Transcript Chapter 9 Landscape Design

Chapter 9
Landscape Design
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Three major influences that have shaped
American attitudes toward landscaping:
– Formal tradition of 16th and 17th century
Europe.
– Naturalism of the 18th century England.
– Nature symbolism of the orient.
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Naturalism gardens tore out the formal, symmetrical
gardens with zeal and replaced them with lakes and
islands, rolling hills, pastoral lawns, grazing animals,
and added such picturesque touches as
manufactured “ruins,” dead trees, hermits’ cottages,
and vistas toward distant templates.
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Landscape Design is the arrangement of
outdoor space in a way that serves the needs
and desires of people without damage to
natural ecological relationships.
To serve the needs and desires of clients, the
landscape designer must take an inventory of
their characteristics and their attitudes
toward the landscape sight.
Site Analysis and what it may include:
Dimension of the lot
Topography
 Geology
 Hydrography
 Existing vegetation
 Existing buildings
 Location of utility lines
and pipes above and
below ground
 Soil analysis
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Historic importance
Directional orientation
 Established circulation
patterns
 Proximity to roads, public
transportation, or
waterways
 Views from site
 Views toward site
 Problem areas
 Prevailing wind direction
and velocity
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Topography- the term used to describe the
elevation variations.
 Geology- the term used to describe rock
formations, including the bedrock base.
 Hydrography- the term used to describe the
surface and underground water.
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A complicated terrain to be landscaped may require the
services of an engineering firm to produce a detailed
survey.
 Many designers use a checklist to summarize the
characteristics of each site.
 The average home is divided into four areas, each
having a different function.
 The public area is where guests are received. It includes
the front door and the entrance hall.
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The general living area is where most of the
daily family interaction occurs and where friends
are entertained.
 The service area is where the utilization
functions of the family are carried out.
 The private living area is used for personal
aspects of family life.
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As with the home, the residential
landscape has three or four different areas
to accommodate different uses. They
include:
– The public area- between the house and street. It
is the area everyone crosses to approach the
house. The public area serves two functions: to
direct traffic to the entrance of the home and to
place the house in an attractive setting when
viewed from the street.
– The family living area- usually located at the rear
of the house and often to the sides as well. It is
the area where games are played, where the
patio and pool may be found, where friends are
entertained and barbecues held, and where the
family members relax.
– The private living area- is not found in all landscapes.
Where it does occur, it is the site for activities such as
a quiet conversation, sun bathing, and hot tubs. It is
usually limited to the use of the family members.
– The service area- contains the trash and garbage
cans, utility sheds for storage of garden tools,
compost piles, vegetable gardens, clothes lines, and
similar items. It is always screened from the view.
Improper design decisions can often be avoided
by application of the outdoor room concept.
 Simplicity in the design usually dictates that
separate elements be given less emphasis than
massed elements, fussy bedlines be replaced
with gentle curves or straight lines, and
maintenance-free materials be used
 By massing plant species into groups, attention
is not derived to each individual plant.
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Rhythm and line bring a feeling of continuity to
the landscape.
 Balance is a visual quality of the landscapers
design. In theory, it puts the landscape on a
seesaw and requires that each side have the
same visual weight.
 The three types of balance are: symmetrical,
asymmetrical, and proximal/distal.
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Symmetrical is when one side of the landscape is an
exact duplicate of the other
Asymmetrical is when one side of the landscape has
the same visual mass as the other but doesn’t
duplicate it.
Proximal/distal is when the on-site landscape is
developed to counterbalance the off-site landscape.
Each major use area of landscape should have
one focal point.
 Focalization is the term used to describe when
plants are arranged in an asymmetrical manner
to move the viewers eye toward the entrance,
the focal point.
 With proportion each element of the landscape
must be the proper size relationship with all
other elements.
 In proportion, the designer must envision a
mature landscape with comfortable, nonthreatening size relationships between
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– Plants and buildings
– Plants and other plants
– Plants and people
The master principle that gives cohesiveness to
the landscape design is unity.
 When plants are used to shape the outdoor
room, frame a view , shade a patio, or soften a
brick wall, their function is architectural.
 When plants solve a problem such as directing
traffic, reducing wind velocity, or absorbing dust
and noise, they are engineering elements.
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If plants are valued essentially for their appeal to the
senses, through fragrance, sound, color, or other visual
attributes, they are aesthetic contributors.
Hardiness is the term used to describe a plants ability to
survive in the winter.
Blossom color and fragrance are terms used to describe
flowering qualities.
Color, edibility, or toxicity are terms used to describe
fruiting qualities.
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Nutrient requirements, soil composition, and pH are
terms used to describe soil preferences.
A list of plants which are suggested for the area in which
the landscaper is working can be obtained from the local
Cooperative Extension Services.
Make visual notes of typical tree shrub silhouettes.
Defining the corners of the outdoor room are the corner
plantings.
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The corner planting has two parts:
– Incurve- most desirable location for an
attractive specimen plant because of its
natural focal point.
– Outcurve- plants are selected and placed to
direct attention even more strongly to the
incurve.
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The incurve plant is usually the tallest plant in the bed.
Line planting is the basic method of forming outdoor
walls with plants.
Foundation plantings were used in the last century in an
attempt to hide the unsightly base.
Outdoor enrichment items may be classified as natural
or man-made in origin, and as tangible or intangible in
character. They are elements of the landscape that do
not function as wall, ceiling, or floor.
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Hard pavings are either poured or set into place as
modular units, and become solid when installation is
complete.
Soft pavings are loose aggregate materials, sometimes
finely particulate like sand, sometimes coarsely
particulate like crushed stone or brick chips.
Make a visual comparison of enclosure styles and
materials.
Make a visual comparison of surfacing materials.
The landscape designer communicates in the language
of graphics.
 The landscape designer uses many of the same tools
used by a drafter.
 The plan view assumes a vantage point directly above
the proposed landscape looking down perpendicular to
the ground.
 The plan view is a collection of symbols that represent
the plants and construction materials to be used in the
landscape.
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Advantages and disadvantages of plan
views.
– Adv.- are easily drawn to scale, efficiently
combine the concepts of the design with
necessary mechanics such as plant spacing,
mulch depth, and concrete thickness.
– Disadv.- some clients find it difficult to
visualize the symbolic, two dimensional
drawing in three dimensions.
Fourteen steps in the development of a
residential plan:
1. Analyze the characteristics of the site
2. Determine the needs of the clients
3. Match client needs and site capabilities as
closely as possible, allowing new needs to be
suggested by the site’s potential for
development.
 4. Select a scale that allows the site to be
reproduced on paper, including lot, buildings,
and existing features
 5. Assign use areas to appropriate regions of the
property. Lay out the areas with wide angles to
avoid the creation of narrow, tight, and
impractically shaped spaces.
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6. Select focal points and locate them within the
use areas.
 7. Shape each use area in a way that directs
attention to the focal point and relates it to
adjoining use areas. You may have to try
numerous possibilities before you are satisfied.
Lightweight vellum can be taped over the
drawing to eliminate the need to erase as ideas
are tired and rejected
 8. Retaining the shapes from the step above,
convert the lines to planting beds and other
outdoor wall elements. It is important to
determine the location of the walls before
considering specific plants or other materials.
 9. Define the function to be served by each
plant in the design. The function directs and
restricts the choice of species.
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10. Select plant species that will fill the roles
defined for them, and symbolize them with their
mature size and plant type.
11. Select enclosure, surfacing, and enrichment
items that complement the total design.
12. Label all elements of the plan. Keep the
lettering on or near the symbols.
13. Compile a list of all plant species used and
the total number needed of each.
14. Trace the design, eliminating all unnecessary
guidelines, on heavy vellum, film, or cloth, using
a hard lead pencil or technical pen.