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caliwag

A blog by caliwag in General

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caliwag

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Covered in detail in an earlier blog, and in the book, but it is/was the mantra of a former colleague and tutor Par Gustaffson, a Swedish Landscape architect, who undoubtedly brought a logical approach to the design table. Essentially, to avoid confusion, mistakes and oversights, you should divide a garden or landscape overview into three separate themes.

 

1 A survey of the physical and factual site elements, including topography, planting, existing structures, weather across the seasons including extremes, neighbouring people, planting, buildings etc and the potential attack on your proposals and you and your family's senses and so...make your own list of issues (more in the book).

 

2 Once all the facts are documented, without comment and consideration, you can then explore the implications of slopes, weather extremes soil structure, noise, that pig farm, sun angles, exposure and so on.

3 You and everyone who wants to be involved can now make a start on using the information, along with your brief (needs, wants, must haves, desires etc) to propose possibilities, design ideas etc

 

You'll be pleased you approached the whole project this way, as you just imagine, while chatting to a local in the pub who tells " course  you realise much of the garden floods every few years" or "they were making noises about re-opening the old railway behind that place" and so on. Not that local observations should be discounted (add to survey section)...similarly a chat with a long-standing neighbour could well prove very informative. You should not assume your solicitor's search will always through up nasties! They're only human after all! Good luck.

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Lesgrandepotato

Is there something here about playing your hand well. The best designs (in my view) leave a little to be discovered. That may be depth in a garden, a view point to view point journey of features or vistas to take the eye and borrow spaces? 

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caliwag

Oh, I do agree LGP. I don't talk much about actual garden design in that blog. I do think garden design has improved immeasurably in the last few decades, I guess moving far away from the formal and becoming influenced by sculptors and artists and of course Modernism. Indeed Geoffrey Jellicoe had a big hand in this. I love the idea of discoveries (what's behind the green door?). if your place is big enough. I have made mention in garden surveys of plotting events beyond the boundaries for surprise and viewing purposes. (vistas)...also consider the impact of false perspective...a traditional idea to give the impression of a larger space, a more impressive vists or from a different position, a shorter walk, (used to great effect on The Promenade in Cheltenham). Enric Miralles (he of the Scottish Parliament building) produced some wondrous abstract landscape designs. Importantly a garden design should be three dimensional because of change...stuff grows. Blog to follow. Thanks for your thoughts. 

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