04/17/2025
There are many considerations that go into planning a piece of property you may be interested in developing. This plan may not be the most exciting to look at. Most think of flowers, trees and shrubs when thinking about a Landscape Plan. However, these pretty elements are what the viewer sees only after measures have been taken to ensure most of that character remains after the infrastructure is in place. Grading and Drainage plans are extremely important. Placement of structures with their varied rooflines and footprints impact the site.
In many cases Developers choose the path of least resistance, with maximum clearing and site disturbance to “make building easier.” This flies in the face of what Landscape Architecture is all about. The fact is, in a great garden or commercial development, the reason we want to be there or live there is due to careful planning and preservation of site character.
Whether a property is large or small scale, the process is basically the same. We always begin by evaluating the character of the site in relationship to the built/structural elements. We explore how these two will best relate to each other as a cohesive design. We also consider what is gained vs. character lost. It is always a trade-off to an extent.
In this case the owner has a large residence planned, so the main concern is negotiating a heavily sloping site with waterfrontage and minimal garden or planted spaces while controlling runoff.
In other scenarios, one might emphasize grand views from a small dwelling with expansive planting zones that change throughout the seasons adding value. Vehicular circulation, walks and bridged connections, sun exposure throughout the year, grade changes, drainage controls, etc. are just some of the considerations in the planning process within the realm of Landscape Architecture.
