LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Landscape architecture is the art, planning, design, management,

preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of human-made
constructs. The scope of the profession includes architectural design, site
planning, housing estate development, environmental restoration, town or
urban planning, urban design, parks and recreation planning, regional
planning, and historic preservation. A practitioner in the field of landscape
architecture is called a landscape architect.

What is landscaping? A tree over here? A bush there? It must be more than
beauty. If it isn’t functional, if it doesn’t serve you and the way you wish to
live, the design fails. Truly creative landscape design marries form and
function—beauty with usability.
The result is landscaping that reflects your vision, your imaginings, and is
as unique as your own fingerprint. And in the process, increases the value of
your home. Let us build a property that makes you proud to own and share
with others.
Intelligent landscape design combines sensitive with sensible. Our designs
should burst with creativity, are grounded in functionality and adhere to
your client budget specifications.

To get there, we should ask more questions than the client might expect—
about more things than a client might have considered. The client may be
surprised at how he/she answer. But it’s all part of the process. And why so
much goes into the planning and design. Before a single shovelful of earth is
moved.
We get to know our client and client, us.

HISTORY
landscape design is concerned with the design of enclosed space, as well as
unenclosed space which is open to the public (town squares, country parks,
park systems, greenways etc). The history of landscape architecture is
related to the history of gardening but is not coextensive. Both arts are
concerned with the composition of planting, landform, water, paving and
other structures but: garden design is essentially concerned with enclosed
private space ( parks, gardens etc).
In the 18th century, England became the focus of a new style of landscape
design. Figures such as William Kent, Humphry Repton, and most famously
Lancelot 'Capability' Brown remodelled the great estate parks of the English
gentry to resemble a neat and tidy version of nature. Many of these parks
remain today. The term 'landscape architecture' was first used by the
Scotsman Gilbert Laing Meason in the title of his book on The Landscape
Architecture of the Great Painters of Italy (London, 1828). It was about the
type of architecture found in landscape paintings. The term "landscape
architecture" was then taken up by JC Loudon and AJ Downing.
Through the 19th century, urban planning became more important, and it
was the combination of modern planning with the tradition of landscape
gardening that gave Landscape Architecture its unique focus. In the second
half of the century, Frederick Law Olmsted completed a series of parks
which continue to have a huge influence on the practices of Landscape
Architecture today. Among these were Central Park in New York, Prospect
Park in Brooklyn, and Boston's so called Emerald Necklace park system.
Landscape architecture continues to develop as a design discipline, and has
responded to many of the movements of design and architecture through the
20th century. Today, a healthy level of innovation continues to provide
challenging design solutions for streetscapes, parks and gardens. The work
of Martha Schwartz in the US, and in Europe designs such as
Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam by the Dutch design group West 8 are just
two examples.
Ian McHarg is considered an important influence on the modern Landscape
Architecture profession and land planning in particular. With his book
"Design with Nature", he popularized a system of analyzing the layers of a
site in order to compile a complete understanding of the qualitative
attributes of a place. This system became the foundation of todays
Geographic Information Systems (GIS). McHarg would give every
qualitative aspect of the site a layer, such as the history, hydrology,
topography, vegetation, etc. GIS software is ubiquitously used in the
landscape architecture profession today to analyze materials in and on the
earth's surface and is similarly used by Urban Planners, Geographers,
Forestry and Natural Resources professionals, etc.
Profession
In many countries, a professional institute, comprised of members of the
professional community, exists in order to protect the standing of the
profession and promote its interests, and sometimes also regulate the
practice of landscape architecture. The standard and strength of legal
regulations governing landscape architecture practice varies from nation to
nation, with some requiring licensure in order to practice; and some having
little or no regulation.In Pakistan there is no such indavidual body for
landscape architects but some urban issues have been taken by the PCATP
& iap
Duties of the landscape Architect

Landscape architecture is a multi-disciplinary field, including within its fold

geography, mathematics, science, engineering, art, horticulture, technology,
social sciences, politics, history, philosophy. The activities of a landscape
architect can range from the creation of public parks and parkways to site
planning for corporate office buildings, from the design of residential estates
to the design of civil infrastructure and the management of large wilderness
areas or reclamation of degraded landscapes such as mines or landfills.
Landscape architects work on all types of structures and external space -
large or small, urban or rural, and with "hard"/"soft" materials, hydrology
and ecological issues.
The breadth of the professional task that landscape architects collaborate on
is very broad, but some examples of project types include:

 The planning, form, scale and siting of new developments

 Civil design and public infrastructure
 Stormwater management including rain gardens, green roofs and
treatment wetlands
 Campus and site design for institutions
 Parks, botanical gardens, arboretums, greenways, and nature
preserves
 Recreation facilities like golf courses, theme parks and sports
facilities
 Housing areas, industrial parks and commercial developments
 Highways, transportation structures, bridges, and transit corridors
 Urban design, town and city squares, waterfronts, pedestrian
schemes, and parking lots
  Large or small urban regeneration schemes
 Forest, tourist or historic landscapes, and historic garden appraisal
and conservation studies
 Reservoirs, dams, power stations, reclamation of extractive industry
applications or major industrial projects
 Environmental assessment and landscape assessment, planning
advice and land management proposals.
 Coastal and offshore developments
The most valuable contribution is often made at the earliest stage of a
project in generating ideas and bringing flair and creativity to the use of
space. The landscape architect can contribute to the overall concept and
prepare an initial master plan, from which detailed designs can
subsequently be prepared. He or she can also let and supervise contracts for
construction work, prepare design impact assessments, conduct
environmental assessments or audits and act as an expert witness at
inquiries on land use. He or she can also support or prepare applications
for capital or revenue funding grants.
Specializations
 Landscape designers and Landscape technicans or engineers are
employed with landscape construction and service companies.
Landscape designers, like garden designers, design all types of
planting and green spaces - and are not registered. Many landscape
engineers work in public offices in central and local government
while others work for landscape architecture firms.
 Landscape managers use their knowledge of plants and the natural
environment to advise on the long-term care and development of the
landscape. Landscape managers work in horticulture, estate
management, forestry, nature conservation and agriculture.
 Landscape scientists have specialist skills such as soil science,
hydrology, geomorphology or botany that they relate to the practical
problems of landscape work. Their projects can range from site
surveys to the ecological assessment of broad areas for planning or
management purposes. They may also report on the impact of
development or the importance of particular species in a given area.
 Landscape planners are concerned with landscape planning for the
location, scenic, ecological and recreational aspects of urban, rural
and coastal land use. Their work is embodied in written statements of
policy and strategy, and their remit includes masterplanning for new
 developments, landscape evaluations and assessments, and preparing
countryside management or policy plans.
Some may also apply an additional specialism such as landscape
archaeology or law to the process of landscape planning.
 Garden designers are concerned with the design of small gardens
and outdoor spaces and also with historic garden conservation.
 Green roof designers design extensive roof gardens for storm water
management, sustainable architecture, aesthetics, and habitat
creation.

Energy-Efficient Landscaping
Energy-efficient landscaping is a type of landscaping designed for the
purpose of conserving energy. There is a distinction between the embedded
energy of materials and constructing the landscape, and the energy
consumed by the maintenance and operations of a landscape.
Design techniques include:
-Planting trees for the purpose of providing shade, which reduces cooling
costs.
-Planting or building windbreaks to slow winds near buildings, which
prevents heat loss.
-Wall sheltering, where shrubbery or vines are used to create a windbreak
directly against a wall.
-Earth sheltering and positioning buildings to take advantage of natural
landforms as windbreaks.
-Green roofs that cool buildings with extra thermal mass and
evapotranspiration.
-Reducing the heat island effect with pervious paving, high albedo paving,
shade, and minimizing paved areas.
-Site lighting with full cut off fixtures, light level sensors, and high efficiency
fixtures Energy-efficient landscaping techniques include using local
materials, on-site composting and chipping to reduce greenwaste hauling,
hand tools instead of gasoline-powered, and also may involve using
drought-resistant plantings in arid areas, buying stock from local growers
to avoid energy in transportation, and similar techniques.
Sustainable Landscape Architecture
Sustainable landscape architecture is a category of sustainable design
concerned with the planning and design of outdoor space. This can include
ecological, social and economic aspects of sustainability. For example, the
design of a sustainable urban drainage system can: improve habitats for
fauna and flora; improve recreational facilities, because people love to be
beside water; save money, because building culverts is expensive and floods
cause severe financial harm.
The design of a green roof or a roof garden can also contribute to the
sustainability of a landscape architecture project. The roof will help manage
surface water, provide for wildlife and provide for recreation.
Sustainability appears to be a new addition to the traditional Vitruvian
objectives of the design process: commodity, firmness and delight. But it can
be seen as an aspect of both firmness and commodity: an outdoor space is
likely to last longer and give more commodity to its owners if it requires low
inputs of energy, water, fertiliser etc, and if it produces fewer outputs of
noise, pollution, surface water runoff etc.
Green Roofs
Green Roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered
with vegetation and soil, or a growing medium, planted over a
waterproofing membrane. This does not refer to roofs which are merely
colored green, as with green shingles. It may also include additional layers
such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems. Container
gardens on roofs, where plants are maintained in pots, are not generally
considered to be true green roofs, although this is an area of debate. The
term "green roof" may also be used to indicate roofs that utilize some form
of "green" technology, such as solar panels or a photovoltaic module. Green
roofs are also referred to as eco-roofs, vegetated roofs, living roofs, and
greenroofs.
Green roofs are used to:
- Provide amenity space for building users — in effect replacing a yard
or patio
- Grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers
- Reduce heating (by adding mass and thermal resistance value) and
cooling (by evaporative cooling) loads on a building — especially if it is
glassed in so as to act as a terrarium and passive solar heat reservoir
- Reduce the urban heat island effect
- Increase roof life span
- Reduce stormwater run off
- Filter pollutants and Co2 out of the air
- Filter pollutants and heavy metals out of rainwater
- Increase wildlife habitat in built-up areas
A green roof is often a key component of an autonomous building.
According to Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (a network of public and
private interests founded by Steven W. Peck based in Toronto):
"In North America, the benefits of green roof technologies are poorly
understood and the market remains immature, despite the efforts of several
industry leaders. In Europe however, these technologies have become very
well established."
A 2005 study by Brad Bass of the University of Toronto showed that green
roofs can also reduce heat loss and energy consumption in winter
conditions.
History and uses of Green Roofs
Modern green roofs, which are made of a system of manufactured layers
deliberately placed over roofs to support growing medium and vegetation,
are a relatively new phenomenon. They were developed in Germany in the
1960s, and have since spread to many countries. Today, it is estimated that
about 10% of all German roofs have been “greened.” Green roofs are also
becoming increasingly popular in the United States, although they are not
as common as in Europe
Many green roofs are installed to comply with local regulations and
government fees, often regarding stormwater runoff management. In areas
with combined sewer-stormwater systems, heavy storms can overload the
wastewater system and cause it to flood, dumping raw sewage into the local
waterways. Green roofs decrease the total amount of runoff and slow the
rate of runoff from the roof. It has been found that they can retain up to 75%
of rainwater, gradually releasing it back into the atmosphere via
condensation and transpiration, while retaining pollutants in their soil.
Elevation 314, a new development in Washington D.C., uses green roofs to
filter and store some of its stormwater on site, avoiding the need for
expensive underground sand filters to meet D.C. Department of Health
stormwater regulations.
Finally, green roofs provide habitat for plants, insects, and animals that
otherwise have limited natural space in cities. Even in high-rise urban
settings as tall as 19 stories, it has been found that green roofs can attract
beneficial insects, birds, bees and butterflies. Rooftop greenery complements
wild areas by providing "stepping stones" for songbirds, migratory birds
and other wildlife facing shortages of natural habitat.
Combating the urban heat island effect is another reason for creating a
green roof. Traditional building materials soak up the sun's radiation and
re-emit it as heat, making cities at least 7 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than
surrounding areas. On Chicago's City Hall, by contrast, which features a
green roof, roof temperatures on a hot day are typically 25–80 degrees
Fahrenheit (14–44 degrees Celsius) cooler than they are on traditionally
roofed buildings nearby.
Green roofs are becoming common in Chicago, as well as Atlanta,
Portland, and other cities, where their use is encouraged by regulations to
combat the urban heat island effect. In the case of Chicago, the city has
passed codes offering incentives to builders who put green roofs on their
buildings. The Chicago City Hall green roof is one of the earliest and most
well known examples of green roofs in the United States; it was planted as
an experiment to determine the effects a green roof would have on the
microclimate of the roof. Following this and other studies, it has now been
estimated that if all the roofs in a major city were "greened," urban
temperatures could be reduced by as much as 12 degrees Fahrenheit.
Green roofs have also been found to dramatically improve a roof’s
insulation value. A study conducted by Environment Canada found a 26%
reduction in summer cooling needs and a 26% reduction in winter heat
losses when a green roof is used. In addition, greening a roof is expected to
lengthen a roof’s lifespan by two or three times, according to Penn State
University’s Green Roof Research Center.
Finally, green roofs provide habitat for plants, insects, and animals that
otherwise have limited natural space in cities. Even in high-rise urban
settings as tall as 19 stories, it has been found that green roofs can attract
beneficial insects, birds, bees and butterflies. Rooftop greenery complements
wild areas by providing "stepping stones" for songbirds, migratory birds
and other wildlife facing shortages of natural habitat.
Green roofs can be categorized as "intensive", "semi-intensive" or
"extensive", depending on the depth of planting medium and the amount of
maintenance they need. Traditional roof gardens, which require a
reasonable depth of soil to grow large plants or conventional lawns, are
labour-intensive, requiring irrigation, feeding and other maintenance.
"Extensive" green roofs, by contrast, are designed to be virtually self-
sustaining and should require only a minimum of maintenance, perhaps a
once-yearly weeding or an application of slow-release fertiliser to boost
growth. They can be established on a very thin layer of "soil" (most use
specially formulated composts): even a thin layer of rockwool laid directly
onto a watertight roof can support a planting of Sedum species and mosses.
Another important distinction is between pitched green roofs and flat green
roofs. Pitched green roofs, a traditional feature of many Scandinavian
buildings, tend to be of a simpler design than flat green roofs. This is
because the pitch of the roof reduces the risk of water penetrating through
the roof structure, allowing the use of fewer waterproofing and drainage
layers.
Brown Roofs
Industrial brownfield sites can be valuable ecosystems, supporting rare
species of plants, animals and invertebrates. Increasingly in demand for
redevelopment, these habitats are under threat. "Brown roofs" can partly
mitigate this loss of habitat by covering the flat roofs of new developments
with a thin layer of crushed rubble and gravel, ideally obtained at minimal
cost from the redevelopment site itself. They are intended to be gradually
colonised by spiders and insects and provide a feeding site for insectivorous
birds. Laban, a centre for contemporary dance in London, has a brown roof
specifically designed to encourage the locally rare Black Redstart. (In 2003
Laban won the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize.) There are similar brown roofs
on several nearby buildings in Deptford, including the Creekside Education
Centre
GreenRoofs
EXAMPLES

An intensive roof garden in

Several grass roofs can be seen in the
Manhattan
village of Bøur in the Faroe Islands
One of the largest expanses of extensive green roof is to be found in the
USA, at Ford Motor Company's River Rouge Plant, Dearborn, Michigan,
where 42,000 square metres (454,000 ft²) of assembly plant roofs are
covered with sedum and other plants. Other well-known American examples
include Chicago’s City Hall and the Gap headquarters in San Bruno, CA.
Recently, the American Society of Landscape Architects retrofitted their
existing headquarters building in Washington, D.C. with a green roof
designed by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh. The cities of
Chicago, Atlanta and Portland, Ore. also boast numerous green roofs.
Switzerland has one of Europe's oldest green roofs, created in 1914 at the
Moos lake water-treatment plant, Wallishofen, Zürich. Its filter-tanks have
30,000 square metres(320,000 ft²) of flat concrete roofs. To keep the interior
cool and prevent bacterial growth in the filtration beds, a drainage layer of
gravel and a 15 cm (6 in) layer of soil was spread over the roofs, which had
been waterproofed with asphalt. A meadow developed from seeds already
present in the soil; it is now a heaven for many plant species, some of which
are now otherwise extinct in the district, most notably 6,000 Orchis morio
(green-winged orchid). More recent Swiss examples can be found at
Klinikum 1 and Klinikum 2, the Cantonal Hospitals of Basel, and the
Sihlpost platform at Zürich's main railway station.
What is believed to be the world's first green roof botanic garden was set up
in Augustenborg, a suburb of Malmö, in May 1999. The International Green
Roof Institute (IGRI) opened to the public in April 2001 as a research
station and educational facility. (It has since been renamed the
Scandinavian Green Roof Institute (SGRI), in view of the
 Contonal Hospital of Basel
Cicindela campestris, a
rare and endangered
species found on a green
roof in Basel

Impression of the
naturally growing
vegetation out of the top
soil substrate

Start of the development of

the roof vegetation out of the
top soil substrate
 Zurich’s Main Railway Station

increasing number of similar organizations around the world.) Green roofs

are well-established in Malmö: the Augustenborg housing development near
the IGRI botanic garden incorporates green roofs and extensive imaginative
landscaping of streams, ponds and soakaways between the buildings to deal
with storm water run-off. The new Bo01 urban residential development (in
the Västra Hamnen (Western Harbour) close to the foot of the iconic
Turning Torso office and apartment block, designed by Santiago Calatrava)
is built on the site of old shipyards and industrial areas, and incorporates
many green roofs.
British examples can be found at the University of Nottingham Library, and
in London at the Horniman Museum and Canary Wharf. The Ethelred
Estate, close to the River Thames in central London, is the British capital's
largest roof-greening project to date
 The roof garden of the Art and Exhibition Hall in
Bonn, Germany.
Toxteth in Liverpool is also a candidate for a major roof-greening project.
In France, a huge green roof of roughly 8,000 m² (70,000 ft²) has been
incorporated into the new museum L'Historial de la Vendée which opened in
June 2006 at Les Lucs-sur-Boulogne.
The new California Academy of Sciences building, currently under
construction in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, has a green roof that
will provide 2.5 acres (1 hectare) of native vegetation designed as a habitat
for indigenous species, including the threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly.
According to the Academy's fact sheet on the building, the new building will
consume 30-35% less energy than required by code.

New California Academy of Sciences Building

Disadvantages of Green Roofs
Some disadvantages that have been found in the use of green roofs include
the need to strengthen the structural support of some existing roofs when
retrofitted to accommodate the weight of a green roof, and the fact that
green roof vegetation is often not designed to be walked on by humans.
Since most green roof designs originate in Europe, it is also sometimes
necessary to adapt those designs for the differing climatic conditions of
other areas.
Green roofs have more demanding structural standards. Many existing
buildings cannot be retrofitted with a green roof because of the weight load
of the soil and vegetation. A concrete roof deck makes a green roof much
more feasible, as opposed to a metal or wood roof deck. Green roofs also
have more exacting standards for the roof system to be installed beneath it,
as finding and repairing a leak under 4-12 inches of soil and vegetation is
an expensive endeavor.
Non-native insects are being attracted into areas where non-native plants
are used for Green Roofs in large numbers. For example, the lack of native
plants in city centres has resulted in a decrease in dragon-fly population in
city centres in Japan. Part of the problem has been a high-usage rate of
lightweight Green Roof technologies that do not use plants that support the
local insect population but can act as habitat for some unwanted species.
The increase in unwanted insect species habitat has begun to result in a
crowding of the native insects. To combat this crowding before it gets out of
hand, measures are now being taken by the local governments in Japan
(which have supported Green Roofs and Walls with extensive incentive
programs for years).
to encourage the installation of "Bio-Top's". Bio-Top's are Green Roofs that
use native species and water basins specifically designed to support local
bird and insect populations.
These measures will not strictly require that all green roofs use native
plants, as this is not logistically practical due to the small-size of the native
plant industry world-wide, but it will require that more Bio-Top's are
installed with each year's building permit applications to provide more
breeding ground and habitat for native species in order to balance the
crowding of native species to the area.
Costs of Green Roofs
A properly designed and installed Green Roof system can cost 15 to 35
dollars per square foot. The cost depends on what kind of roof it is, the
structure of the building, and what plants can grow on the material that is
on top of the roof. There are some Green Roof systems in the market that
advertise at a cost of 8 to 15 dollars per square foot, however, these systems
are usually not properly designed systems and use a cheap dimple board
drainage material and use typical landscaping soils, two common and costly
mistakes with Green Roofs. Insurance companies in British Columbia,
Canada have recently lashed out against the installation of these "low-cost"
systems due to several failures of waterproofing and plants with these types
of systems and have decided not to insure any buildings in British Columbia
that use these types of systems.
The insurance companies have however, opened a panel discussion to
investigate the insuring of buildings that use properly designed Green Roof
systems with several years of experience and thousands of installations
behind them, such as the Zinco, G-Sky and Optigruen systems. In the Spring
2007 issue of the Green Roof Infrastructure Monitor (Green Roofs for
Healthy Cities web site) , Jörg Breuning reflects the wind and fire loads of
green roofs and how German insurance companies handle extensive Green
Roofs.
One of the hidden costs of a green roof is the cost of re-roofing when the
roofing system beneath the overburden eventually breaks down. Repairs to
green roofs can also be costly, even when due to manufacturing defect, as
roof warranties related to green roofs generally exclude removal of the
overburden to address defects.
Green roofs in Egypt
In Egypt, soil-less agriculture is used to grow plants on the roofs of
buildings. No soil is placed directly on the roof itself, thus eliminating the
need for an insulating layer. Instead, plants are grown on wooden tables.
Vegetables and fruit are the most popular candidates, providing a fresh,
healthy source of food that is free from chemicals.
A more advanced method used at some places in Egypt is farming fish next
to the plants in a closed cycle. This allows the plants to benefit from the
ammonia excreted by the fish, helping the plants to grow better and at the
same time eliminating the need for changing the water for the fish, because
the plants help to keep it clean by absorbing the ammonia. The fish get some
nutrients from the roots of the plants, as well as oxygen.
Designing Outdoor Spaces
Element and principles:
The key to success in garden design is arranging the property according to
the basic tools of visual art. Utilize the four art elements (line, color, form
and texture) and the principle of design (focalization, axial geometry,
proportion, scale, repetition and rhythm.
Line, color, form and texture are the backbone ingredients in any designer’s
bag of tricks.
Line:
Line is directional. The “s” curve, or Hogarth’s line of beauty, is an element
that draws the eye into a picture and adds mystery, such as when you can’t
quite see around a curve of shrubs, or when windings lines animate the
ground plane. A straight line is the quickest way between two points, but it
can also be boring.
Color:
Color is emotional. Hot color such as red or yellow brings activity to the
foreground. Cool color like pink, purple or blue causes images to recede.
Monochromatic color scheme, such as using blue stone, gray stucco walls
and furniture painted a gray-green, tend to make a small space seem larger.
Form:
Form leaves a lasting impression of a shape. Conical evergreens are
inspirational and lift your eyes to the heavens, which is why they are often
planted in cemeteries. Clipped hedges or topiaries have clearly defined
shapes. Less clear but subtler are the undulating forms of flowing contours
that offer “soft” bumps throughout a landscape, as opposed to harder
geometries.
Texture:
Texture leads the eye from voids to solids, all the while making the place
lively. Objects in the foreground will look closer if they are coarsely
textured. In a tiny courtyard, a maidenhair fern used as edging will convey a
sense of space due to its dainty, finely textured fronds. A diversity of
textures (fine, medium, coarse) when mixed together in masses will enliven
a space due to the plant texture and the size of space between each. It leads
the eye. Likewise, bricks as a border to a gravel walk seem to dominate the
finely textured gravel due to their coarse, or large, size.
The following design principles are more subjective and employ the art
elements to do their business:
1: Repetition is easily recognized by the use of repeated shapes in a rhythm.
Bumps of boxwoods spring to mind or street trees lined up along an alee.
Walkways are often lined with boxwood or floral edgings that repeat the line
of the walk.
2: Rhythm involves the spaces and density of the repeated objects and
works with the repetition as a design principle. The same plant material,
such as mounding Japanese maple, can repeat a shape but be scattered
throughout the garden in a rhythm.
3-4: Axial geometry and focalization often got hand in hand due to the
dance the line, an art element, imposes. A focal point is a terminal item at
the end of a walk, an alee of tree or an arbor, and it draws your view along a
centerline.
5-6: Proportion and Scale are design principles best acknowledged by “I
know it when I see it.” That said it is important to test all heights of
columns, statues, fountain features and the like by placing a simple “mock-
up” in the location, standing back and deciding if it fits. Another method is
to draw and elevation of the item in its future environment. A scaled
drawing is far more cost-effective than a hastily constructed and awkward
arbor.
After learning the potentials of the site, a designer can apply these design
tools to create a masterpiece. Each garden is as individual as a fingerprint
and has its own genetic code. By using the art elements and design
principles, a designer can create a living work of art.
Form Composition
Form composition, the shape the space takes, falls into four general
categories:

Modular composition: If everything in your proposed landscape- all of

your planting beds, lawns, patio spaces, pools, etc. has 90-degree corners
(i.e., squares and triangles), then your design is perfectly curvilinear and will
work well.
Curvilinear composition: If everything is curved and nothing has sharp
angles, your design is perfectly curvilinear and will work well.
Angular composition: The 45-degree angle is by far the most common
angle used in residential design. If the shapes in your landscape are defined
by 45-degree angles, the design is perfectly angular and will work well.
Hybrid composition: This style of design utilizes two of the three forms of
composition listed above. For example, a curved patio set against an angular
house.
If your design conforms to one of the first three categories of form
composition, it is good design. In other words, it violates no design
principles. The same is true if your design combines any two of the first
three categories. Combine all three, however, and you’ve dissolved
composition into a free-for-all. Such designs are rarely visually coherent or
pleasant.
Types of Gardens Rooms

Types of garden rooms

Transforming the yard into a series of garden rooms can produce some of the
most inviting spaces in which to live and play, so its important to understand
what sort of style and functions are right for you. Here are three simple ways
to think about your outdoor living spaces:
A formal garden room:
This is a setting in which many aspects of a traditional room are reproduced.
Plantings, pergolas or other landscaping materials can be used to define the
area and provide an appropriate level of privacy, while pavers can serve as
flooring that further distinguishes the space. Accessories and furnishings are
then added to enhance the room’s functionality, contributing to a distinct,
formal space within natural environs. The hallmarks of a formal space are
symmetry and a preponderance of straight lines and right angles in its
shapes.
A semi-formal garden room:
This type of design carves out a garden room more by suggestion than by
enclosure. It may be delineated by partial enclosures, such as planters or half
pergolas that are used to distinguish between two distinct spaces without
creating real “walls.” This space may not have all the elements of an interior,
but it is clearly recognizable as a separate area with its own uses. Curvature
and flow characterize the semi-formal room. Although it may be perfectly
symmetrical, with bordered flowerbeds, crisply laid walkways, and poured
concrete pools, the absence of sharp angles makes it feel more relaxed than
its formal counterpart. Perhaps the most familiar example of semi-formal
design is the Japanese garden that, despite its rigorous use of exact design
modules, always feels natural and serene. One or two key design elements,
such as flooring and furniture, maybe all that is needed to demarcate the
space.
A natural garden room:
This is an outdoor space that integrates with its surroundings rather than
seeking to replace them. Where nature has created a sheltered place or
sweeping expanse that induces people to stop, sit and reflect, a room of sorts
already exists. Adding a human dimension, such as benches or pavers, is all
that is required in this type of setting. The use of indigenous material is vital
in order to maintain the aesthetics established by the environment. Each
season is a different experience to the occupant of a nature retreat, but the
elements of this type of garden should appeal to your sense of smell, touch
and sound year-round.
Phase Design
Budget and lifestyle can be factors in phasing design. Perhaps you can only
afford to set aside a little bit each year for your landscape, or perhaps
children create safety issues.
Try to phase design in these stages:
a- Terraces, Walkways & Decks:
This will give you living spaces to use immediately and will usually eliminate a later
need for heavy equipment to be dragged through your garden.
b- Grading solutions:
To ensure proper drainage and flow of rain and runoff water, retaining walls and/or
drainage systems are top priorities.
c- Major waterscapes:
Of young children and safety are a concern, you may want to wait on this component; if
budget is the main issue, thought, you should prioritize your waterscape and wait to
implement your yard plans until you have the funds, again, pools and waterfalls can
require heavy equipment that may damage softscape.
d- Pergolas, Arbors, Trellises:
Anything that’s going to have posts and columns going down into the ground.
e - Tree plantings & sod:
Put the big softscape in first; that’s where you get the most impact. You get more mileage
out of trees and lawn than you do out of shrubs. Your yard will look finished even its till
a work in progress.
f - Shrubs & other planting:
Its far more cost-effective and easier to lay grass everywhere and then cut out the grass to
replace with your shrubs.
During each of these steps, make sure to also consider irrigation and lighting systems for
the garden. This reduces maintenance and ensures extended use of the garden into the
evening