Module 1 & 3

LANDSCAPE
&
ENVIRONMENTAL
DESIGN
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MODULE 1
Introduction to Landscape Architecture and the role of Landscaping Design in the built
environment.
Types of Natural Elements – Stones, Rocks Pebbles, Water Form, Plants and Vegetation.
Elements of Interior Landscape.
MODULE 3
Design with plants – Basic principles of designs.
The physical attribute of plants and relation to design.
Appearance, functional and visual effects of plants in landscape design and built
environment.
Selection and management of plant material in relation to the built environment.
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INTRODUCTION
LAND : is one of the basic commodities of the world – its planning for use and
conservation is a central political and social issue.
LANDSCAPE : means the natural and physical attributes of land together with air and
water which change over time and which is made known by people’s evolving
perceptions and associations [such as beliefs, uses, values and relationships. It is a
reflection of dynamic, natural, and social systems .
On a wider context, examples of Landscapes are Desert, Plain, Wetland, Mountain, Cliff,
Coast, Forest, Rainforest etc.
Whereas, on a smaller scale, the pants, shrubs, bushes, pavement, outdoor furniture
that are placed to make a house or a building to look better is also an example of
Landscape.
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FARM
COASTAL CINDREBAY Kochi

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MOUNTAINOUS
DESERT CINDREBAY Kochi

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WETLAND
FOREST CINDREBAY Kochi

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SO WHAT IS LANDSCAPE DESIGN??
• Landscape designing is concerned with the planning and design of land and water for
use by society on the basis of an understanding of ecological and socio-cultural systems.
• The conscious planning and arrangement of land for agricultural and social purposes
has been going on since the earliest civilizations of China, Egypt, and the Middle East.
• Examples of conscious landscape manipulation - The rice terraces of the Orient Seas
and the earliest recorded domestic garden at Thebes.
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Garrett Eckbo (an American Landscape Architect)
defines landscape architecture as,
“that portion of the landscape which is developed or
shaped by man, beyond buildings, roads, or utilities and
up to wild nature, designed primarily as space for
human living (not including agriculture, forestry). It is
the establishment of relations between building,
surfacing, and other outdoor construction, earth, rock
forms, bodies of water, plants and open space, and the
general form and character of the landscape: but with
primary emphasis on the human content, the
relationship between people and landscape, between
human beings and three- dimensional outdoor space
quantitatively and qualitatively.”
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RICE TERRACES OF ORIENT SEAS
GARDEN OF THEBES LAYOUT
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ROLE OF LANDSCAPING DESIGN
• Landscape Designing is the art and science of designing exterior areas to improve
visual appeal and functionality.
• Quality of landscape design and implementation also improve the quality of life for
our people and visitors.
• Protect Natural reserves.
• To make best use of the Sun, wind and rainfall to supply the energy and water
needs of occupants or user is an ideal outcome.
• Economic Benefits -
1. Landscaping enhances property values.
2. Proper placement of shade trees and evergreen plants helps cut down cost
external temperature cooling aids like Fans, AC etc.
• Environmental Benefits
1. 1 Tree removes 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air every year and
releases about 13 pounds of oxygen- enough for a family of four on a daily
basis.
2. Plants reduce noise pollution up to 50%.
3. Plants control runoff and erosion
4. Plants creates green space for human rest and recreation.
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NEW GRANGE, IRELAND
STONEHENGE, ENGLAND
NAZCA LINE, PERU
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GARDEN OF THEBES
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MESOPOTAMIAN HUNTING PARKS
HOUSE OF VETTII, POMPEII
PLINY’S SEASIDE VILLA, NEAR ROME
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HADRIAN’S VILLA, ITALY
SPRING OF KHOSROW CARPET, IRAQ

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MORTUARY TEMPLE OF HATSHEPSUT, EGYPT
ACROPOLIS, ATHENS, GREECE
TEMPLE OF FORTUNA PRIMIGENIA, ITALY
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WALLED GARDENS
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TYPICAL MOORISH COURTYARD
ALHAMBRA, GRANADA
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CHINEESE GARDENS - NATURE’S SPLENDOR
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JAPANEESE GARDENS – THE GOLDEN AGE OF GARDENS
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SHALIMAR BAGH, KASHMIR
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TAJ MAHAL COMPLEX, AGRA
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CENTRAL PARK, NEW YORK
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FOUNTAIN PLAZA BY LAWRENCE HALPRIN
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WALKWAY IN FAIRPARK, DALLAS
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ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN
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TYPES OF NATURAL ELEMENTS
• Landscape Elements can be broadly classified into Hardscape and Softscape

Elements
• SOFTSCAPE ELEMENTS
•Water Resources
Sea, River, Pond, Lake, Canal, Waterfall etc.,
• Vegetation
Trees, Foliage, Herbs, Creepers, Climbers, Grass, Moss, Bush etc.,
• Atmosphere
Sky, Clouds, Air etc.,
• Climate
Rain, Daylight, Heat, Cold, Wind etc.,
• HARDSCAPE ELEMENTS
• Land & Landform
Hills, Mountain, Valleys, Plains etc.,
• Mountains
Rock, Stone, Shingle, Gravel, Pebble etc.
A Natural Garden
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TYPES OF MAN- MADE ELEMENTS
Man – made elements are designed and built to fulfil the functions of landscape
as well as enhancing it. The effect is spontaneous and quick.
It includes elements such as :
• Seating
• Pavements
• Planter box / Flower Pots
• Steps
• Carving / Sculptures
• Shelter / Kiosk
• Fence / Retaining wall
• Dustbin
• Signage
• Lighting
• Bridge
Landscape Architecture used for Urban Design
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ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE - VEGETATION
• The most important element in Landscape Design
• There are many varieties of vegetations –

• Trees
• Shrubs
• Creepers and Climbers
• Land covers / Grass etc.
• ADVANTAGES OF VEGETATION IN A LANDSCAPE

• Aesthetic Appeal
• Microclimate modifiers
• Conservation belt
• Erosion Control
• Retains ground water
• Retains soil fertility
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• USES OF VEGETATION
• Plants create outdoor rooms.
• Trees, shrubs and ground cover can be used to emphasize the desirable
architectural lines and masses
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• Plants can be used to soften and balance harsh and awkward architectural
angles, masses and materials.
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• The human eye has a tendency to follow the outline of the objects in the
landscape.
• By graduating plant sizes away from the house, the apparent size of the
structure is increased
• Plants that reach large sizes at maturity are often planted too closely to the
house when small. When mature, they dominate and make the house look
smaller.
• Tall evergreen plants create an uninviting, inhibiting appearance to the

entrance shown below.
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• Environmental Role –
• Pollution Control
• Noise Control
• Climate Control
• Embankments, Deciduous and Evergreen planting and masonry walls can

be used together for effective sound control
• Use of windbreaks to control winter winds
• Use of deciduous plants to direct summer breezes
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• Planting Design is one of the essential tools in making and managing a

living environment where plants play a significant role in the development
of a lively, resilient, complex and sustainable landscape.
• It helps us to remove and maintain a sustainable relationship between
people and their environment in a context of change.
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There are 5 types of planting based on human dimensions –
• Ground level – Mown grasses and other turf plants, ground-hugging and
carpeting herbaceous plants and shrubs.
• Below knee height – Prostate and dwarf shrubs, sub-shrubs, low-growing

herbaceous plants.
• Knee-waist height – Small shrubs and medium growing herbaceous plants.
• Waist-eye level – Medium shrubs and tall growing herbaceous plants.
• Above eye-level – Tall shrubs and trees.
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• Ground level
• Mown grasses and other turf plants, ground-hugging and carpeting
herbaceous plants and shrubs.
• Very close to ground level and a few centimetres thick
Uses
• They neither obstruct vision nor movement.
• These plants could visually connect two related areas.
• They hug the contour of the land and also highlight them.
• They also provide for pedestrian circulation space although not as
sturdy as a pavement.
• On even, firm ground carpeting plants can provide a pedestrian
circulation surface, although less hard-wearing than a pavement.
Forms suitable surface for relaxing, walking, play, sport, cycling and
occasional vehicles.
• This durability accounts for much of the value and popularity of
lawns, meadows and other grasslands in both public and private
landscape.
• A uniform carpet of mown grass or ground-hugging, smooth-
textured ground cover can be used to enhance the visual effect of
ground modelling by closely following the contours. Breaks of slope
can be emphasized by a change to a groundcover of contrasting
foliage.
• Ground level vegetation can be used to make two dimensional
patterns.
• Carpets of foliage, used alone or combined with boulders, gravel and
paving materials, form a tapestry of colour, texture and pattern
across the ground surface.
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• Below knee height plants

• Shrubs and herbaceous plants that form a higher canopy but still
below knee height have further possibilities in spatial design.
• Many of them come within the category of groundcover, that is
species that are well adapted to the local conditions and competitive
enough to exclude most of the unwanted self colonizing weed plants.
Uses
• In addition to this labour-saving benefit, low-planting has the spatial
role of allowing freedom of vision while defining an edge and
deterring (though not preventing) movement.
• Deters movement and allows for visual continuity.
• It can form a carpet of foliage below taller plants and also create
patterns when viewed from above.
• It also edges taller growing shrubs
• Climbing species can also create a vertical barrier as per the design
intent
• It can link horizontal and vertical planes.
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• Knee to eye level plants

• Planting that grows to between knee height and eye level can have a
similar design role to low wall, fence or rail.
• It becomes a barrier to movement and can be used to limit access
but it leaves views open and makes little difference to sunlight. This
opens up a number of spatial uses for medium-height planting.
Uses
• It can act as an effective separator between safe and hazardous
areas.
• It obstructs movement but allows vision
• Such plants can emphasise direction and circulation
• They can provide a minor visual focus
• They can improve privacy within buildings
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• Above eye level

• Shrubs and small trees with a canopy extending above eye level
forma visual and physical barrier.
• So tall planting with a close knit canopy can, in a similar way to a wall
or fence, separate, enclose, screen and shelter on a smaller scale
than is possible with larger tree planting.
• The sizes of trees are of the same order of magnitude as buildings,
roads, bridges and smaller industrial developments. Tree planting
can therefore be used for screening, separating, enclosing,
accompanying and complementing these larger structures.
Uses
• They make an important design element which acts like physical and
visual barrier.
• They can also proved as a backdrop for display planting
• They also provide privacy and shelter
• The taller plants also accompany smaller buildings
• Above eye level plants act as effective elements which can frame a
vista or a landmark.
• As an individual element they can also make a specimen or a visual
focus.
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• Tree Planting
• Small height trees which are about 5 – 10 metres in height.
• Medium height trees which are 10 -20 metres in height
• Tall trees which area 20 metres and above in height.
• Small Trees – are of similar height or lower than the majority of
buildings of two storeys, so their influence in the urban environment
is mainly local to the spaces between buildings.
• Medium Trees – can create spaces that contain smaller buildings and
therefore have a greater effect on the spatial structure of urban
landscape.
• Tall Trees – Tall trees are less common in urban areas because of the
space they demand, although naturally tall growing species are often
planted in streets and gardens only to be lopped or pruned once
they begin to shade or dominate nearby buildings.
The size of trees over about 20 metres enables them to form the
part of the primary spatial structure of streets, squares and parks. In the
rural landscape large trees create a large scale framework.
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• Plant as a Design Element

• Plant material establishes the visual character of the space.
• Plant materials also lend a temporal and sensual character to any
space.
• Plant materials can also be an environmental indicator.
• Visual Aspects
• Line
• Form
• Colour
• Texture
• Plant Strata and Size
• Large & intermediate trees
• Small & Flowering trees
• Tall shrub
• Intermediate and Low Shrub
• Ground Cover
• Temporal Aspects
• Seasonal Character
• Growth & Succession
• Sequential Space
• Spatial Issues
• Spatial Enclosure
• Spatial Type
• Spatial Depth
• Enframement
• Plant Material and Landform
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• Visual Aspects – Line

• Line character that plant materials introduce can range from sinuous,
evolving lines of nature to the regularly spaced straight and
geometric lines of architecture.
• Plant materials in a straight line can introduce linearity and indicate
wok of man.
• Line character whether naturalistic or architectonic contribute to the
feeling of the space.
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• Visual Aspects – Form
• Fastigiate Plants,
accentuate the vertical.
They often serve as focal
points in design
composition.
• Columnar Form are same

as the Fastigiate but are
rounder on the top.
• Round Plants the most

common plants from the
bulk planting in a design
composition. Since they
are non-directional, they
provide a context for the
directional forms.
• Spreading Form
accentuate the Horizontal.
They can be used to
extend architecture to the
site.
• Pyramidal Form have a

formal architectonic
character. They lend
rigidity and permanence
to composition.
• Weeping Plants generally

occur in wet areas. Their
form can be effective if
they are silhouetted
against or allowed to
cascade over architectural
forms or water bodies
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• Visual Aspects – Texture
• Texture like form, depends on viewing distance. When seen from moderate
distance a plant’s visual texture is the result of the size and shape of its leaves
and twigs. The larger the leaves and the more stout the twigs, the coarser the
texture.
• Fine Texture - The finest textured plants are those with the smallest leaves or
leaflet and the finest, most closely packed twigs. Fine-textures plants tend to
be easy to look at, that is, relaxing rather than stimulating.
• Coarse Texture – The largest leaves and the thickest twigs have the coarsest,
or boldest, visual texture. Plants with bold foliage and stems are primarily,
attention grabbers, perhaps because the form and detail of their foliage is
clearly visible from a distance, perhaps simply because of their size
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• Visual Aspects – Texture
• Medium Texture – Between the textural extremes of plants of a fine and
coarse texture are many that can be described as of medium texture. The
starkest contrasts are not always the most effective and some linkage to
bridge the gap between the coarsest and the finest foliage will generally help
a composition. Such intermediate textures allow our eyes to absorb the range
more easily by making a progression rather than too sudden a variation.
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• Visual Aspects – Colour
• Light Green Foliage – Lively, Cheerful, Airy
• Dark Green Foliage – Sober, Sturdy, grounded.
• Flowers – Provides with colour that is varied, dynamic and short lived.
• Fruits can contrast or compliment the colour change of the foliage
• Bark, Twig & Branches – contribute to subtle colour of the plant
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• Visual Composition using plant
• Visual composition could be regarded as the visual grammar of planting
design. Painting, photography, sculpture and other visual art forms can all be
analysed by composition and some principles are common to them all.
• In planting the most important are the principles of harmony and contrast,
balance, emphasis, sequence and scale.
• HARMONY – Harmony is a quality of relatedness. It is found between similar

plant forms, similar textures, similar characters of line and closely related
colours. The closer the relationship between the aesthetic qualities of
associated plants, the greater the harmony.
• CONTRAST – Contrast is found between different plant forms, different

qualities and directions of line, texture and colour. Contrast does not
necessarily imply conflict-it may be an attractive, happy contrast coming from
a complementary, mutually supportive relationship between widely different
characteristics.
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• BALANCE – Balance comes from the relationship between vegetation

masses.
• It depends on their magnitude, their position and their visual energy.
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• EMPHASIS AND ACCENT – Emphasis and Accent Planting can be effective by

virtue of its intrinsic striking qualities or by careful arrangement and grouping
which brings the eye to rest at the chosen location.
It is closely related to contrast because any strong contrast or sudden change
of appearance will attract attention. So a single plant of form contrasting with its
setting will create and accent.
• SEQUENCE – Sequence is essential to the dynamic qualities of composition.

It involves an element of change. It gives us a single picture of the designed
landscape by relating all the different parts together in a limited manner.
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• SCALE – In simpler terms scale can

be considered as a size in relation to
another size. It is a relative term.
• In planting design generic scale
refers to the size relationships
between the various parts of a
whole space and within a plant
association. The relative sizes of
single plants and of plant groupings
determine the generic scale of the
composition.
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ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE - WATER
• Water is another important landscape element.
• Water bodies improve the quality and worth of the site. It makes the site
attractive.
• There are many types of water bodies:

• Fountains
• Pools
• Ponds
• Spouts
• Artificial Waterfalls etc
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USES OF WATER BODY IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN
• Excellent land water interface gives an ecological home for the animals and
plants.
• Water runoff can be reduced
• Creates Microclimate
• Maintains Moisture level
• Helps maintain vegetation in wetlands
• Helps maintain hydrological cycle
• Site Aesthetics are enhanced.
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• Water flows inevitably from the source to the receiving ocean basin.
• Young River is characterized by heavy erosion, waterfalls, rapids, speed of

water flow
• Mature River is characterized by relatively lower erosion, and the reduction

of speed of water causes deposition of the silt thus creating fertile flood
plains.
• At old stage the river becomes relatively very sluggish and rate of
deposition is very high. The river here forms a delta before draining its
water into the river.
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• Water as a Design Element
• Line
The character of line formed by the Water Land Interface has a major
impact upon the images, water evokes in the mind of the beholder.
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• Form
The form of the water feature can be to
• Accentuate the flow of water
• Convey a sense of centrality
• A sense of arrival
The form can be simple

and uniform to convey a
more unified sense
The form can be complex

combination of differing characters,
thereby bringing together disparate
elements.
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• Colour
Good quality water is relatively clear. Takes on the colour imparted by
reflections carried upon its surface and also the colour of the container.
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• Texture
Texture into a flowing water can be brought about by turbulence.
Constriction to water flow or protrusion into flowing water causes
turbulence.
Smooth surface Overlap produces

yields glassy sheet horizontal frothy
flow rhythm
Horizontal ribs create Stair steps create

agitated frothy myriad of droplets,
surface each reflecting light
source
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• Cascades and Waterfalls
Naturalized Cascade
Cast Pools &

Waterfalls
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Step Related
Cascade
Fountain &
Cascade
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Fountains & Jets
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• Water for Comfort
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ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE - STONES
• Stones are hard, impermeable, inorganic elements used extensively in

landscape design.
• Stones are basically used for the following :

• Paving
• Retaining Wall
• Stacked Stone Wall
• Sitting
• Shelters
• Parapets
• Bridges
• Sculptures
• Planters
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ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE - LANDFORM
• Stone, one of the oldest paving materials, offers good, durable, wearing
surface with a minimum maintenance required.
• Rubble and Ashlar Masonry are the two forms of stone used for paving.
• Rubble Masonry is rough stone, as it comes from the quarry, but may be
trimmed somewhat wherever necessary.
• Ashlar masonry is hewed or cut stone from the quarry and is used much more
often than rubble for the surfacing of the walls.
• Landscaping with stone brings in a natural element that evokes a solidness

and a sense of security.
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• A landform is a feature on the Earth’s surface that is part of the terrain.

Mountains, hills, plateaus and plains are the four major types of landforms.
• Landform is a very important component of the landscape designer’s

palette. It contributes to –
• The sense of a Region
• Surface Drainage
• Gravity Flow Infrastructural Systems
• Physiological Comfort
• Landform as Profile
• Angular Landforms imparts energy and boldness
• Sinuous landforms evokes passivity and softness.
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• Landform as Profile
• Architectonic Landform : form as straight lines and hard corners
• Naturalistic Landform : form as undulating lines and no corners
• Landform as an Enclosure
• The space enclosed that can be
seen is called the View-shed.
• More the View-Shed increases
the landscape becomes
expansive and the grain becomes
coarser.
• More the View-shed decreases
the Landscape becomes enclosed
and the grain becomes finer.
• Military crest or the valley view,
give a feeling of centrality
because views from the
surrounding slopes are focused
downwards into the valley.
• Ridgelines and Promontories are
visually open zones, though they
do offer a panoramic views, they
themselves are visible from a
great distances.
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• Landform for Comfort
• Ventilation
When the valleys and ridgelines orient along the direction of seasonal
airflow, the valleys are relatively well ventilated.
When the wind flow direction is perpendicular some of the wind can blow
over and the valley is said to be in the wind shadow region.
Topographic relief functions as a barrier to and deflector of airflow. As
wind bows along the surface its velocity is affected by the shape of that
surface.
As a designer the site can be re-sculpted to funnel desirable breeze into

use areas, while protecting the same areas from undesirable winds.
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ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE
VISUAL ELEMENTS
• COLOUR
• It is possible to have varying colour schemes in one area of the
landscape as the seasons change.
• A Landscape Designer should consider the color changes

throughout the year when developing a landscape plan.
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VISUAL ELEMENTS
• COLOUR
• Colours can be used to visually change distance perspective.
• Warm colours and light tints like red, orange , yellow and white
advance an object or area towards the observer. These colours
and tints placed near the foundation of a house would make the
house appear closer to the street.
• Cool colours and deep shades like blue, green and black recede
and can be used to make the house appear farther from the
street.
• Cool colours are restful while warm colours express action and
are best used in filtered light or against a green or dark
background.
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VISUAL ELEMENTS
• COLOUR
• Colours can be used to direct attention in the landscape.
• Due to this strong characteristic, colour should be used carefully.

When colour is used for this purpose, consideration must be
given to year-round colour not just to seasonal colour.
• Consideration may also be given to the time of day when this

colour will be enjoyed. White or light tints could be used to create
interest on a patio. Dark colours would add little to family
enjoyment of this area as the daylight hours passes.
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VISUAL ELEMENTS
• LINE
• Line is related to eye movement or flow.
• The concept and creation of line depends upon the purpose of
the design and existing patterns.
• Line is inferred by bed arrangement and the way these beds fit or
flow together.
• Line is also created vertically by changes in plant height and the
height of tree and shrub canopies.
• Line in a small area such as an entrance or privacy garden is
created by branching habits of plants, arrangement of leaves
and/or sequence of plant materials.
• Straight lines tend to be forceful, structural and stable and direct
the observer’s eye to a point faster than curved lines.
• Curved or free-flowing lines are sometimes described as smooth,

graceful or gentle and create a relaxing, progressive, moving and
natural feeling.
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VISUAL ELEMENTS
• FORM
• Form and line are closely related. Line is usually considered in terms of
the outline or edge of objects, whereas form is more encompassing.
• The concept of form is related also to the size of an object or area.
• Form can be discussed in terms of individual plant growth habits or as
the planting arrangement in a landscape.
• Plant forms include upright, oval, columnar, spreading, weeping etc.
Form is basically the shape and structure of a plant or mass. Structures
also have form and should be considered as such when designing the
area around them.
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VISUAL ELEMENTS
• TEXTURE
• Texture describes the surface quality of an object than can be seen or
felt. Surfaces in the landscape includes buildings, walks, patios,
groundcover and plants.
• The texture of plants differs as the relationships between the leaves,
twigs and branches differ. Coarse, medium or fine could be used to
describe texture but so could sooth, rough , glossy or dull.
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VISUAL ELEMENTS
• SCALE
• Scale refers to the size of an object or objects in relation to the
surroundings.
• Size refers to definite measurements while scale describes the size
relationship between adjacent objects.
• The size of plantings and buildings compared on the human scale must
be considered.
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NON - VISUAL ELEMENTS
• SOUND
• Sound of the whistling wind.
• The movement of trees, plants etc. in the wind
• Splattering of rain drops
• The noise thunder and lightning
• The sound of animals and birds
• TOUCH
• Touch is a form of communication through blades of grass, twigs, soil
and rocks about their shape, form and texture.
• Other elements of the landscape such as the driving rain, the chill of a
cold day or the heat of the sun can also be felt.
• SMELL
• The smells of the landscape are very evocative; the fragrance of plants,
flowers, the saltiness of the sea or the smell of grass after rain
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PRINCIPLES OF LANDSCAPE
• The Principles of Design serve as guidelines that govern the organisation of
the design elements and materials in accordance with the laws of nature.
• Landscape designers use these principles of design to create landscape
designs that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
• FOCALIZATION
• Focalization is created as a visual break in the sequence and flow of
the landscape.
• The focal points the point or area of the landscape that attracts the
viewer’s eyes.
• The visual break captures the attention of the viewer and draws it to
the focal point.
• Without a point or area on which to focus, the viewer’s eyes becomes
lost and confused throughout the landscape.
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• PROPORTION
• Proportion is the relationship that exists among the components of a
landscape.
• Proportion involves the size relationships between and among the
components making up the landscape.
• Proportion describes the mathematical relationship among the
dimensions of space and site components making up an area. These
mathematical relationships are totally separate from human
perception dimensions.
One large towering oak may

compliment an office building but
would probably dwarf a single story
residence.
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• EMPHASIS
• Drawing attention to important features of landscape.
• Emphasis can be achieved through different sizes, old shapes,
groupings and the unusual or unexpected.
Emphasis is achieved with the tree

being dominant and the shrub
grouping being subordinate.
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• UNITY
• Unity is obtained by the effective use of components in design to
express a main ides through consistent style.
• Unity is emphasised by consistency if character between units in the
landscape.
• Use of elements to express a specific theme within units creates
harmony.
• Unity can be achieved by using mass planting and repetition
• Everything selected for a landscape must complement the central
scheme and must, above all, serve some functional purpose.
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• BALANCE
• Balance in design refers to the equilibrium or equality of visual
attraction. Balance is a design principle defined in terms of weight. It is
the equalization of visual weight from one area of a landscape
composition to another.
• Symmetrical balance is achieved when one side of the design is a
mirror image of the other side.
• While viewing an asymmetrical balanced landscape, the viewer feels a

sense of stability.
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• TRANSITION
• Transition is term that is quite self-explanatory in that it essentially
means gradual change.
• This design principle should be applied to avoid abrupt changes that
may occur in your garden design.
• It is possible to use transition to extend visual dimensions beyond

actual dimensions. For example, radical lines in the private area of the
landscape can be used to frame and l or focalize a lake scene.
Transition of plant materials along these lines can make the scene
become a part of the landscape.
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• HARMONY AND CONTRAST

• Flowing lines are always pleasing to the eye, however the bold contrast
of a curve combined with a straight line can provide interest in the
garden.
• Contrast can be found in many areas of your garden. One such example
can be where one side of the garden is mainly planted up with large
trees to provide shade and the other side of the garden can be
predominantly a flower garden or a vegetable garden.
• Plants with fine foliage versus plants with coarse foliage, round leaves
versus spiked, needle-like leaves, even making use of complimentary
and contrasting colors.
• However lines, forms and shapes should flow together harmoniously

to enhance the style of your garden.
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• RHYTHM
• Rhythm gives a landscape design a feeling of natural movement
through the use of natural elements and careful repetition.
• Groups of plants, as well as individual materials, can create rhythm

within the environment by patterns of color, form, and other elements
.
• Rhythm is expressed through the placement of plants, park furniture,
etc., either individually or as group. For example, several benches
could be placed at regular indentations along a shrub border. If every
other bench was replaced with an attractive piece of sculpture, rhythm
would be created that would relieve any monotony from the overuse
of one landscape component.
Repetitious use of sculpture in landscape reduces monotony and results in

the establishment of rhythm.
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• REPITITION
• Repetition involves repeating or using an element more than once
throughout a design.
• Repetition refers to the repeated use of features like plants with
identical shape, line, form, texture and/or color.
• Too much repetition creates monotony but when used effectively can
lead to rhythm, focalization or emphasis.
• Unity can be achieved better by no other means than repetition. Think
of repetition as not having too much variety in the design which
creates a cluttered or busy appearance.
• Repetition provides a common feature throughout the design that
pulls the design together.
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• SEQUENCE
• The effective use of sequence is often employed to create visual

movement in the landscape, a gradual transition from one area to
another within a landscape
• A landscape with sequence has one element changing at a time rather
than several changing at once
• It is an important consideration to take into account in the
development of the overall planting pattern
• A landscape with a coarse-textured plant next to a fine-textured plant
is an example of poor sequence
• Any plant that breaks gradual progression becomes a point of
emphasis
Sequence through gradual progression of form, texture and color
FORM
TEXTURE
COLOR
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END OF MODULE
CINDREBAY Kochi
Ar. Rishma

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LANDSCAPE

Design with plants – Basic principles of designs.

The physical attribute of plants and relation to design.

Selection and management of plant material in relation to the built environment.

COASTAL CINDREBAY Kochi

DESERT CINDREBAY Kochi

FOREST CINDREBAY Kochi

GARDEN OF THEBES LAYOUT

NAZCA LINE, PERU

HOUSE OF VETTII, POMPEII

PLINY’S SEASIDE VILLA, NEAR ROME

SPRING OF KHOSROW CARPET, IRAQ

ACROPOLIS, ATHENS, GREECE

TEMPLE OF FORTUNA PRIMIGENIA, ITALY

• Landscape Elements can be broadly classified into Hardscape and Softscape

Landscape Architecture used for Urban Design

• The most important element in Landscape Design

• There are many varieties of vegetations –

• ADVANTAGES OF VEGETATION IN A LANDSCAPE

• Tall evergreen plants create an uninviting, inhibiting appearance to the

• Embankments, Deciduous and Evergreen planting and masonry walls can

• Use of windbreaks to control winter winds

• Use of deciduous plants to direct summer breezes

• Planting Design is one of the essential tools in making and managing a

There are 5 types of planting based on human dimensions –

• Below knee height – Prostate and dwarf shrubs, sub-shrubs, low-growing

• Knee-waist height – Small shrubs and medium growing herbaceous plants.

• Waist-eye level – Medium shrubs and tall growing herbaceous plants.

• Above eye-level – Tall shrubs and trees.

• Below knee height plants

• Knee to eye level plants

• Above eye level

• Plant as a Design Element

• Visual Aspects – Line

• Columnar Form are same

• Round Plants the most

• Pyramidal Form have a

• Weeping Plants generally

• HARMONY – Harmony is a quality of relatedness. It is found between similar

• CONTRAST – Contrast is found between different plant forms, different

• BALANCE – Balance comes from the relationship between vegetation

• EMPHASIS AND ACCENT – Emphasis and Accent Planting can be effective by

• SEQUENCE – Sequence is essential to the dynamic qualities of composition.

• Visual Composition using plant

• SCALE – In simpler terms scale can

• Water is another important landscape element.

• There are many types of water bodies:

USES OF WATER BODY IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN

• Young River is characterized by heavy erosion, waterfalls, rapids, speed of

• Mature River is characterized by relatively lower erosion, and the reduction

The form can be simple

The form can be complex

Smooth surface Overlap produces

Horizontal ribs create Stair steps create

Cast Pools &

Fountains & Jets

• Stones are hard, impermeable, inorganic elements used extensively in

• Stones are basically used for the following :