Drawing for Landscape Architecture: Sketch to Screen to Site

This essential publication reintroduces the importance of learning to ‘see by hand’, to visualize large-scale design schemes and explain them through drawing, before using the digital tools that are so crucial to efficient and cost-effective building solutions. Combining traditional drawing techniques with those from CAD rendering, in nine chapters, Drawing for Landscape Architecture guides practitioners from their very first impression of a site, through concept and schematic design and client presentation to construction and site drawings, concluding with two case studies that show the final result. Just as hand-drawing returns to design courses around the world, this welcome publication celebrates the best aspects of traditional techniques while incorporating them into today’s digital design methods.

Table of Contents

1. Absorbing the Landscape Introduction • Developing vocabulary • Mark-making • People and Landscape • Capturing Light • Inspiring subjects • Influences • Abstraction • Drawing scale • Line quality • Expressive line • Drawing plants • 2. Drawing on Site Absorbing the past • The context • Keeping records • Jotting down ideas quickly • Detailed analysis drawings • 3. Drawing Ideas Communicating with clients • On-site analysis • Instant visual records • Aerial views • Working out levels • Planting plans • 4. Plan, Elevation and Section Drawing • Developing vocabulary of digital textures • Exploring hand-drawing textures • Detailed plans • Elevation showing walls • Sections • Plantings • Combining hand drawing with vector images • 5. Isometric Drawings Different viewpoints • Plantings for Large Garden Design • Landscape for Education • Urban Context • Digital colouring on hand drawings • Rendering Trees • Examining levels using isometrics • People using spaces • 6. Perspectives Quick sketches • Recording context • Putting Ideas Down • Communicating Ideas • Various project examples • 7.Money Drawings Communicating the budget wtih the project management team • A sequence of drawings showing budget economies • Various project examples • 8. Construction Detail Drawings Planting • Steps and gate design • Digital drawings of minute detail for wall construction • Bench design • Design for a skateboard cut • Paving and drainage • Fences • 9. Completed Work: Case Studies Selected drawings from the working process for: 1. St John’s College, Cambridge • 2. Coventry Peace Garden