SITE PLANNING & THEORY OF LANDSCAPE

Gateway College of Architecture & Design

Prepared & Presented by

Anjali Dutt
Master of Science in Integrated Sustainable Design (MS ISD) I National University of Singapore
Bachelor of Architecture I Gateway College of Architecture & Design
HOW TO DESIGN A LANDSCAPE:
DESIGN PROCESS
The five steps of the design process include:

1) conducting a site inventory and analysis,

To establish the aesthetic,
2) determining your needs,
functional, and horticultural
3) creating functional diagrams, requirements for the design
4) developing conceptual design plans, and
Used to apply the above
5) drawing a final design plan. requirements to the creation of
the final landscape plan.
Throughout the design process there are 9 important
things to consider:
1. UNDERSTAND YOUR SITE
A thorough inventory and analysis of the site is important to determine the environmental conditions for
plant growth and the best use of the site. Issues of concern include the soil type, topography, and
regional climate. The type of soil determines the nutrients and moisture available to the plants. It is
always best to use plants that will thrive in the existing soil. Although soil can be amended, amendment is
often costly and most times ineffective. Existing vegetation can provide clues to the soil type. Where
plants grow well, note the soil conditions and use plants with similar growing requirements. Topography
and drainage should also be noted and all drainage problems corrected in the proposed design. A good
design will move water away from the house and re-route it to other areas of the yard.

Climate concerns begin with temperature: plants must be able to survive the average high and, most
importantly, the average low temperatures for the region. Sun/shade patterns, the amount and length of
exposure to sun or shade , create microclimates (sometimes called microhabitats). Recording site
conditions and existing vegetation on a base map will reveal the location of microclimates in the yard.
Plants usually fall into one or two of four microclimate categories-full sun, partial shade, shade, and deep
shade. It is important to remember that sun/shade patterns change with the seasons and over time as
trees get larger.
1. UNDERSTAND YOUR SITE

Sun and shade patterns.

1. UNDERSTAND YOUR SITE

Site inventory
2. REMEMBER THE USER
Things to consider
• How do you want to use the
yard,
• Aesthetically, how do you want
it to look,
• What is your maintenance plan
• It is also important to
remember the vehicles used by
your family; driveways and
parking are space intensive.
3. USE A FORM AND/OR STYLE THEME
There are many different landscape design themes- from simple to complex, but it is helpful to choose
one to guide your plant and material selection.
Before choosing a theme it is important to look at the surrounding views of your property.

Decide if you want the garden to enclose the space around you and relate mostly to the house, or do
you want the garden to open views and look outward, relating to the surroundings? This will give you a
starting point to think about a theme.

Care should be taken to choose appropriate themes for your yard based on the architecture, the type of
neighborhood, the topography, and the regional landscapes. This is called "sense of place", which
means it fits with the surroundings.
3. USE A FORM AND/OR STYLE THEME
There are both form themes and style themes. Every garden should
have a form theme, but not all gardens have a style theme. In fact,
many residential gardens have no particular style except to blend
with the house by repeating details from the architecture such as
materials, color, and form. All gardens, however, should use a form
theme to create spaces for activities. In a form theme the
organization and shape of the spaces in the yard is based either on
the shape of the house, the shape of the areas between the house
and the property boundaries, or a favorite shape of the homeowner.
The form theme determines the shape and organization (the layout)
of the spaces and the links between them.

Common themes include geometric, such as a circle, square, and

rectangle; or naturalistic such as irregular (organic edge) or
curvilinear (meandering lines. Form themes are sometimes
combined; geometric shapes are used for the hardscape and
naturalistic shapes for the plantings. For example, plant bedlines are
often curvilinear while the hardscape is square in form.
3. USE A FORM AND/OR STYLE THEME

Naturalistic form theme

3. USE A FORM AND/OR STYLE THEME
Style themes are most often related to the architecture and they often
simplify the design of a residential yard because materials and form are to
some extent pre-determined. Many style themes today are a contemporary
version of traditional garden designs. Architecture is usually the primary
source of a theme, but themes can also represent a time, a culture, a place, or
a feeling, such as serenity or calmness. The advantage to using a traditional
style theme is the established set of forms and elements have historically
worked well together and endured the test of time.

Because architectural styles typically fall into a formal or informal category,

the landscape theme tends to be either formal or informal. Formal
architectural and garden styles that can be used for inspiration include French,
Spanish, Italian, and Middle Eastern. Less formal designs include Oriental,
English, and American. Style themes can also apply to the planting plan and
may include tropical, desert, meadow, woodland, marsh, or coastal plantings.
Themes can be as simple as a color mix or plants with a distinct character-
such as grasses-used repeatedly in the composition.
3. USE A FORM AND/OR STYLE THEME

Formal style theme.

4. CREATE AND LINK SPACES
The yard is an extension of the home where a variety of activities take place. A yard can generally be divided into three
areas: public (the front yard), private (the back yard), and service (typically the side yard). The location of activity areas
depends primarily on the type of area, the size of space needed, the type of activity, and the desired proximity to other
activities and structures.These spaces are often separated through the use of plant beds, sod areas, trees, planters,
garden walls, arbors, level changes, and paved surfaces. The features are used to enclose or define the spaces and give
them a room-like feel. For psychological comfort, creating spaces that are of human scale is important because most
people prefer to be in places that feel protected and sheltering, rather than open and exposed. The outside wall of the
house often serves as the first wall or starting point of an outdoor room.Pedestrian circulation in the landscape should
move people through the yard and provide organizational structure. Outdoor rooms are typically linked by pathways,
steps, and walkways, or openings with gates or arbors that encourage exploration and use of the entire yard . These
spaces can also be linked by visual features such as a creek bed (wet or dry) that meanders through or beside several
spaces, or a garden wall that begins at a patio, moves along a turf area and ends along a planted area.Using similar
hardscape features and repeating plants pulls the eye around the garden. Important points along the way can be
emphasized with plantings or features that draw attention and encourage movement in a particular direction. Moving
along the path takes a person from one area to the next and allows the user to have a variety of experiences. In an
informal garden the curves and bends of the path should partially conceal what lies ahead. This provides a sense of
mystery that promotes exploration and discovery of the landscape.
4. CREATE AND LINK SPACES

Outdoor Rooms Linked Spaces

5. CONSIDER THE FUNCTION OF PLANTS
From a design perspective, plant materials have three major functions in the landscape: aesthetic, structural and
utilitarian.
Aesthetically, plants create a visually pleasant environment and,structurally plants organize and define spaces. Plants
are utilitarian because they can transform the environment for the comfort of the user by modifying light, temperature
and humidity. Plants can also be used to control noise and odor, and provide food for homeowners and wildlife.
For psychological comfort plants are used as physical or implied barriers for privacy and safety. Physical barriers block
both the view and access to a space and include fences, walls and plant hedges. Implied barriers, typically low growing
plants, block access but not the view. Other functions of plants include cleaning the air, preventing erosion and soil loss,
retaining moisture in the soil, and returning organic matter to the soil.

For these reasons, the types of plants to be used (such as trees, shrubs, or groundcovers) should be chosen in the early
stages of planning. Plant types are chosen for their functional capabilities so that their future purpose and required
space can be considered at the same time.

For structure and utility, trees and large to medium shrubs are the most important plants in the landscape, they
contribute the most to microclimates , spatial organization, and security concerns. The size, form and texture (density)
are the three dominant characteristics that determine how the plant can be used to make more pleasant microclimates
and create a more functional, organized, energy efficient yard.
CONSIDER THE FUNCTION OF PLANTS

Physical and implied barriers.

CONSIDER THE FUNCTION OF PLANTS

Microclimates
6. STRUCTURE THE PLANTINGS
Plants provide structure in the garden in the same way as do the walls of a building. Shrubs can act as walls in a space
and the branches of trees form a ceiling canopy overhead. The overhead plane, the vertical plane and the ground plane
should all be considered to create enclosure. Once the shape of a plant bed has been established, the plants should be
massed (grouped) and layered to achieve visual unity and the desired amount of enclosure. The size of a plant mass will
depend on the total size of the yard, the size of the individual plants in the mass, and the emphasis or impact desired
from the plant material. Overlapping the masses of plants so that they are layered, both horizontally and vertically links
the plants with an interconnecting pattern. Each plant mass is in front of, behind, or next to, another mass.
Repeating plants within a mass and repeating masses with similar plants ties the garden together.

The individual plant characteristics must be considered to successfully layer and mass plants. Each plant should
complement or contrast a neighboring plant.

All plant compositions begin with the main structure plants, the large, mostly evergreen background plants-such as the
trees and large shrubs. These plants separate or enframe spaces, control the size of the space, and provide the starting
point for choosing the appropriate characteristics of the second layer, midground plants, for massing and infill. The final
layer of plants, the foreground plants, includes the low growing plants that often provide emphasis or focal points.
6. STRUCTURE THE PLANTINGS

Horizontal plant layers

6. STRUCTURE THE PLANTINGS

Vertical plant layers

7. HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANT POINTS

Important points in the garden should be highlighted by the use of unique plants, distinct
structures, or garden ornaments. Marking thresholds or entrances to spaces can be done with
gates, arbors, and steps, or through the use of unique and colorful plants. The form and/or
style theme of the garden will often help determine the important points and how they should
be highlighted. Some styles have signature elements, such as a type of statuary or water
feature, that are the hallmark of the style. Other important places in the yard are focal points,
which is used to visually organize a landscaped area. The type of focal point often depends on
the viewing perspective. Different perspectives or viewpoints can reveal different compositions
in the landscape that may require a variety of focal points. Contrasting texture, shape, size and
color will capture and hold the eye.
8. PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Detail in the landscape is derived from the visual quality of plants, hardscape, and garden ornaments.

Sensual qualities such as scent, sound, and touch also add detail to the landscape.

Various combinations of form, color, texture, and size create aesthetic qualities. Plants come in various
forms-such as round, columnar, weeping, and spreading, that compliment or contrast with each other
depending on how similar or different they are.

Form is the most enduring quality of a plant and thus the most important characteristic.

After form, texture is the next dominant feature of a plant; coarse, medium and fine textures can be used
for contrast and emphasis in the landscape. Form and texture both trump color in the garden for most of
the year. However, during certain seasons, color will be the most noticeable characteristic of the garden. To
extend color displays throughout the year, use plants that have color in numerous plant parts, such as the
foliage, bark, and fruit.
8. PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Various color schemes, based on color theory, are used for contrast or unity in a garden. Typically one color,
two contrasting colors, or several analogous (similar) colors are repeated throughout the garden.
Both color and texture affect distance and can change the perceived size of a space-warm colors and/or
coarse texture make a space feel smaller; cool colors and/or fine texture make a space feel larger. The
characteristics of individual plants affect balance, unity and emphasis in the composition. Dark colors and
coarse textures make a plant look heavier and larger (more visual weight) and must be balanced with the
same or with a larger mass of bright or light colors with fine or medium texture. Massing plants with
similar colors and textures provides unity, but contrasting plants should be included to provide emphasis at
important points.

To fully appreciate and experience a garden, all of the senses must be considered. The pleasant scent of
plants, the sound of wind in the trees, the sound and texture of water, and the colors and textures of
sculptures, pots and garden furniture all add to the experience of the garden. One detail that is often
overlooked is the effect of light on the aesthetics of the plants. Light shining through a plant, such as a
feathery grass, can change its appearance. The entire garden changes in function and appearance over the
course of the day, and the course of a year, as the light and temperature change from morning to night and
season to season.
9. PROTECT YOUR RESOURCES
Be a good steward of the land through the wise use of plants, water, and building materials.

The three areas of greatest impact are the use of resource-efficient plants, the management of water, and
the use of environmentally sound hardscape materials. Before you remove any plant material, consider
how you might be able to enrich your existing ecological capital. That is, look at what you have and decide
if it is worth saving. Some plant material may simply be in the wrong place and can be transplanted for
more favorable conditions. Look for resource-efficient plants when choosing new plants. Florida-friendly
plants are long lived, insect and disease resistant, and don't demand frequent trimming, fertilizing, and
watering.

The design phase is the time to consider incorporating the development of a rainwater catchment system.
The availability of water will no doubt be limited in the future so you must decide the role of water in your
design: where will you get irrigation water, how will you manage it, and how will you use it? The most
obvious source will be rainwater and the use of a harvesting system to capture, move, and store it. The
system can be an aesthetic design element if planned for early in the process. It is typically the first
element to be installed because it sometimes requires earthmoving and underground piping.
9. PROTECT YOUR RESOURCES
Protecting resources also includes the use of environmentally friendly hardscape materials and non-toxic
preservatives, stains, paints, and cleaners. Reusing construction materials will reduce the environmental
impact of using new materials and keep old materials out of the waste stream. Before any demolition
starts on your old patio, pool deck, arbors, or structures, consider how you might reuse the material in
your new design. In addition to helping the environment it will also help your budget. If you will not be
doing any demolition work in your yard, look for other sources of used material in your community.