LECTURE 1-PLANTS AS A MEDIUM FOR DESIGN

LARC 261 Planting Design

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE
OF PLANTING DESIGN?
Function
Ecology
Aesthetics
An Expression of Function
Orchard Street, Singapore
An Expression of Function
Seattle Freeway Park, Lawrence Halprin,
Seattle, WA
An Expression of Function

Maintain a sustainable relationship between people and the

environment; management of natural vegetation processes
“ Good design means choosing the kind of planting and
management that is appropriate to the site and its uses, and
requires the lowest level of intervention in natural processes

”
necessary for the planting to meet the design objectives.
No planting or seeding is needed on this
sandstone cliff face in Yorkshire, UK.
Natural colonization is appropriate.

Marram Grass (Ammophila arenaria),

indigenous European dune species is well
adapted to this coastal fill site.
Aesthetic Pleasure
“ Planting Design is much more than a cosmetic treatment…It plays a
major role in integrating structures in the environment by reducing
their visual intrusiveness, by repairing damage to existing ecosystems
and, more positively, by creating a setting which is comfortable,
attractive and welcoming.

”
WHAT ARE THE UNIQUE
FEATURES OF PLANTS
AS DESIGN ELEMENTS?
Life Cycles
Environmental Factors
Spatial/“Architecture” Elements
PLANTS AS LIVING MATERIALS
The form/shape of the tree
changes in different phases of life
Think about the whole living cycle of plants
“ As designers, we need to know the distinctive character of the
different stages of the plant’s life cycle…growth stage can not
only affect a plant’s appearance and design role, but also its

”
environmental requirements.
CONSIDER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Mature Tree Forms

? ? ?
CONSIDER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Mature Tree Forms

Close Woodland Open Parkland Hillside

Why turf grass doesn’t grow under pine trees?
Why turf grass doesn’t grow under pine trees?

- Insufficient sunlight;
- Some needle litter can acidify the soil;
- Some needles have a natural vegetation
killing agent in them to choke out
competitors, especially for the Larix conifers.
CONSIDER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

- Temperature and Thermoperiodicity

- Light and Photoperiodicity
- Moisture
- Soil Condition The growth of loblolly pines and tomatoes were greatest when day temperatures
were 27° C (80° F) and night temperatures were 17° to 20° C (63° to 68° F)
- Air Movement
- Potential Climate Change
- Microclimate of the Site
- Neighbors / Species
Competition
- Disease and Pets
- Human Pressures

Flower buds of camellia are initiated at temperatures of 24° to 27° C (75° to

80°F), but blooming is optimum at temperatures of 10° to 16° C (50° to 60° F).
USDA Hardiness Zone 7 – 9
Cold air finds low points or blockages, pools and becomes sources of frost. Windbreak
Urban condition tolerant species
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/Departments/LandscapeDesign/PlantInformation/SuggestedUrbanStreetTrees.aspx
PLANTS AS SPATIAL ELEMENTS
To the designer, plants are like green building blocks that can be assembled to form living and
changing “structures” in the landscape. The “architectural” function of plants is creating SPACES.
 Ceiling

Wall

Outdoor Room

Floor
 HOW TO SELECT
THE RIGHT PLANTS?
Functional and Spatial Characteristics
Visual and Other Sensory Characteristics
Habit and Cultural Requirements
9/11 Memorial, New York

Michael Arad + PWP Proposal

http://www.pwpla.com/national-911-memorial
Sacred Space: Visitors will
leave the everyday life of the
city and enter into a sacred
zone defined by a dense forest
of 416 oak trees. Above the
limbed-up trunks, a canopy of
leaves will provided welcome
shade in the heat of the
summer and seasonal color in
the fall. In the winter the sun
will cast shadows through a
light tracery of bare branches,
and in spring, the trees will
express the renewal of nature.
The Forest: The Memorial grove will resemble a “natural” forest, until visitors discover that the trees align to form arching
corridors in one orientation. The form recalls the arches that architect Minoru Yamasaki placed at the bottom of the original
towers. In this way, the grove expresses the shared patterns of nature and humanity.
The Glade: A grassy
clearing within the grove
is a quiet space away from
the bustle of the plaza.
Designed to accommodate
ceremonies--specifically,
the reading of victims'
names annually on
September 11th--the space
also provides soft green
park space on typical days
The Scaling Space: Within the Memorial grove, the varying distances
between trees, the placement of benches, and the rhythm of ground-cover
beds will create spaces with distinct scale, character, and qualities of light.
Memorial Trees: Working in collaboration with arborist Paul Cowie, PWP selected swamp white oaks as the tree species for the Memorial.
Considered more disease resistant than red or pin oaks, the swamp white provides the strength, longevity, and symbolic weight that PWP
was seeking for the Memorial.

Quercus bicolor (swamp white oak) was chosen as the species to be used in the Memorial for two principal reasons: it is native to all three spots
affected by the attacks (New York City, Arlington County in Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania)and also to the regions of the US where
most of the victims came from; furthermore, it adapts well to the challenges of an urban environment, tolerating dry, moist, or wet soils as well
as salt and soil compaction.
http://www.pwpla.com/national-911-memorial