecting the natural character of the area. Composite's plan included naturalized plantings around the swimming pool and improvements to the entry court for the timber frame residence.
Michael LoFurno, showing plants for the sixth time, received thirty-six ribbons for his cacti, succulents, bromeliads, and rock garden plants. A blue ribbon went to Cephalocereus senilis, a pubescent Old Man's Cactus. A blue ribbon also went to LoFurno's collection of three colorful bromeliads.
No visitor to Philadelphia's urban core leaves without a taste of Isaiah Zagar's wall art. Mirrored walls accented with tile and ceramics abound in the South Street area. A new garden that flanks Zagar's "Ezekiel's Dream" was the site for a fundraiser to benefit the preservation of Zagar's "Magic Garden" nearby. Designed by Mara Baird and implemented by Composite, the garden plays off the mural with bold colors, swirling shapes, and sophisticated textures. Even the garden entrance is special - a steel gate embellished with recycled bottle bottoms that reads like a modern stained glass window. The gate was fabricated by Warren Holtzmann's Iron Studio.
A sleek contemporary design for a new home in the Rittenhouse Square area of Philadelphia is taking shape. Textural blocks of plants set against coursed bluestone paving provide interest and structure to this large garden space. The home, designed by Christopher Beardsley Architects and built by Archway Builders, has clean lines, rich materials, and well balanced volumes. Mark Paronish and Michael LoFurno set out to complement the architecture with a design reminiscent of mid-century landscape architecture while using local stone and a blend of plants suited to the urban environment.
Third-time exhibitor Mark Paronish exhibited his Gardenia jasminoides 'Veitchii.' Michael LoFurno, exhibiting for the fifth time, received twentyfour ribbons for his cacti, succulents, and rock garden plants. A blue ribbon went to Saxifraga kinlayi, a diminutive rock garden plant. In addition, LoFurno was awarded a rosette from the North American Rock Garden Society for the same plant. A blue ribbon also went to LoFurno's miniature landscape design which included a variety of succulent plants in a hypertufa trough.
At the Eastern Study Weekend of the North American Rock Garden Society in January, a photograph of Diapensia lapponica atop Maine's Mt. Katahdin was awarded by the judges. Photographer Michael LoFurno entered the image of the alpine plant growing in its natural habitat.
At the annual Photo Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Mycological Society, LoFurno's image of an earthstar, Scleroderma geaster, was awarded an Honorable Mention in the technical category.
DogHaus, the Pennsylvania SPCA's premiere designer show house includes a winter garden designed by Composite's Michael LoFurno and Mark Paronish. The urban garden provides the opportunity to celebrate what the city has to offer, while getting in touch with the natural elements.
The lower terrace garden was designed to provide year-round interest with plants arranged in "blocks" of color and texture. The form and shape of the urban neighborhood was combined with a rich palette of plants in order to satisfy both people and wildlife in a small space. The plants were selected for their suitability for use in the urban garden, as well as their ability to provide cover and food for birds. A glass birdbath and handcrafted wood and steel birdhouses completed the garden composition.
The play of light and snow on grasses, the ripened fruits on the branches, and the deepening colors of leaves in the diminishing sunlight - all that was punctuated by the flash of a brightly-colored warbler or the chortling of the woodpecker on his rounds. The chickadee's repeating call and the full-bodied whistle of the cardinal tell us that the winter is fast approaching. Our time for sitting outside in the garden may have passed, but the birds' has just begun.
Michael LoFurno spoke on 10 October at the AIA Philadelphia Design on the Delaware Conference. Sitting on a panel with three other Landscape Architects, LoFurno spoke about the firm's work on the Mitchell School Campus Park. The panel, "Minds at Play: Designing Outdoor Learning Environments for Schools," addressed the issues in designing outdoor learning environments.
Transforming a typical urban "bowling alley" yard into a livable and inviting garden is always challenging. Making that garden suitable for viewing, relaxing, and entertaining adds to the difficulty. Composite constructed such a garden in the Queen Village section of Philadelphia this summer. The wood paneled garden provides a great setting for casual dining, gardening, and just hanging out.
When a Queen Village couple acquired some land adjacent to their two-hundred year old home and decided to add a ground floor family room, a range of opportunities for outdoor living emerged. Set at an angle to the glass walled addition, the brick patio provides space-expanding views. Plants with year-round seasonal interest, custom cedar fences, and a classical water feature set the stage for Sophisticated Comfort. Composite designed and constructed the garden, including lighting and irrigation.
Composite completed plans for the Campus Park at Mitchell School in Southwest Philadelphia. The scheme for the schoolgrounds combines a Recreation and Fitness Area with an Environmental Education Area to provide students with a much improved learning experience.
Penn State student Gregg Eberly returned as a summer intern after studying abroad. David Seiter also joined the staff; Seiter is a graduate student of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Both students will be gaining hands-on construction experience on a variety of projects.
Michael LoFurno, exhibiting  for the fourth time, received 29 ribbons for his home-grown plants, including five blue ribbons. The sticky succulent Dyckia 'Toothy II' was awarded two blues, and the fruiting bromeliad Aechmea 'Red Ribbon' received one. Two blue ribbons went to the miniature landscape design that Michael created in a hypertufa trough; the landscape featured a variety of succulents arranged to mimic a Japanese landscape.
Composite Inc provides landscape design and construction services for projects that range from intimate gardens to large-scale developments and greenways.
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