Designing Functional Spaces
Spaces are voids in the landscape. They give a feeling of enclosure by being surrounded by hard or soft edges. Although it is easy enough to create spaces for outdoor entertaining, raised decks, outdoor cooking areas, lawns, vegetable gardens, play spaces, feature gardens, etc., these spaces must be functional, linking the building to the space and, most of all, capable of assuming the desired function.
Some Landscape design principles to follow:
- ENVIRONMENT—Research the local environmental factors that will affect the designed landscape, such as the local rainfall, where the sun is, whether the area is affected by wind or is in a coastal area that would be troubled by salt spray, etc.
- NATURAL FORM—How do the land’s shape and contours affect the design? Are there any features already on site that could be used, e.g., creeks, rocky outcrops, hills, etc.? Are there any features that need to be removed?
- BORROW: Look at neighbouring properties and research what will grow in the area. Use ideas that have worked in similar areas and try to incorporate them into your design.
- SIMPLICITY – Don’t “over design” your work and try to keep it as simple and as clean as possible, don’t use too many plant species
- BALANCE: Use symmetry between design elements and choose common elements in all areas of the landscape to link and unify the design.
- PROPORTIONS—Short, tall, dense, sparse, wide, narrow. Remember to calculate all these factors and more when designing the landscape. Keep in mind that Landscapes are living artworks, and focus on what the plants will be like when they mature.
- FOCUS – Try to provide a focal point in the landscape design to draw people’s attention to. E.g. artwork, statue, fountain, pond
- MOVEMENT—How will people travel through the landscape and get from one area to another? Is it functional? How will the landscape be maintained? Can all areas be accessed?
- RYTHYM – Does the landscape flow and draw people into other areas
References
Here is a link to some excellent papers on this concept:
Space in landscape design – Wikipedia