ACE Update – July 2019

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14 july 2019 ACEARCHITECTURECONSTRUCTIONENGINEERINGUPDATE

Scale or Proportion - The size of the components in a

landscape is scale and how they relate to each other is

proportion. The size of your landscape and the items

in it should all be balanced. A wall or tree that is

significantly larger that everything else will pull the eye

away from the rest of the garden.

Assimilation

This is something very close to unity in the concept

that everything works together. Interconnection

gaining unity by using connections such as paths,

walkways, stairs and fences to physically link areas.

Repetition can be helpful but take care not to

overuse it. Dominance is when other areas appear to

unify in support a single focal point, perhaps a large

tree. Principles of design are used to achieve feel and

form in a design. The elements of plants are used

to select and organize the plants to be used. These

elements are different ways of describing plant traits

and the consideration of how they can be used. There

are five elements that are considered primary. These

will merit consideration in all planting decisions.

There are also many other factors that may be equally

or more important, or not relevant at all. These are

called secondary elements and they will vary by

situation. Think of each plant, plant grouping and

hardscape feature as a separate entity. Hardscapes

are hard surfaces such as asphalt, concrete or paving

stones. During the first designs, these entities will be

general, unspecific and a variety plants could serve

as the feature specified. For example, the plan may

call for a large, full-sun shrub with fall color as a

key plant, but the exact species of shrub will still be

undecided. Understanding the elements of plants will

help to narrow down which plant traits are needed

to achieve the look that the design calls for. Consider

the primary and the applicable secondary elements.

Use the upcoming searchable plant database to get

a list of suitable plants. Plants are evaluated as to

whether or not they contribute to the functionality,

maintainability, environmental health, aesthetics and

cost effectiveness of each space.

Green cover

From trees to groundcover, this element describes

the kind of plant that is selected and what the plant

needs. Plants with similar light, nutrient and water

needs should be grouped together. It is important to

group plants with the same water needs together into

irrigation “hydrozones.”

When assessing the size of the plant, take both the

height and the width into account as well as the

particular cultivar of that plant. A cultivar is like

a sub-species of a plant type that will show specific

characteristics, for example, color or final size. It is

extremely important to make sure that a plant’s size

when fully mature will still fit the location that has

been selected.

There is a large palate of shapes that can be found

in plants. Examples include oval, cone, pyramid,

upright, irregular, spreading and column. The use of

these shapes should be considered early in the design

process. Columnar shapes can be used for barriers and

present a formal look. Spreading shapes can be used

to soften structures and forms. Upright shapes can

be used to call attention to an area. Oval shapes are

easy for the eye to follow and can be used to bridge

areas. In addition to new plants, consider the forms

of structures and plants that already exist in the

space. New plant forms must complement existing

components as well as each other.

When we talk about textures, colour is often the first

thing that is noticed about a plant. It can be used

to great effect to provide interest. Warm colours like

red, orange and yellow are stimulating and will call

attention to an area or object. Cool colours such as

blue, green and violet are relaxing and will subdue an

area or object. Related are traits of seasonal interest.

These are features of the plant that vary through the

time of the year. Examples would be foliage, flowers

or fruit.

Different plants will have different appearances to

their surfaces. The density of the leaf set, bark or

branching structure contribute to a plant having a

course or fine texture. Fine textures can make a space

seem larger. Course textures can make a space seem

smaller. In general, use course textures sparingly and

fine textures more often secondary elements include

drought tolerance, soil adaptability, full sun or

shade tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance,

moisture tolerance and temperature hardiness.

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Green structures top priority in building New India