We have developed a tool called a sustainability calculator that encourages designers to check a finished design against several features that demonstrate its sustainability focus. The image below shows a design on the right and the landscape sustainability calculator in action on the left.
We took a design for the rear of a house in Holland and applied the gCADPlus sustainability calculator to improve the design.
Sustainability – some thoughts from Ross Uebergang – www.rossu.com.au
Sustainability in the landscape is necessary. We live in a world of finite resources and ration those resources as much as possible.
- Reflect: If I want a deck, do you need one this size? How often will I have 80 people on my deck? Could I go without, or could I use a substitute?
- Reduce: Can I set my areas up to use less energy?
- Refuse: If what is proposed is a bad idea, say no. You may not need it, or there may be a suitable substitute.
- Reuse: Is this material at the end of its usable life in the rebuild? Can I find another use for it? Can I find someone else who can use it?
- Recycle: Can this material be processed to have a new life? This is the next alternative to reusing. Can I use a recycled product instead?
Tips for gardeners
Mulch and Compost – Go to a local landscape supplies centre and use their courtesy trailer or get it delivered. The mulch will mean less watering, better soil structure, and healthier plants while limiting the number of weeds in your garden and spreading throughout your neighbourhood. Depending on the style of mulch you choose, you could spend as little as $30 per 10 m2 if you use your local council mulch or around $60 for decorative mulches. Compost will create healthy soil that needs many fewer additives.
Choose sustainable materials—If you must install hard surfaces like decking, paving, pergolas, etc., choose materials with low embodied energies. This energy is needed to extract, manufacture, transport, and install your product. Not only should the materials you use in the landscape be low in embodied energy, but they should also have reasonable longevity.
Tip: Local toppings are a fantastic choice for low to medium use paths.
Limit the use of hardscapes. How often will you have 80 people in your backyard to fill a massive deck? Consider if the space could be filled with plants instead.
Line your fences with Fruit Trees – Fruit trees keep giving with minimal maintenance. If you don’t have the time to put in vegetables every 12 weeks and maintain a vegetable garden, fruit trees are for you. They require limited maintenance; you do not have to replant every season. Each year, more dwarf varieties come out that take up less space, which is fantastic for the small garden. Generally, in the Australian garden, fruit trees require sun for most of the day to provide fruit that is plentiful and tastes good. A fence line is a great spot to find the sun.
Can I fix it? Your deck might look a little ragged now, but all it needs is a more intelligent choice of decking boards and a fresh coat of oil. A coat of paint on the back fence will revitalise the plantings in front.
We love the philosophy adopted by one of our gCADPlus users. Visit sparethoughts landscape design.