Making an Entrance

The first impression of Cielo, a luxury residential land preserve in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., is truly grand, established by an entryway and gatehouse that merge Italian-style architecture with lush landscaping.

The quarter-mile entryway is bordered by walls of stacked stone. The gatehouse features a porte cochere and "appears to rise from water provided by a series of ponds and waterfalls steaming over stone weirs and archways," says David Dacus, vice president of marketing and sales for Rancho Cielo Estates Ltd., the community’s master planner and developer.

The award-winning, $3 million project was designed by The Dahlin Group and Burton Associates, both based in San Diego. With state-of-the-art technology integrated in the design, the gatehouse serves as the security hub of the community, manned by a 24-hour guard and roving patrol for the entire Cielo grounds.