ROLE OF TREES AS VISUAL

ELEMENT IN
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Element, which reduce the excess of our hard

artificial environment and bring about a
balanced harmony between architecture and
nature……
AIM&OBJECTIVE

• STUDYING THE ROLE OF TREES AS VISUAL ELEMENTS :

FORM, COLOUR, TEXTURE

• STUDY IS INTENDED TO DEAL WITH THE AESTHETIC QUALITIES OF

TREES, WHILE DESIGNING AND PLANNING, IMPROVING MAN’S PHYSICAL
ENVIRONMENT
TREES AS A MEDIUM OF DESIGN:

WHAT ARE •WOODY PLANTS HAVING A SINGLE STEM

TREES?? AND GROWING AT LEAST 10 FEET TALL.

THEIR •TREES (AS/ HEIGHT)

CLASSIFICATION?
• SHRUBS
??
•GROUND COVER
 WHAT IS THE
PURPOSE OF
TREES??
ECOLOGICAL PURPOSE:
-INCREASE QUALITY
OF SOIL.
 GIVE HOME TO
WILDLIFE

FUNCTIONAL PURPOSE VISUAL PURPOSE:

 FORM OF TREE
TO STABILIZE THE SOIL AND FLOWERS, BARK,
CHECK SOIL EROSION. AND FRUIT
 DECREASING STORM WATER ITS TEXTURES.
RUNOFF.  ITS DISTINCTIVE
 FILTER POLLUTANTS FROM AIR. WILDLIFE.
 MODERATE THE CLIMATE. ITS FRAGNANCE
 GUIDE WIND MOVEMENTS.
 •DISTANCE
HOW DO TREES
RELATE TO HUMAN •LIGHT
PERCEPTION
•AGE

SHADOW EFFECT:
SILHOUETTE EFFECT
BRANCHES,LEAVES VISIBLE

IMPACT OF COLOR &

TEXTURE
LIGHT

EVENING MORNING

ONLY OVERALL FORM ALL CHARACTERSTICS

VISIBLE VISIBLE
AGE GROUP: VARYING EYE LEVEL

INFANT ADULT

•WHOLE TREE NOT VISIBLE •WHOLE TREE VISIBLE

•LESS SENSITIVE •MORE SENSITIVE
 VISUAL PROPERTIES OF TREES:
FORM COLOUR

TEXTURE
STUDYING VISUAL PROPERTIES OF TREES
FORM
Every tree in landscape has a distinct form that establishes
its functional characteristics.

The form of a tree can be classified depending

upon its branching and foliage pattern.
SPHERICAL/GLOBULAR FORM
- AS ANCHORS IN COMPOSITION.
 AS VISUAL BARRIERS.
 THEY COMPLEMENT BUILDING FORM IN CASE OF A DOME.
THEY HELP IN BALANCING THE OVERALL COMPOSITION
BECAUSE OF THEIR HUGE MASS.
THEY CAN ACT AS ‘FULL STOPS’ AT THE END OF A BORDER OR
ANY ASSEMBLAGE THAT REQUIRES CONTAINMENT OR CONCLUSION.
 THEY MASS WELL TO CREATE GROVE EFFECT.

SOME EXAMPLES ARE:

MANGIFERA INDICA, MIMUSOPS ELENGI, TAMIRINDUS INDICA, FICUS
RETUSA.
CONICAL/PYRAMIDAL FORM

CONICAL FORM CAN BE USED

FOR:

MAKING FOCAL POINTS.

HAVE MORE DYNAMICALLY

ASCENDING QUALITIES

IT CAN ADD A STRIKING

ASCENT.

SOME EXAMPLES ARE:

HIMALAYAN CEDAR,
PELTOPHORUM
FERRUGINEUM, MILLETIA
OVALIFOLIA,
ANTHEOCEPHULLUS
CADAMBIA.

DEODAR TREE
COLUMNAR FORM:
DEFINING THE AXIS.

. IT ACTS AS DOMINANT ELEMENT IN

COMPOSITION.

IT HELPS IN ACCENTUATING THE HEIGHT

OF THE BUILDING.

IT HELPS IN FRAMING VIEWS.

SOME EXAMPLES ARE:

GREVILLEA ROBUSTA,
MILLINGTONIA HORTENSIS,
 ERYTHRINA INDICA,
MIMUSOPS HEXANDRA.
OVAL/ELLIPTICAL FORM

CAN BE USED TO PUNCTUATE LESS

REGULAR FORMS.

CAN ACT AS A FOCAL POINT.

FOR LOW HEIGHTED SCREENING.

SOME EXAMPLES ARE: PHYLLANTHUS EMBLICA,

BAUHINEA VARIEGATE, BOMBAX MALABURICUM,

SARACA INDICA.

AMLA TREE
ARCHING/WEEPING FORM:

-SHADING PURPOSE.

CREATING A FOCAL POINT.

SOME EXAMPLES ARE:

CALLISTEMON LANCEOLATUS,
DELONIX REGIA, EUGENIA JAMBOLANA, ALBIZZIA LEBBEK.

GULMOHAR TREE JAMUN TREE

IRREGULAR/PICTURESQUE FORM

THEY ARE LIVELINESS AND MOVEMENT.

THEY ARE ANARCHIC IN NATURE.

SOME EXAMPLES ARE:

 FICUS RELIGIOSA,
DALBERGIA SISSOO, INDIAN LABURNUM, BUTEA
MONOSPERMA.
GROUP OF TREES (COMBINED FORM) CONCAVE & CONVEX FORM

DESIGN PRINCIPLES: CONTRAST &

HARMONY
BALANCE

EMPHASIS
TEXTURE
THE VISUAL ROUGHNESS OR SMOOTHNESS OF ANY PART OF THE TREE

AT A DISTANCE, THIS OAK

TREE MAY LOOK FINE
TEXTURED AS
YOU MOVE CLOSER, THE
SAME TREE BEGINS THE
LEAVES OF THE TREE CAN
BE A COARSE

TYPES OF TEXTURES
 COLOUR & ITS AFFECTS :

RED -HOT ,ENERGETIC IT IS ADVANCING AND

POWERFUL, DRAMATIC INSTANTLY PERCEIVED,
AND CAN BE EXCITING EVEN WHEN PRESENT IN
OR ALARMING. SMALL PATCHES
AMONGST OTHER HUES
.

GREEN IS NEUTRAL NEITHER RECEDING NOR

COLOUR IN MANY WAYS. ADVANCING. IT IS SOOTHING
IT IS NEITHER ‘WARM’ AND BALANCING BUT ALSO
NOR ‘COOL’. STIMULATING

BLUE IS THE COOLEST . IT IS CALMING

HUE AND MOST AND SERENE,
RECESSIVE IN THE FIELD BUT IS ALSO
OF VISION. EXPANSIVE AND
INSPIRING. IT CAN
BE AIRY AND
EVEN ETHEREAL
PRINCIPLES OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
THROUGH TREES PRINCIPLES INCLUDE THE ORGANIZATION
OF ELEMENTS SO AS TO ACHIEVE UNITY,
RHYTHM, PROPORTION, SCALE, AND
BALANCE.

•POINT
•LINE
•AXIS
•FOCUS
•SYMMETRY
•RHYTHM
•ENCLOSURE
POINT
FOCUS
 SYMMETRICAL FOCUS

ASYMMETRICAL FOCUS
 SYMMETRY: BILATERAL SYMMETRY

RADIAL SYMMETRY
ENCLOSURE
TRANSFORMS
THE SPACE
FROM
EXTROVERT TO
INTROVERT
CHARACTER

The green space is

constructed from trees by
planting trees of different
growth habits and canopy
heights.