Landscape Technologies I: Site Engineering

The shaping, molding and drainage of the earth’s surface is one of the most important tasks of landscape architects. The shaping must not only display high spatial design skills and principles: a thorough technical competence and long term environmental understanding are crucial to all landscape architectural projects planned and implemented. A two- and three-dimensional understanding of site and function lies at the core of any design process from beginning through to implementation and long term physical (environmental) development. This course is intended to provide an aesthetic and technical understanding of fundamental landform, grading and drainage, and the basic techniques for manipulating and sculpting the land.

The course is interlaced with short design tasks to highlight design content and exercise students’ technical skills. It is structured through the semester by a series of lectures which highlight the technical and aesthetic aspects of site planning and drainage. The course contains landform design, construction issues, contours, grading, slope design and landform control calculations and devices such as retaining walls and steps. Drainage design and detailing continues from, and ties into, landform design from drainage basics through to the increasingly more relevant and important issues of sustainable urban drainage systems and stormwater management. This aspect of the course will include drainage basics and calculations, and sustainable water management principles.

Learning Objectives:

• Introduce and illustrate the techniques, technical skills, methods and calculations which are utilized in landscape design and construction for earthworks and drainage.
• Introduce a practical understanding of the aesthetic and functional concerns of earthworks and drainage which affect the form, function and language of landscape design.
• Unite the process and understanding of site-based landscape design including detailing and landscape construction.
• Display knowledge and understanding of the theory and application of key principles and calculations of core landform and drainage operations.
• Display and apply improved skills and understanding in the detailed design and construction for landform design, grading, artificial retaining and drainage methods and redevelopment of the land.
• Work with module criteria and technicalities at various scales, to ensure that the design of landform and drainage can be implemented and constructed for each and every site.

Instructor: Daniel Roehr