Landscape architecture
From Freepedia
Landscape architecture is the art, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of man-made constructs. The scope of the profession includes architectural design, site planning, estate development, environmental restoration, town or urban planning, park and recreation planning, regional planning, and historic preservation. A practitioner in the field of landscape architecture is called a landscape architect.
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What is Landscape Architecture?
Activities of a landscape architect can range from the creation of public parks and parkways to the site planning for corporate office buildings, from the design of residential estates to the design of civil infastructure and the management of large wilderness areas or reclamation of degraded landscapes such as mines or landfills. Landscape Architecture does overlap with garden design, but is considered to be a much broader profession.
Landscape architects work on all types of external space - large or small, urban or rural, and with 'hard'/'soft' materials, hydrology and ecological issues. They work on:
- The form, scale and siting of new developments
- Private estates and public infrastructure
- The site design for schools, universities, hospitals and hotels
- Public parks, golf courses, theme parks and sports facilities
- Housing areas, industrial parks and commercial developments
- Highways transportation structures, bridges and corridors
- Town and city squares and pedestrian schemes
- Large or small urban regeneration schemes
- Forest, tourist or historic landscapes and landscape appraisal or conservation studies
- Reservoirs, dams, power stations, extractive industry applications or major industrial projects
- Environmental 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 enquiries on land use. He or she can also support or prepare applications for capital or revenue funding grants.
Specialisms Within Landscape Architecture
Landscape designers and land engineers are involved in garden, and/or planting design and creation of all types of outdoor green spaces. Many work in public offices in central and local government. Others work in private practice and act as consultants to public authorities, industry and commerce, and to private individuals.
Landscape managers use their knowledge of plants and the natural environment to advise on the long-term care and development of the landscape. They 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 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.
History
Humans across the world have been building gardens for centuries. Japanese Gardens and Persian paradise gardens paradise gardens are examples of ancient garden traditions. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC. In Europe, the Renaissance brought in an age of grand designs, including pleasure gardens such as at the Villa d'Este at Tivoli. The renaissance garden developed through the 16th and 17th centuries, reaching an ultimate grandeur in the work of André le Nôtre at Vaux-le-Vicomte and Versailles.
In the 18th Century, England became the focus of a new style of 'landscape gardening'. Figures such as William Kent, Humphrey 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.
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 the Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam are just two examples.
The Profession
Landscape architects are considered professionals on par with doctors and lawyers, because they are often required to obtain specialized education and professional licensure, similar to the requirements for those other professional occupations.
In the United States and elsewhere, entrance into the profession requires advanced education, training and licensure in order to protect the standing of the profession.
See Also
- List of landscape architects
- Schools of landscape architecture
- Energy-efficient landscaping
- Architecture
Links
- IFLA International Federation of Landscape Architects
- ASLA American Society of Landscape Architects
- The Landscape Institute The Chartered Institute in the UK for Landscape Architects
- CSLA Canadian Society of Landscape Architects
- EFLA European Federation of Landscape Architects
- BDLA German Federation of Landscape Architects
- [1] Ontario Association of Landscape Architects
