ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE

What is landscaping?

Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible

features of an area of land, including:
1. living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly
referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants
with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the
landscape.
2. natural elements such as landforms, terrain shape and
elevation, or bodies of water;
3. human elements such as structures, buildings, fences or other
material objects created and/or installed by humans; and
4. abstract elements such as the weather and lighting
conditions.

landscape could be generally classified into two:

• Organic
• Inorganic
DIFFERENT ORGANIC AND INORGANIC ELEMENTS:
ORGANIC ELEMENTS INORGANIC ELEMENTS

1. Plants 1. Stone
2. Water 2. Brick
3. Earth forms 3. Timber
4. Metal
5. Plastics
6. Glass
7. Composite materials (mixture
of glass and plastics)
ORGANIC ELEMENTS:
1.PLANTS:
 Plants are the product of biological processes.
 They are the starter of eco system.
 There are many varieties of plant materials such as:
• Trees
• Shrubs
• Creepers and climbers
• Land covers .etc.

USES:

Environmental Architectural

1. Microclimate modifiers 1. Enframement

2. Conservation belt 2. Scale induction
3. Erosion control 3. Creation of plaza
4. Retains ground water 4. Defines pathway
5. Retains soil fertility 5. Welcoming look and aesthetic
6. Prevents siltation appeal to the building
SHRUBS CREEPERS

CLIMBERS COVERED PATHWAYS

 TREES
GROUND COVERS
2.WATER BODIES:

 Water is also another most important landscape element.

 Water bodies improve the quality and the worth of the site.it
makes the site attractive.
 There are many types of water :

1. Fountains
2. Pools
3. Ponds
4. Spouts
5. Artificial waterfalls.etc.
WATER

Water flows inevitably, from the source to the receiving ocean

basin. This continuity of rivulets , streams and rivers can be readily
observed.

USES:

1. Excellent land water interface gives an ecological home for

the animals and plants.
2. Water runoff reduced.
3. Microclimate created.
4. Moisture level maintained.
5. Wetland, marshes, swampy areas are conserved.
6. Maintaining vegetation into wetlands.
7. Hydrological cycle maintained.
8. Site aesthetics are enhanced.
QUALITIES OF WATER:
In depth, water may range from deep to no more than a film of
surface moisture.
In motion, from rush to gush, spurt, spout, spill, spray or seep.
In sound, from tumultuous roar to murmur.

WATER CAN BE USED:

1. AS A RESOURSE
2. FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES
3. SCENIC VIEWS
4. AS A LANDSCAPE FEATURE
Fountains:

 A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a

basin or jets into air to supply drinking water or to provide a
dramatic effect.
 Types of fountains:
1. Musical fountains
2. Flash fountain
3. Drinking fountain

JETS DRINKING WATER FOUNTAINS

1. CASCADE 2.SMOOTH SHEET FLOW

When water overflows from a height

and forms a screen it is called a smooth
sheet flow.

When water flows in steps it

is called as cascade. When large volume of
water is pressurised
through small
openings jets occur.

3. JETS
INORGANIC ELEMENTS:
1. ROCKS AND STONES:

 Stones are hard, impermeable, inorganic elements used

extensively in landscape architecture.
 Stones are basically used for the following:

1. Paving
2. Retaining wall
3. Stacked stone wall
4. Sitting
5. Shelters
6. Parapets
7. Bridges
8. Sculptures
9. Planters
10.Bollards
Different Stones And Properties:

Igneous rock:
Formed when molten rock (called lava or magma)
cools and harden
Eg: granite.

Sedimentary rock:
Formed from biological deposits that have
undergone consolidation and crystallization
Eg: limestone, sandstone

Metamorphic rock:
Formed when other kinds of rocks are
changed by great heat and pressure inside
the earth
Ex: marble, slate, quartzite.
PAVING:
PLANTERS

BRIDGES:
STACK RETAINING WALLS
SEATINGS AND SHELTERS:
Bricks:
Bricks may be made from clay, shale, soft slate, calcium silicate, concrete, or
shaped from quarried stone.
Nowadays concrete or cement bricks are also made and used widely.

Bricks are extensively used in landscaping for making:

1. Curb
2. pavements
3. planters
4. Screens.etc.

BRICK PAVING CURB STONE

3.TIMBER:
Timber is yet another best used elements of landscape.
This adds the attraction and improves the quality of landscaping by its
use in various ways:
1. Benches
2. Tables
3. Shelters
4. Pergolas
5. Bridges
6. Sculptures .etc.
METAL:
Metals are nowadays extensively used in landscape architecture.
Metals are being used as:

1. Benches
2. Railings
3. Bollards
4. Pergolas
5. Fencing
6. Lightings
7. Sculptures
8. Bridges
9. Dustbins
10. Bicycle parking.etc.

1. FERRROUS METAL: 2.NON-FERROUS METAL:

e.g. e.g.
stainless steel copper
mild steel aluminum
cast iron zinc
wrought / ductile iron
 BENCHES BOLLARDS RAILINGS

BICYCLE PARKING LUMINAIERS SCULPTURES

 DUSTBINS

TREE GAURDS SCULPTURES

GLASS:
Glass is a transparent fusion of silica,
alkaline flux, and stabilizer into a rigid, non-
crystalline mass. An extremely versatile
material, molten glass can be formed by
various means. It can be blown into bulbous
shapes, flowed into sensuous forms, or cut,
flattened, and cooled slowly to reduce
brittleness.
PLASTIC: Plastics are non bio degradable materials.
These materials are used in landscaping for the
following:
1. Planters (pots)
2. Furniture
3. Dustbins
4. Toys and
sculptures.etc.

GARDEN TOYS

PLANTERS SHELTERS DUSTBIN

12.EARTH FORMS :
LAND:
Land is the solid part of the earth surface.
EARTH FORM:
Three dimensional relief of the surface of earth is called as earth
form.
Methods Of Representation Of Earth Forms:
1. Contours The shape or the relief of the ground surface can be
indicated by contours.
2. Hachure These are the lines of equal height above a fixed
reference point or bench mark of known or assumed
elevation. These lines basically join points which
have equal heights above the fixed point. they are
considered to be the signatures of the land form
along with the Hachure.
Hachure are also representative lines which are
drawn perpendicular to the slope.
Methods of modification of earth forms:
1. Grading :cutting and filling
2. Resculpting of land
Map showing hachures and The map above shows both
pictorial relief. form lines and pictorial relief.

Contours and form How

lines are drawn on a hachures are
map by projecting developed
the 3-D ground onto (different
a flat surface methods).
WATERSHED
A river collects water from a broad area around it called a
watershed.
 WATER BODIES
RIDGES AND VALLEYS

PARTIALLY MODIFIED LANDSCAPE OCEANS

DESERT LANDS
OTHER COMPOSITE MATERIALS:

Furniture(plastic wood & metal) Recycled composite material brick

Composite deck material Pavements made out of recycled brick

THANKYOU