LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

LECTURE 1
 WHAT IS LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE?
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor
areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve
environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic
outcomes. It involves the systematic design and
general engineering of various structures for
construction and human use, investigation of
existing social, ecological, and soil conditions and
processes in the landscape, and the design of
other interventions that will produce desired
outcomes.
Landscape architecture possess the expertise to
design a wide range of structures and landforms Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
for human use; landscape design which is not a London, established 1759
licensed profession; site planning; stormwater
management; erosion control; environmental
restoration; public realm, parks, recreation
and urban planning; visual resource Palace of
management; green infrastructure planning and Versailles,
private estate and residence landscape master outside Paris
planning and design; all at varying scales of
design, planning and management. A practitioner
in the profession of landscape architecture may
be called a landscape architect.
 WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

#1 Preservation of nature
People like living in a green environment full of plants and trees. Major
cities still have plants and trees built into their planning.
For Example:-
In a modern urban environment, you will see concrete flooring and
wooden decking but you will always see plants in the spaces between and
around them.
People are more aware nowadays of the importance of preserving the
environment and because of this, landscape architecture is now viewed as
more important than it used to be.
Landscape architecture provides solutions to many existing environmental
issues, protects ecology and helps to protect national treasures.

Westergasfabriek Park in Amsterdam.

#2 Regeneration of polluted areas
All industrialized places in the world have problems
with pollution, especially if they have factories there.
Factories are needed to provide a source of economic
growth and jobs for people but are also harmful to the
environment.
If a factory is particularly bad polluter it can leave the
area unusable for a long time after the factory is gone.
These negative effects can be fixed through
landscaping and planting after the area is cleaned up.
A great example of this is Westergasfabriek Park in
Amsterdam.
#3 Storm-water management
Climate change and pollution are severely
affecting freshwater supply in many areas.
The endangerment of wetlands is
especially big problem because they have a
lot of biological diversity, filter stormwater
and control floods.
Landscape architecture protects wetlands
and seeks solutions to provide storm-water
management in a natural way.

#4 Cleaning soil and water

There is a vast amount of soil and water
that is polluted and needs to be cleaned up.
One way of doing this by phytoremediation.
Phytoremediation is a low cost solution
which involves the direct use of living green
plants for removal, degradation, or
containment of contaminants in soils,
sludges, sediments, surface water and
groundwater. Simply put, plants are used to
help clean up the contaminants in soil.
For example, in an area where the soil
contains heavy metals and other toxins,
phytoremediation can be successfully
applied to clean these substances away.
It is obviously a very cost-effective and
visually pleasing solution which has a great
effect on soils as it takes in pollutants and
metabolizes them into harmless by-
products
#5 Air purification
Plants and trees as most people know produce
oxygen but less people know that they also absorb
air pollutants.
This helps to filter the air and makes it cleaner.
Everyone is concerned about outdoor air quality
but according to NASA research, indoor air quality
can be tackled with the use of plants too.

#6 Relief from hot weather

Sitting under a tree can be pleasant but it also has
an important practical effect – trees provide a
cooling effect. This is especially important in an
urban environment, where the concrete
structures increase heat and their density doesn’t
not allow for open green spaces.
Small parks, known as ‘Pocket parks,’ are a good
solution here. They provide shade from the sun and
a quiet peaceful place to go in a noisy urban
environment.
#7 It Promotes Environmental Sustainability

Landscape Architects play an essential role in

shaping our environment. That puts them in a
unique position of responsibility to the
environment. Designing sustainable, resilient, and
ecologically friendly spaces is one of the most
important jobs a landscape architect can have
when working on a project.
Incorporating environmentally friendly practices
into designing a space can look like choosing
recycled or low-impact materials (often locally
sourced), choosing energy-efficient alternatives to
standard manufacturing processes, and using
highly durable, resilient materials to lengthen the
usable lifespan of the project.
Landscape architects are also known for prioritizing
native flora and fauna in their work. By utilizing
native soils, trees, and grasses, landscape
architects not only participate in preserving local
ecology but contribute to surrounding ecosystems.
For example, by encouraging a municipality to
plant native trees with long lifespans in a park,
landscape architects encourage local wildlife who
depend on these trees to remain in the area.
Study Of Some Trees And Their Importance
 Ficus Religiosa - Peepal

Ficus religiosa or sacred fig is a species of fig

Peepal, a large evergreen tree, is considered to be sacred in India. It not
native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina
only emits oxygen but also has many important medicinal benefits.
that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry
Different parts of the Peepal such as root bark, stem bark, roots, leaves,
family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, pimple
and fruits are used to manage conditions like high blood sugar levels,
tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipala tree,
constipation, and asthma.
ashvattha tree, or Asathu in Sinhala.
Peepal is beneficial for managing skin diseases. The topical application of
Scientific name: Ficus religiosa
Peepal leaf extract in the form of ointment helps in wound healing.
Higher classification: Fig trees
Ficus Benghalensis - Banyan
The Banyan tree is India's national tree, Ficus bengalensis. The Banyan,
which belongs to the fig family, spreads across a broad area, takes root,
and continues to live and regenerate for thousands of years.

Ficus benghalensis is an evergreen, fast-growing tree found mainly in

monsoon and rainforests, that can reach a height of up to 30 meters.[3] It
is resistant to drought and mild frost. It produces propagating roots which
grow downwards as aerial roots on the branches that grow downward
like lianas. Once these roots reach the ground, they take root and
become woody trunks and supportive.
The figs produced by the tree are eaten by birds such as the Indian
myna.
Ficus Racemose - Cluster Fig
Ficus racemosa, the cluster fig, red river fig or gular, is a
species of plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to
Australia and tropical Asia. It is a fast-growing plant with
large, very rough leaves, usually attaining the size of a
large shrub, although older specimens can grow quite
large

Ficus benjamina
Ficus benjamina, commonly known as weeping fig, benjamin fig or ficus
tree, and often sold in stores as just ficus, is a species of flowering
plant in the family Moraceae, native to Asia and Australia