Chapter 9 Landscape Design

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Chapter 9Landscape 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.

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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

• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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 doesnt
  duplicate it.
• Proximal/distal is when the on-site landscape is
  developed to counterbalance the off-site
  landscape.

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• 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,
  non-threatening size relationships between
• Plants and buildings
• Plants and other plants
• Plants and people

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• 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.

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• 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.

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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 sites 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.
• 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.

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Cont.d

• 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.
• 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
  letterning 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.