STAGE 1 - LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS

LECTURE NOTES BY : AR. DEBASHREETA D.

Analysis In Landscaping Project ------ Site Analysis + Requirement Analysis

I. SITE ANALYSIS
AIM : To know +ve or site assets & -ve or site liabilities on & off the site
DONE BY :
1. PROPERTY SURVEY ( INVENTORY & ANALYSIS PLANS) +
2. TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY ( CONTOUR PLANS )
1. PROPERTY SURVEY :
1. INFRASTRUCTURE SURVEY
 Siteplan- easement, parking, offsets etc, lot dimensions, property boundries
 House features: room- opening positions, sill ht.s etc
 Exsisting manmade features- sewrage & watersupply line , chambers etc, electric meters, garages,
sheds etc
 Exsisting boundaries – hedges, fences, walls ( ht. , width, material retc)
 Exsisting plants , softscape & water features
 Features outside the site – neighbours trees, shading conditions etc
 Measurements for elevational drawings
2. CLIMATIC
 Macro & micro climate – temp., humidity, rainfall, winds etc
 Sun & shade conditions
3. NON-MEASURABLE ASPECTS
 Good/bad views off the site
 Parts of site needing screening from out side views
4. SOCIO-CULTURAL ASPECTS
5. ACOUSTICAL – SCREENING NEEDS

PROPERTY SURVEY -SITE INVENTORY + SITE ANALYSIS PLANS TOPOGRAPHIC – CONTOUR PLAN

2. TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY ( CONTOURING ):

1. Site terrain, fluctuations, level differences, rock ledges, etc

2. Soil types, depth of bedrock, watertable, ph factors, dampness etc
 II. REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS
AIM : To know what people want from the landscaped areas
DONE BY :
Collecting information ( surveys, records, authorities ) about:
1. Age , sex, hobbies & intended uses
2. Plant preferences & allergies
3. Time & capacity for maintainance
4. Permanent house / rented
5. For driveways & parkings:
 No. Of vehicles generally & occasionally
 Offstreet parking
 Lighting features & surfacing materials
6. For decks & patios:
 Intended uses
 No. Of users
 Timing & weather of use
 Furniture, storage
 Type of cooking devices
7. Circulation needs
8. Pools & water features
 Size , shape , users
 Lighting , storage, fencing etc
9. Needs for other activity areas:
 Lawn sports- type , frequency , surfacing needs
 Children area & its equipments
 Speciality garden needs
10. Service area requirements:
 Cloths line, compost bin , green house, dog runs, etc
11. Parking & storage for recreational vehicles & equipments
12. Embelishment needs

CONTOURING
( In Detail )
Ordnance Survey/ Topographic Survey maps use contour lines that join points of equal height together.
Uses of contours
Understanding contours is a very useful skill to identify the lay of the land so that we can easily assess whether it is
Flat, hilly, undulating, or steep so that we can:
1. Locate outdoor utilities
2. Easily use natural contours to create berms
3. Properly plan out drainage and other services
4. Whether a route will be a gentle easy walk or a hard uphill slog, so you can plan your route more easily etc.
 INDEX CONTOUR : INTERMEDIATE CONTOUR CONTOUR INTERVALAT THE MARGINS

PRINCIPLES OF CONTOURING
1. Contour lines never intersect until unless there is overhanging cliff/ cave or ground has been hollowed out.
2. Contours are only ever on top of one another if it’s a vertical cave or cliff.
3. Smaller circles denote a summit or basin, but the inside of a contour circle is normally higher or lower ground.
4. Flat areas like river valleys and the sea have very few or no contours.
5. The spacing of the contour lines indicates the nature of the slope. Contour lines evenly spaced and wide apart
indicate a UNIFORM, GENTLE SLOPE .Contour lines evenly spaced and close together indicate a
UNIFORM, STEEP SLOPE. The closer the contour lines are to each other, the steeper the slope .
6. Contour lines closely spaced at the top and widely spaced at the bottom indicate a CONCAVE SLOPE .
Contour lines widely spaced at the top and closely spaced at the bottom indicate a CONVEX SLOPE .

UNIFORM STEEP SLOPE &UNIFORM GENTLE SLOPE CONCAVE SLOPE &CONVEX SLOPE

MAJOR LAND FORMATIONS & THEIR CONTOUR PATTERNS / CONTOUR SIGNATURES

CATEGORIES OF LANDFORMS:
 The five major terrain features are: Hill, Ridge, Valley, Saddle, and Depression.
 The three minor terrain features are: Draw, Spur and Cliff.

1. HILL/SUMMIT . This is a point or small area of high ground. When you are located on a hilltop, the ground
slopes down in all directions.
2. KNOLL. Low isolated hill shown by ringed contour plan.
3. VALLEY. A valley is a course of a stream that has at least a limited extent of reasonably level ground bordered
on the sides by higher ground. The valley generally has manoeuvring room within its confines. Contours
indicating a valley are U-shaped and tend to parallel a major stream before crossing it. The more gradual the fall
of a stream, the farther each contour parallels it. The curve of the contour crossing always points upstream
4. DRAW. A draw is a less developed course of a stream in which there is essentially no level ground and, therefore,
little or no manoeuvring room within its confines. The ground slopes upward on each side and toward the head of
the draw. Draws occur frequently along the sides of ridges at right angles to the valleys between them. Contours
indicating a draw are V-shaped, wih the point of the V toward the head of the draw.

5. RIDGE. Normally, a ridge is a line of high ground with minor variations along its crest. The ridge is not simply a
line of hills; all points of the ridge crest are appreciable y higher than the ground on both sides of the ridge.
6. ESCRAPMENT. Ridge with steep slope on one side and gentle slope on other side.
7. SPUR. A spur is a short, continuously sloping line of higher ground normally jutting out from the side of a ridge.
A spur is often formed by two roughly parallel streams cutting draws down the side of a ridge.
8. SADDLE. A saddle is a dip or low point along the crest of a ridge. A saddle is not necessarily the lower ground
between two hilltops; it maybe simply a dip or break along an otherwise level ridge crest .
9. PASS. Saddle that continues both ways between two hills is called a pass.

10. CLIFF. A cliff is a vertical or near vertical slope .When a slope is so steep that it cannot be shown at the contour
interval without the contours coming together, it is shown by a ticked "carrying" contour or contours. The ticks
always point toward lower ground.
 11. DEPRESSION. A depression is a low point or a sinkhole, surrounded on all sides by higher ground

GRADING
( Done in Stage III “ Implementation “ of a Landscaping project )
DEFINITION
Grading is a process of moulding (any degree of soil movement )the landform into a physical configuration with
minimal environmental damage and economic cost , necessary for a given set of circumstances .
Grades are classified as :
1. Natural grade – elevation prior to grading
2. Finish grade – elevation created after grading
REASONS OF LANDSCAPE GRADING
1. Improving surface drainage
2. Reinforcing Aesthetics
3. As a foundation for landscaping elements
4. Creating berms
5. Location of buildings, Creating levelled surfaces for outdoor utilities
6. Modifying existing landforms
7. Grading for good views
8. Emphasise or control circulation
9. Facilitate better plant growth
10. Erosion control and soil stability
I. GRADING FOR IMPROVED SURFACE DRAINAGE
Protecting the land/plants and your home from excess water is one major reason to undertake land grading efforts.
Creating slopes away from the house ( PERCHING ), constructing retention ponds, DRAINAGE SWALES and
diffusing water in order to reduce erosion are all important considerations .
RESIDENTIAL LOT DRAINAGE
There are three types of lot drainage:
1. Rear to front drainage 2. Split drainage to back lane 3. Split drainage to rear yard lane

DRAINAGE SWALES PERCHING WINDOW WELLS

 II. REINFORCING AESTHETICS
Besides the plants the land is one of the most important design tools in the designers quiver.
1. The design principles we’ve addressed elsewhere, such a s rhythm, balance, repetition, scale and proportion
may be used to create dramatic design effects.
2. Soil grading for terraces, steps, slopes, and embankments can highly affect the ambiance of your garden, and
start you off with a firm foundation.

III. PROVIDING A FOUNDATION FOR LANDSCAPE ELEMENTS

Landscape grading is often undertaken for the purpose of fashioning specific landscape elements, such as
driveways and patios, and in implementing techniques to modify land surfaces, such as stairs, slopes, and
embankments.

IV. LOCATION OF ROADS ,BUILDINGS, CREATING LEVELLED SURFACES FOR OUTDOOR

UTILITIES

V. CREATING BERMS
A berm is a mound of earth with sloping sides that is located between areas of approximately the same elevation.
Berms or mounds may serve one or a combination of the following functions:
1. Add interest to a flat landscape
2. Create a noise barrier
3. Separate areas of conflicting uses
4. Create additional soil depth for unfavourable subsurface soil conditions
5. Screen undesirable views
6. Create a private, enclosed area
7. Direct foot traffic
8. Direct drainage
9. Provide wind protection
10. Provide an elevated area to view smaller plants more clearly
 11. Enhance or emphasize a landscape design
12. Serve as a solar collector mounting area

VI. MODIFY EXISTING LANDFORMS

VII. GRADING FOR GOOD/BAD VIEWS

VIII. GRADING FOR INCREASING THE STABILITY OF THE LAND
Creating stability for installations such as rock walls, manmade embankments, or water features may require you
to reinforce an area of the landscape. Redirecting water, improving soil, and adding stone and large rock to your
landscape can go a long way toward creating this stability.

IX. GRADING FOR DIRECTING TRAFFIC CIRCULATION

The topography of your landscape can greatly affect the way individuals move across the property.
1. Large flat areas encourage wandering,
2. Undulating surfaces tend to direct traffic into lower areas. Berms, ponds, paths and driveways all re-direct
traffic because
 People like to do the least work possible! That includes climbing that tiny little hill in your yard.
 You may also wish to direct traffic toward a front entrance, when multiple doors face the property
entrance.
 Techniques involving grading of your land can highly reinforce both aesthetic and practical landscape
elements.

X. GRADING FOR EROSION CONTROL

1. By decreasing slope or
2. Masking steep slopes with strong grading materials / retaining walls etc
XI. GRADING FOR BETTER PLANT GROWTH

LANDSCAPE GRADING METHODS- CUT-FILL-BOTH

CUTS
• Lower grades
• Removal of prescribed depth of soil between existing and proposed contours
Advantages
• Greater soil stability
• Erosion/settling minimized
Disadvantage
• Disposal expense
• Loss of topsoil compaction
•Infertility
•Vegetative loss
•Root loss

FILLS
• Raises grades
• Addition of prescribed depth of soil between existing and proposed contours
Advantage
•Useful when no other method will work
Disadvantage
•Cost
•Erosion
•Aeration
•Water movement

BEST TO COMBINE CUT/FILL

• Use soil from an area cut to fill another area
• No non-native soils are introduced
• Reduces costs

LANDSCAPE GRADING PLAN

Shown on map by bending contour lines
• When proposed line bends toward an existing contour of higher elevation – indicates CUT
• When proposed line bends toward an existing contour of lower elevation – indicates FILL

LANDSCAPE GRADING PROCESS

1. Measuring and Design

2. Removing Topsoil
3. Soil Excavation
4. Rough Grading
5. Irrigation Installation
6. Backfilling Soil
7. Finish Grading