A FRESH APPROACH TO INTERROGATING LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Changing Landscape By Design

Landscape Architecture draws from the areas of science and arts. As art, like painting, sculpture and architecture, its planning and design processes rely on some basic principles and employ some components and elements to achieve pre-determined goals. These principles are applied on the basic components of the landscape of landforms, water bodies, vegetation and natural and man-made features to give landscape designs functionality, vitality, aesthetics and beauty that make for a healthy and enjoyable outdoor spaces and environment.

The book, A Fresh Approach in Interrogating Landscape Design - Changing the Landscape by Design, posits that to conceive a meaningful landscape scheme, one must think through the planning and creative processes which lead to a pre-determined outcome and that to achieve this, the designer must use specific approaches and principles of landscape design and use them internationally. These principles constitute the secrets to moulding a pre-determined landscape outcome for any size of project.

The book highlights these basic principles to include unity, balance, scale and proportion, accent, rhythm, sequence, repetition, variety and simplicity which have to be achieved through the use of the elements of lines, form, texture and colour. All these are, however, interconnected and must be mastered in order to develop a meaningful design that would create a healthy, environmentally sustainable and aesthetically pleasing landscape.

The book is written in a simple way, avoiding professional jargons, in order to make it useful to all built-environment professionals and those interested in developing their own gardens and residential landscapes. The use of graphical and pictorial presentations to explain some of these principles makes the book easy to comprehend and the content easy to apply.

The author has through this book; provided additional basic teaching and learning tool for students of landscape architecture and horticulture and for those interested in the development of functional, beautiful and healthy gardens and parks and in ensuring order and harmony in the built environment. It is recommended as a handbook for all built environment professionals.