Theory and practice of planting design in landscape architecture

Abstract

Plants and plantation is one of the three classic design materials in landscape architecture and has a long tradition as design material. All former functions and uses of plants and plantation are still valid today but in recent decades new functions have been added in the context of the three major goals of the discipline; water conservation, energy transition and creation of healthy environments for people. In this paper we will focus on how plants and planting design can contribute to these contemporary goals. The research method is based on the principles of case study research and makes use of texts, fieldwork and plans as source material. We start with an overview of the principles of planting design in landscape architecture; plantation as used for different functions, planting systems at different levels of intervention. In the second part we will analyse the application of planting design in different case studies to show how these interventions can be materialised. In the third part we will give a short overview of the three goals and make clear how plants and plantation can contribute as design material to these goals. One of the conclusions of the research is that apart from the importance of the three goals as such, an integrated approach of the three is much more effective. Synthesising and integration is one of the prime functions of design.