Landscape architecture, or the design of indoor and outdoor areas, is focused on achieving aesthetic and environmental outcomes while ensuring sustainability in your surroundings. Landscaping provides an excellent means to create pocket parks, roof gardens, green space, indoor gardens and more. Even with limited space, you can create a cost-effective and sustainable development of green plants and natural landforms.
While most people understand the benefits offered by landscape architecture, they are unsure if they need it in their homes or business. Here are a handful of reasons that will help you understand how landscape architecture can help you live a better life and improve the curb appeal of your home, business or property.
Customizable and sustainable development
Many people think that landscape architecture is all about gardening and the planting of green plants to make the place look beautiful. However, landscape architects create garden designs using concepts of climate and ecology after a careful analysis of the surroundings. They customize solutions based on the specific surroundings of each building and target the environmental issues in the area.
Stormwater management
While rainwater harvesting is about collecting and storing rainwater rather than allowing it to run off, most of the rain manages to run off, especially from non-building surfaces. This water is called storm water. Using the right equipment and tools, storm water can be used more efficiently. Typically, the storm water is supposed to trickle into the soil and rejoin the water table below. This water table is an additional source of water for many regions. However, with concrete roads and pavement covering large areas, storm water is prevented from seeping into the soil. By using landscape architecture techniques, the soil can be loosened to help storm water find its way to the water table faster and rejuvenate the natural resources. As well as reduce instances of flooding and pooling caused by water accumulation.
Integrated into the surrounding environment
A landscape architect uses the principles of ecology, hydrology, horticulture, geology, and design technology to create a green space that allows for sustainable urban living. The soil, climate change, pollutants, and various other factors are evaluated carefully to choose the plants and trees. They also keep design aesthetics in mind to finally create a natural environment that boosts the well-being of you, your staff or customers. Hence, landscape architecture offers better management of land resources and reduces the impact of urban living on the environment.
Innovative use of natural environments
Most of us have heard about vertical gardens, wall gardens, and other innovative ways of bringing nature into our homes and work areas. This has been made possible by innovative landscape architects constantly striving to balance modern living with environmental sustainability. In other words, landscape architects use horticulture to add biodiversity to urban design.
Weather control
Landscape architecture can help control the weather and dampen the impact of climate change. In urban settings, small ecosystems like rooftop gardens and pocket parks can help in purifying air and creating a cooling effect. There are many tools available that can help you find plants that can work optimally in your environment, create a virtual landscape, and check its efficiency before you implement it. As an increasing number of people start using landscape architecture, the weather around you can start getting positively impacted.
Outdoor public recreation
When you live in an urban area, public parks and outdoor spaces are the only natural retreat. Similar open places in cities can be developed to create spaces where people can relax outside their homes or places of work. In cities with tighter spaces, pocket or elevated parks can be developed to achieve the same result. With greener patches, air in the cities can improve and boost the well-being of its inhabitants.
Social benefits
It is believed that being in nature can help us improve our mental abilities since it calms our mind. However, with constant deforestation, natural surroundings are getting harder to find. In such times, landscape architecture seems like the only solution. With technology-aided tools, architects can create pockets of nature across urban areas and breathe life into an otherwise concrete city.
Therapeutic effects
Working with nature has been known to have a calming and therapeutic effect on the human mind. The same holds true with landscape architecture. When all the planning and preparation finally comes to life, the result is blissful. Every living space is unique and needs customized natural surroundings for balance.
At Watkins Architect, we partner with Landscape consultants when these services are needed. We coordinate and promote landscape options for your build by working with specialists in this field. Learn more about how Watkins Architect can provide unique and innovative ideas for your next landscape architecture project.