The Four Major Concepts Behind Landscape Design
Just as house designs have a variety of concepts that define their characteristics, as do landscape designs. These are a group of principles that determine the harmoniousness of the overall design and each can be used to achieve particular effects.
Just as house designs have a variety of concepts that define their characteristics, as do landscape designs. These are a group of principles that determine the harmoniousness of the overall design and each can be used to achieve particular effects.
To help you understand how you’d like your landscape design to look, this guide explains the four major concepts behind landscape design and how they influence the overall look of your landscape.
Transition
Having a smooth transition between different parts of your landscape is important but easily forgotten. This can be done by manipulating factors like colour, form, and texture to gradually move from one style to the other. Unless you’re specifically looking to design a landscape with more obvious contrasts between these factors, generally landscape designers aim for the viewer’s eyes to pass over the landscape seamlessly.
Balance
In the world of landscape design, balance is a comparative term used to denote two different segments of a landscape design. If the central path of your landscape is lined with a particularly thistly hedge like Thuja Plicata, then you may wish to offset this by using Laurel hedging with larger leaves for the perimeter. Likewise, if your landscape design uses an intricately patterned path then you won’t want to surround this with overwhelmingly bold-coloured fauna with lots of textures, and vice versa.
Unity
Unity doesn’t necessarily mean that everything must be uniform, it means that the different elements of your landscape design must compliment one another and be cohesive overall. For example, if you’d like your landscape design to incorporate a central feature then you may want a level of contrast to highlight this.
A good way to do this is to use similar fauna but with different textures. If you’re looking to highlight a fountain, consider adding hedging with alternate shading and texture to offset this feature. Otherwise, the viewer won’t be able to distinguish key features and the whole landscape will blend into one style.
Proportion
Proportion is possibly the most difficult concept of landscape designs. Put simply, proportion is achieved when the size and style of the individual components of a landscape fit harmoniously into the overall design. For instance, has transition been used as a means to gradually move from one style to another, and does this balance with other elements of the landscape design?
Similarly, do the varying colours and textures, while different, offer a sense of unity across the whole landscape design, or are a couple of those colours or textures disproportionate? This concept requires a particularly high level of experience.
At Lizard Landscape Design and Ecology, we specialise in landscape design and offer tailored services for our clients. We have high standards for our projects and we address sustainability and biodiversity as well as aesthetics. If you have any further questions about landscape design, or if you’d like to know about our other services like ecological surveys or public realm design, then don’t hesitate to get in touch by calling 01903 216033 today!
Four Signs That a Tree’s Condition is Deteriorating
If you’re working on a construction project in an area with plenty of trees, it’s important to know which ones may be hazardous before starting work. If a tree is diseased or dying, it could topple over and destroy parts of the project and be a threat to health and safety.
If you’re working on a construction project in an area with plenty of trees, it’s important to know which ones may be hazardous before starting work. If a tree is diseased or dying, it could topple over and destroy parts of the project and be a threat to health and safety. If you need some advice when inspecting a tree for your next project, our arboriculturalists have created a guide to spotting a tree that is diseased, dead or dying.
Start At The Roots
If you’re trying to get to the bottom of whether a tree’s condition is deteriorating it’s a good strategy to start at… the bottom! If there has been construction work near a tree you’re inspecting recently, and you’ve noticed signs including thinning foliage, flowering out of season, poor growth or yellow and undersized leaves, then i’s likely that the work has damaged some of the roots.
Keep An Eye Out For Signs of Damage in The Bark
A sure-fire sign that a tree is dying and is in urgent need of a helping hand, is that the bark becomes loose, cracked and cavities begin to show. These signs indicate that the tree is severely damaged and could easily be knocked over during a particularly extreme weather event.
Lots of Fungus and Insects
Another sign of damage is an increased number of insects around a tree or the presence of mushrooms at the base. If you see lots of carpenter ants or beetles living in the tree, there is likely a serious issue with your tree and it’s in the process of dying. Similarly, fungi growing at the base of the tree indicates root or trunk rot and is a sign that the condition of the tree should be investigated further.
Only a Few Leaves Remain
If it’s the growing season in spring or summer and there are no leaves or very few brown and brittle leaves, then this is a sign that there’s something seriously wrong with your tree. The tree is likely stressed or in the process of dying, particularly if it’s noticeably very bare when it should be covered with lush green leaves.
For Arboriculture Services in West Sussex, Look No Further Than Lizard Landscape Design
Here at Lizard Landscape Design, we provide a wide range of arboriculture services for our clients in Worthing and across West Sussex. If you need tree surveys performed to discover the condition of a tree, get in touch with us. We’d be happy to help!
To find out more about us and our services, please feel free to contact us. You can find us at Lizard Landscape Design and Ecology, The Old Bank, 34 South Street, Tarring, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 7LH. Alternatively, call us on 01903 216 033 or email us at lizard.landscape@btconnect.com.
5 Ways to Create an Eco-Friendly Garden
It’s easy to feel powerless in the fight to save the environment but there are lots of small changes we can make in our daily lives to have a smaller environmental impact.
It’s easy to feel powerless in the fight to save the environment but there are lots of small changes we can make in our daily lives to have a smaller environmental impact. Our gardens are one thing we have that has a lot of ecological potential, and using them to create an ecological paradise for wildlife and lower our carbon footprint is a great start.
Here are 5 ways you can make your garden more eco-friendly:
Choose local materials
If you’re planning a landscape redesign or want to update your garden with a few new items, try and prioritise materials that are sourced locally. Searching for paving and bricks that haven’t travelled across the continent to get to you will reduce the carbon footprint of your garden. It’s also a great idea to shop at local businesses and see if any of your neighbours are selling plants that you can use to fill your garden with.
Conserve water
A lot of water is wasted while gardening so being conscious of how much you’re using will go a long way. When you regularly water plants you’re actually making them more dependent on the water you give them rather than forcing the roots to go down deeper and find moisture themselves. Giving them a good soak once a week should be enough to keep them happy. It’s also worth considering fitting a water butt to your guttering so that you can make use of every raindrop.
Use fewer chemicals
Using fewer chemicals or none at all will help improve your impact on the environment and they certainly aren’t necessary to create a thriving garden. You can rid greenfly with a splash of water, erect boxes to attract nesting birds to help with caterpillar control and use natural insecticide made from garlic, elder and rhubarb leaf. You can also use plastic sheeting weighed down to kill weeds.
Invest in a green roof
A great way to create a beautiful green space that blends well into the existing natural environment around your house, green roofs are becoming increasingly popular because they are great for increasing biodiversity, insulation and improving air quality. Make use of your garage, shed or summerhouse and create a natural habitat for flora and fauna.
Grow your own food
Growing and consuming your own food is a sure-fire way to reduce your carbon footprint. You can grow a whole range of fruits and vegetables to enjoy throughout the year. It cuts out the unnecessary hundred of miles of travel before it reaches your plate.
If you’re looking for environmentally friendly landscape design services, Lizard Landscape Design is a specialist consultancy of landscape architects and ecological consultants to commission ecological landscape design. Contact us today to find out more.
A Guide to Ecological Services
Building something new is always exciting, but construction must be done with care. Every building project could potentially cause a problem with the surrounding environment.
Building something new is always exciting, but construction must be done with care. Every building project could potentially cause a problem with the surrounding environment. If you wish to build something ecologically sound, it requires more than considering green energy sources and designing your building to make the best use of the sun.
The bigger your project, the bigger the environmental impact and that means you could be affecting not only local habitation but also plants. If animals are living in the area you intend to build, you will disrupt their natural habitat. In some cases, the animals will merely move elsewhere, but in other cases, you could be disrupting an already delicate eco-system.
Ecological assessments can help you determine where to build and how, but also ease your environmental impact. There are several ecological services to help you build a safer, more thoughtful project.
What Is an Ecological Survey?
Before you start a new building project, it’s a good idea to have an ecological survey done, which will assess the site to determine the environmental impact of the proposed structure will be. This is a good idea to have whether you are building a home for yourself, a commercial structure, or an addition to something that you already have.
The ecological survey will look at the entire site and will address any potential issues from an ecological standpoint. This takes into consideration the impact of the building on any existing habitats and also suggests ways to continue the development without interfering with the wildlife in the area.
The ecological survey should be planned far in advance so that you can adjust your development timeline according to the findings. It could affect everything from your schedule to your budget.
Why do you need this type of survey?
It allows you to adjust for any ecological constraints right from the start and lets you make a plan to reduce your impact on the surrounding habitats. A biodiversity action plan will also be created to minimise the threat to any animal habitats.
There are several stages to the ecological survey. They are as follows:
STAGE 1: PRELIMINARY APPRAISAL OF THE LOCAL ECOLOGY
This stage involves a walkover and a quick desktop study to see what is available in the area. It will note any ecological constraints on the site and check for potentially new habitats.
The early findings indicate just what species are found in the area and how much they will likely be affected by the construction. There is a specific interest in priority habitats, which are habitats of species that are threatened. These species require extra care and should not be disturbed in most cases.
If nothing is found during this initial appraisal, you don’t need to do anything else, apart from submitting the report for your building plan. You will only proceed to stage 2 if there is evidence that a protected species will be affected by the construction.
This survey must be completed quite early. If anything is found, you may not be able to get planning permission until a decision has been made on how to mitigate the impact. These decisions will be made by ecologists.
STAGE 2: ECOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
At this stage, the area will be surveyed and data collected to assess the impact based on the specific species or habitats that are found. A more detailed report will be drawn up and will expand on the findings from stage 1.
This stage will cover scoping, data collection, preliminary ecological appraisal, detailed surveys of protected species, site evaluation for conservation value, impact assessments, mitigation, residual impacts, and a report for stakeholders.
In most cases, these surveys will show that there is no reason to withhold planning permission. If a protected species is discovered, then it will need to be protected and there will be a discussion of what measures ought to be taken in order to keep the species and its habitat safe.
What is a Biodiversity Action Plan?
This is a plan, often referred to as BAP, that is internationally recognised. It addresses the problem of threatened species and habitats and is meant to protect them. BAP also works to restore biological systems that already exist.
If your survey shows that you are in the middle of priority habitat, the BAP will help protect the species. You will need to look at alternatives to building the way you originally intended.
Ecological Management of Building Sites
When planning to build a structure, you will likely want to have an ecologist weigh in on the project. Whether or not you have animals living nearby, you will be able to use the information provided by the ecologist to create a project that has minimal impact on the environment.
Ecological management will help you build a more sustainable building that is better for the nature around it. Everything from how the building is built to the way you design your patios and garden will have an impact on the world. These things can all be adjusted according to how the ecologist recommends you build.
What Animals Live in Your Area?
Do you know what animal habitats are in your area? This is why you need an ecological survey, to scout out the various habitats and determine whether the project will affect the species living there. The experts can easily determine if anything lives there and what species they are. This is determined from a variety of clues that are carefully examined, from tracks and scat to sightings and burrows or nests. Some examinations may spark a bat survey, to see how many bats and what species live in your area. You may also consider a bird count to determine how many species of birds live in your area.
If you have a lot of bats and birds, you can work to encourage them. Plant trees that both insects and birds like and encourage insects to gather so the bats can feed in the evenings. You can design your home and landscape around these creatures and ensure that your home is as ecologically sound as possible.
Should Animals Be Relocated?
In cases where you have a priority habitat, you want to preserve it as much as possible and allow the animals to continue living there. This may require some changes to your construction plans, but it is worth it to provide a home for species that would otherwise be displaced.
Animals that are not on the priority list may be relocated in many cases and this will be an individual decision made by ecologists who have studied the situation. They can determine if it is wise to relocate the animals and may also make suggestions as to how this can be achieved safely. It’s a lot of work, however, so you may prefer to simply alter your plans around the habitat.
The Environmental Impact of Your Landscape Project
Your project doesn’t have to be a construction project in order to require an ecological survey. In fact, even landscaping could affect priority habitats.
Once the surveys are done and you have determined that your project will not cause any harm to the animals in the area, you may begin work. However, it’s always a good idea to ensure that your landscaping is good for surrounding species and offers more habitats than it could destroy.
Consider planning to add areas that will help wildlife hide and plants to attract everything from butterflies to wild rabbits. You can create an ecologically sound landscape plan with a garden that actually improves on the local environment. By using minimally invasive procedures to create your landscaping and selecting plants with great care, you will find it simple to create a space where humans and nature can remain side by side.
When in doubt of how to best integrate your home and landscaping with the surrounding environment, you’ll want to have some ecological management. Ecologists will be able to help you create a plan to protect the environment and the species that live in it. Ideally, they should be able to provide all the ecological services you require and should have the experience to help you come up with a better plan.
If you’re looking for landscape designers with a firm understanding of ecological impact and how to work around it, you need Lizard Landscape Design. Contact us today to learn more.
Work Underway at Tech Park, Chichester University
Construction is now underway at The University of Chichester, Bognor Regis Campus, where we have been commissioned to prepare a landscape design strategy for the new Engineering and Digital Technology Park development extension.
Construction is now underway at The University of Chichester, Bognor Regis Campus, where we have been commissioned to prepare a landscape design strategy for the new Engineering and Digital Technology Park development extension. The proposed development will include a separate academic building to the southern site area and student accommodation to the northern site. The development proposals have been phased to allow for potential expansion.
Based upon the scheme proposals for the Tech Park development, the landscape measures have been designed and specified with the aim of enhancing landscape features as well as species and bio-diversity within the development site whilst providing identity to the university frontage and strengthening of the boundaries.
We are excited to see how the construction develops in the coming weeks!
First Look - Lakeside Centre Feature in The Architects' Journal
RH Partnership has completed work on a new water sports facility for Eastleigh Borough Council. Occupying 60 acres on the outskirts of Eastleigh in Hampshire, Lakeside Country Park’s lakes, wet meadow and woodland attract approximately 10,000 visitors a year.
Article written by Jon Astbury for Architects' Journal, August 14th, 2017.
To read the article in its original format, please visit https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/buildings/rh-partnership-completes-lakeside-water-sports-centre-in-hampshire/10022333.article#.WZGiL-JT_wc.twitter
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The new spaces replace outdated facilities with two sustainable, curved blocks
RH Partnership has completed work on a new water sports facility for Eastleigh Borough Council. Occupying 60 acres on the outskirts of Eastleigh in Hampshire, Lakeside Country Park’s lakes, wet meadow and woodland attract approximately 10,000 visitors a year.
The commission was to replace the outdated existing facilities in a manner that would embrace its rural setting. Sustainability was a chief concern for the council, which was focused on minimising energy and water consumption once in use, generating renewable energy on-site and increasing flexibility for future hire by a wider range of local groups. The facility has achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating, and sustainable features include photovoltaic and solar-thermal panels on a green roof, rainwater harvesting to flush the toilets and low energy lighting.
The new accommodation is split into two low-rise buildings which hug the contours of the land. The first houses multi-purpose spaces suitable for functions and group activities, staff offices and office space for partner organisations. In addition, it offers improved and expanded changing rooms to facilitate a significant increase in timetabled activities, better accessibility and improved security that allows adult and child classes to run concurrently.
The adjacent building includes public toilets that serve the wider park, a vehicle store and workshop for use by council staff, and a range of storage rooms for user equipment.
Client’s view
The finished building is a stunning example of contextual architecture, embracing sustainable technologies and providing a functional space for a variety of audiences. It is wholly sympathetic to its local environment without compromise to beauty and design.
Angela Taylor, project manager for Eastleigh Borough Council
Project data
Start on site August 2015
Completion October 2016
Gross internal floor area 800m²
Form of contract JCT Standard Building Contract
Construction cost £3.1 million
Architect R H Partnership
Client Eastleigh Borough Council
Structural engineer Hemsley Orrell Partnership
M&E consultant Delta Green (Sustainability & BREEAM)
Quantity surveyor Julian Church & Associates
Other specialist consultants Lizard Landscape Design and Ecology
CDM coordinator JCA
Main contractor The Construction Partnership
CAD software used Revit
Annual CO2 emissions 128.1kg/m² (estimated)
Lizard is pleased to announce that two of our staff have recently graduated, and have joined the team full-time
Lizard is pleased to announce that two of our landscape team members have recently successfully completed their degree courses and are now getting stuck in working within our landscape team full time.
Lizard is pleased to announce that two of our landscape team members have recently successfully completed their degree courses and are now getting stuck in working within our landscape team full time.
Ruth Chittock has completed a Post Graduate Masters in Landscape Architecture at Kingston University, and David Walker has successfully accomplished a BSc (Hons) Landscape Management (Land Use) at University of Greenwich.
Practice Overview
Since moving into our South Street, Tarring offices in October 2015 Lizard Landscape Design and Ecology has continued to expand its landscape and environmental team. We now have a team of 14 staff, and have continued to develop our environmental resources and services. The practice offers combined services in ecological assessment, arboricultural survey, landscape planning, landscape design, and landscape management.
Re-development of the Lakeside Centre, Eastleigh is now complete
Situated between Eastleigh and Southampton, Lakeside Country Park is a twenty-two-hectare site on restored gravel works, consisting of wet meadow and woodland.
Photo Credit: Richard Chivers
Situated between Eastleigh and Southampton, Lakeside Country Park is a twenty-two-hectare site on restored gravel works, consisting of wet meadow and woodland. Offering walks, picnic sites and guided trails, the park provides habitat to a diverse array of wildlife including deer, foxes and species of bat, and is popular with local anglers.
Working in partnership with RHP and Eastleigh Borough Council, we prepared a development plan for the Lakeside Country Park to include an ecological and landscape strategy aimed at enhancing the existing landscape and ecological features present within the existing site area.
We are pleased to see that the work is now complate and the space is already being enjoyed by the public.
Photo Credit: Richard Chivers
Landscape Institute announces Student Travel Award 2017 for ‘Healthy Landscapes’
We are pleased to announce that LLD Landscape Architect, Ruth Chittock has been awarded the Landscape Institute 2017 Student Travel Award.
We are pleased to announce that LLD Landscape Architect, Ruth Chittock has been awarded the Landscape Institute 2017 Student Travel Award. The awarded grant of £750.00 will enable her to travel to the US to undertake a research project on how landscape can have positive impacts on health and well-being.
Ruth, who has just completed her Masters in Landscape Architecture at Kingston University, chose to focus her study on the adverse effects on health and well-being of light pollution, and how landscape design can ameliorate these impacts.
She will visit the Great Basin National Park, a designated Dark Sky Park in Nevada, in September.‘The night sky is ingrained in human culture,’ Ruth said. ‘It is a universal heritage which we share with millions of people across the globe and it has inspired generations of poets, philosophers, scientists, and writers alike. My aim is to investigate how light pollution is leading to the loss of our night skies and how this is affecting us both physically and mentally. I am really excited to meet with people who are working to protect this incredible natural heritage and try to understand what can be done in the future.’
Landscape works at Northwood School nearing completion
The £35 million project, delivered alongside Hunters South Architects, Farrans Construction and Hillingdon Council recently received London LABC Building Excellence Award for 'Best Educational Building'.
The £35 million project, delivered alongside Hunters South Architects, Farrans Construction and Hillingdon Council recently received London LABC Building Excellence Award for 'Best Educational Building'. As the project nears completion, we are ensuring that external spaces are finalised and in great condition for the opening.
