I.

Landscape Architecture

According to Hopper (2012), Landscape architecture encompasses the analysis, planning,

design, management, and stewardship of natural and built environments. Types of projects
include: residential, parks and recreation, monuments, urban design, streetscapes, and public
spaces, transportation corridors and facilities, gardens and arboreta, security design, hospitality
and resorts, institutional, academic campuses, therapeutic gardens, historic preservation and
restoration, reclamation, conservation, corporate and commercial, landscape
art and earth sculpture, interior landscapes, and more.

“Landscape architecture is the development and decorative planting of gardens, yards,

grounds, parks, and other planned green outdoor spaces. Landscape gardening enhances nature
and creates a natural setting for buildings, towns, and cities. It is one of the decorative arts and is
allied to architecture, city planning, and horticulture.” (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica,
1998). It involves planning and designing traditional places such as parks, residential
developments, campuses, gardens, cemeteries, commercial centers, resorts, etc. The Spectrum
also includes the restoration of natural sites disrupted by humans, i.e., wetlands, stream corridors,
mined areas, and forested land.
 II. Landscape architecture and Architecture comparison/difference in these aspects;
A. Spatial Awareness

Architecture Landscape Architecture

B. Impact on Society/Community

Architecture Landscape Architecture

By creating unique living places that
promote our health, safety, and comfort,
architecture has contributed to the shaping
of civilization. It also gives prominent
buildings all over the world a sense of
wonder and mystery.
The use of landscape architecture can
assist regulate the weather and lessen the
effects of global warming. Urban
environments can benefit from the air
purification and cooling effects created by
small ecosystems like pocket parks and
rooftop gardens.

III. Landscape & Landscaping

Landscape
According to National Geographic, landscape is part of Earth’s surface that can be
viewed at one time from one place. It consists of the geographic features that mark, or are
characteristic of, a particular area.
The term derives from the Dutch word landschap, which is used to describe paintings of
rural areas. The term was taken by geographers from artists. Although there have been landscape
paintings from the time of the Roman Empire (there are landscape frescoes in the Pompeii ruins),
they were revived in Northern Europe during the Renaissance. In landscape paintings, the land
itself was the topic, rather than any people or scenes. Both Vincent van Gogh and Jacob van
Ruisdael are well-known Dutch landscape artists.
An assortment of landforms, including mountains, hills, plains, and plateaus, make up a
natural landscape. Other characteristics of natural landscapes include lakes, streams, soils (such
sand or clay), and natural vegetation. For instance, a desert environment typically denotes sandy
soil and a dearth of deciduous trees. Even desert landscapes can differ; for instance, the cactus-
dotted Mojave Desert in the US Southwest differs greatly from the Sahara Desert's steep sand
dunes.

Landscaping

By definition, in order to appropriately refer to improving (or sustaining previous

improvements) made to a property's grounds as "landscaping" (verb form), you must be doing so
in both a functional and aesthetically pleasing manner. In a broader sense, landscaping refers to
 everything on your property that is visible from the outside of the house. When you landscape
your yard, you are engaging in landscaping, a similar term.
The practice of landscaping is modifying a location's natural surroundings to give it a
certain appearance. Although this industry frequently places a strong emphasis on gardening,
landscaping also encompasses the construction of structures, the installation of walls and other
features, and the evaluation of an entire area (McMahon, 2023)

IV. HARDSCAPE AND HARDSCAPE ELEMENTS

All non-living materials in

landscaping, such as a brick patio, a stone wall,
or a wooden arbor, all refer to Hardscape. And
it is also one of the subcategories of the two
primary landscaping; the softscapes and
hardscapes. Furthermore, hardscape is the
“hard” feature in your landscape. It is the
heavier, unchanging, inanimate objects
composed of gravel, paving, stone and wood.

Hardscape elements can also define the use of

a space, such as with a driveway, or it can lead visitors through different zones of softscaping, as with a
gravel path that winds through a grassy area and into a secluded garden. Using hardscape elements, there
are so many ways to use it as a way to enhance the area or the property.
Hardscape elements include:

Stone retaining walls

create planting areas or convert a slope to flat yard space.
Retaining walls are a popular outdoor feature that is both utilitarian
and aesthetically pleasing. They are used to retain soil in place on hills
or slopes, as well as to separate soils at various altitudes for erosion
management. They serve as a wonderful focus point for a design
concept, drawing attention to the natural slope of the ground as well as
the interaction of soils and other softscape aspects. Plants, flowers, and
beds of various softscape organic materials are typically alternated
with hardscape retaining wall components to provide an attractive and
unique contrast.
 Water features
Water features may be both beautiful and practical hardscape pieces.
Fountains made of ceramic or stone can assist channel natural water
in the rear or front yard or structure, providing a nice contrast
between the gently flowing water and the rougher roughness of the
fountain. This is especially attractive in the spring, when gentle
showers may highlight softscape elements and create a pleasing
balance with hardscapes. There's something innately appealing about
gentle footfall on wet tiles or stones, or the fragrance of grass mixed
in with the scent of a wooden deck. If there is a lot of water in the
yard, such as from rain or runoff, hardscaping designs can help keep
it from becoming a muddy bog.

Brick patios Concrete patios Stone walkways

offer a more upscale are the classic low- are ideal for garden
and natural look than maintenance and paths.
concrete. versatile patio option.
Hardscape can also be a practical and
sustainable measure. Different kinds of stones or
gravel, like pea gravel, decomposed granite, pavers,
and concrete, can be used to channel and conserve
water in drought-affected areas. It also looks more
attractive than leaving dead grass in place, or brown
exposed dirt. Municipal hardscaping is a sustainable
alternative because it requires no water or fertilizer,
limits runoff, assists with water filtration and
sequestration, and reduces loads on sewer systems. Hardscaping, however, should always complement the
natural environment and help preserve it.

V. Softscape & Softscape Elements

The animate (alive) horticultural components of a landscape design are referred to as
softscape. In plainer terms, it refers to the vegetation. Most of the time, softscape is used to soften the
hardscape elements. Hedges or plants can really make a space ‘pop’ and the softscape elements really
complement the harder edges of the physical materials.

Softscape Elements

Ground Cover
These are plants that are grown over a land area for
adverting the issue of erosion and weed invasion on a property.
Their growth is usually and average height of above 24 inches
from the ground level and they come in various colors based
on their plant family to give an aesthetic feel and to the
environment.
Uses:
● As lawn to replace grass.
● Define spaces
● Traffic barriers and visual guides.
● Transition between lawn area and tall plants.
● Unify divergent landscape components.

Perennial Herbs
Softscape incorporates plants like perennial herbs
because it considers more than just aesthetics in order to
increase the accessibility of food to people's tables. These
plants, which can thrive for longer than two years, are both
medicinal and edible.
Shrubs
Shrubs often grow to a height of less than six meters, which
makes them different from trees. Nonetheless, depending on how
they are pruned, some can end up turning into trees.

Uses:
● Barriers to unwanted foot traffic
● Screens of shrubs provide privacy
● Ground covers
● Direct traffic around property corners

Trees
Trees are woody plants that can reach heights of
over six meters, have significantly thicker trunks than
shrubs, and have a larger spread of branches.

Uses:
● Defining spaces and marking boundaries
between garden, parks etc
● For enclosure, privacy and direction linkages
between one building and another
● Improving air quality
● Providing shade and shelter
● Noise reduction
● Creation of habitat for faunas
● From an engineering perspective trees
● Some tree roots help in soil stability
● Tree leaves and branches prevents dehydration
of soil and erosion
● Give aesthetics to an environment in contrast to
building outlines
 Water Plants
Plants that have developed special
adaptations for thriving in freshwater or
saltwater aquatic habitats are known as water
plants. They may resemble floating leaves or be
finely dissected, and their growth and survival
depend on water or moist soil.

VI. Sustainable Landscape

Sustainable landscaping is the practice of using multiple

strategies to create an environmentally friendly and climate
appropriate landscape.
According to the Santa Barbara County Water Agency,
"sustainable landscaping asks us to examine the input and
output of our landscaping and find ways to minimize both."
Many cities offer landscaping rebates to homeowners that
make sustainable upgrades.

The main goals of sustainable landscape design are to conserve water and energy, reduce waste and
decrease runoff. In order to achieve these goals residential gardens should treat water as a resource,
value soil, preserve existing plants and conserve material resources.

Principles of Sustainable Landscape:

Treat water as a resource-
VI. References
● Hopper, L. J. (2012). Landscape Architectural Graphic Standards. John Wiley & Sons.
● The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998, July 20). Landscape architecture.
Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/landscape-architecture
● California, S. O. (n.d.). Sustainable Landscaping. CalRecycle Home Page.
https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/landscaping/#:~:text=Sustainable%20landscapi
ng%20is%20the%20practice,friendly%20and%20climate%20appropriate%20land
scape.
● https://www.tailoredlights.com/post/what-is-hardscape-and-how-is-it-used
● https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-hardscape-2131060
● https://www.curtilandscaping.com/blog/what-is-hardscape-and-softscape/
● https://artisanexterior.com.au/explore/hardscape-softscape-difference
● https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-hardscape-2131060
● https://www.homequestionsanswered.com/what-is-landscaping.htm
● https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/landscape/
●