Virtuality in Landscape Architecture, International Conference, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
The Future Practice of Landscape Architecture and Its
Implications for Education
Author: James Palmer, SUNY ESF, Syracuse, New York
In the early and middle of the 20th century, landscape architects did design
(i.e., place making) by laying out plans on paper and then calculating cut-
and-fills, runoff drainage, road layout, etc. They evaluated the forms and
arrangements of their designs using the classical rules of commodity,
firmness and delight (firmitas, utilitas, venustas, from Vitruvius, On
Architecture, circa 27 BC). They did all the work themselves. They gathered
all the data in the field (refer to the “kit” article), made all the calculations
for moving earth, accommodating runoff, and road alignment. Many of the
design details were office trademarks, worked out over time. These details
were copied by hand, again, and again. Only occasionally did they need to
work closely with another professional other than an engineer or an architect.
Often even that was not necessary. Typically the landscape architect would
have one client who provided basic programmatic information. This may be
a small committee of several people, but it was still a single group with a
shared vision of the project. The client normally had a very modest sense of
their needs, and trusted the landscape architect to “ just take care of things.”
At regular intervals they met with the client to discuss their progress.
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How things have changed!! Tomorrow’ landscape architects will still be a
place makers, but their knowledge, skills and activities (KSAs) will have
change significantly. Landscape architects will design, but the calculations
for grading, sizing drainage capacity and aligning roads will be computer
assisted. It is unlikely that the landscape architect will know how to perform
these calculation procedures by hand. The landscape architect will also use a
great number of new computer tools to assist in creating a design free of
barriers, one that meets all the federal, state and local regulations, where
the quality of runoff leaving the site is as high as when it entered, and where
the views from the site are appropriately focused or screened.
Each of these computer tools will be a small program or applet that the
landscape architect will call upon to evaluate or change the design that is
being created in a hybrid CAD/GIS program. There are many ways these
applets can be acquired. Some will be openware, freeware or shareware
found on the internet. For instance, a landscape architect might share an
applet that creates “ fuzzy view sheds” rather than the seen or not seen
visibility analyses now available. Others will be purchased from third party
vendors as extensions or add-ons to the design program. In these cases,
your office has design and field data for a suite of five diverse projects that
they use to validate un-certified models that are being considered for use.
After all, you would not want your good name associated with sloppy code or
an inappropriately used model! In still other cases the designer will simply
purchase a specialized evaluation of the design by paying a fee to upload
their design document, have it run through a simulator, and receive a report
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Virtuality in Landscape Architecture, International Conference, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
or analysis document all in real time over the internet. For instance, a
design might be uploaded to an EPA certified program for evaluating water
quality impacts. The results would be downloaded, explaining how parking
lots, retention ponds, and other features of the design contribute to the
water quality budget. They will use these applets to conduct assessments
that help clarify how well the design is fulfilling the program criteria.
Digital design details are incorporated into the design as objects, some of
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which are custom created by the landscape architect’ office, but most of
which are obtained through other sources such as the company that makes
the product. At a minimum, these objects are composed of a drawing and a
specification. However, it is reasonable to expect some “ smart” objects to
also carry information about their appropriate use. For instance, plant
objects will carry with them an applet that evaluates the suitability of their
planting location.
The client relation has also changed significantly over the years. Now the
landscape architect must meet with multiple clients – the CEO, employees,
customers, neighbors, government officials, and representatives of special
interest groups who may not even live in the area. As the design progresses,
a log of decisions made and current drafts of the design are posted for
review on the internet. The landscape architecture office hosts meetings in
both real and virtual environments. Their job is to brief interested parties
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about the project’ status and facilitate interaction to obtain additional
programmatic information, and reactions to possible alternative approaches.
In many cases, the participants create discussion alternatives during these
meetings by combining desirable attributes from existing alternatives or
creating something altogether new. Then “ quick-and-dirty” assessments are
conducted while everyone is present. Once the landscape architects are back
in the office, they can tweak the design and conduct more thorough
evaluations.
What are the implications of these changes for landscape architecture
education? The landscape architect is still a designer and place maker; she
still needs to have a foundation education in design aesthetics, historic
precedents, natural processes, and the applicable laws and regulations that
influence practice. However, there are new KSAs that have become essential
since the 1950s. All landscape architects now have a significant education in
group processes, and how to facilitate consensus building among diverse
stakeholders. There is also a need to be proficient in formally stating the
process of design and evaluation. This is a necessary requirement to
computer tools – there can be no more black box processes. On the other
hand, it is unlikely that the new landscape architect could calculate runoff or
cut-and-fills without the assistance of applets. In some sense these applets,
especially the ones that use proprietary code, become the black boxes of
landscape design. The landscape architecture office must have a rigorous
suite of test cases to evaluate new applets being considered, and every
landscape architect should understand how to conduct such an evaluation.
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Virtuality in Landscape Architecture, International Conference, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
Sometimes the landscape architect will be called upon to provide new
coefficients or revise an open code applet, so basic programming skills are
also mandatory. They will also need to know how to move around the
internet, working with others in virtual offices or meeting rooms, and how to
make digital presentations and other communications.
Landscape architects will still go into the field, but they will take a new set of
tools: GPS units to locate the site, laser rangefinders devises to make local
measurements, decibel meters, soil probes, and temporary weather monitor
stations. However, most of the data for the initial site analysis can be found
on the internet at nor or low cost. Before visiting the site, the landscape
architect will tour a virtual model of the site, and even interact with the
neighbors by video email.. The landscape architect will need to know how to
assemble these data, how to evaluate their reliability and validity for the
particular project being designed, and when it is still necessary to go gather
original information.
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