Use of design grids, theme and layout drawings, hard landscaping choices

1. Introduction to Garden
Planning and Design
Session 4 – Design Grids, Theme and
Layout Drawings. Materials – Hard
Landscaping.

2. Learning objectives
 Creating the outline design
 Explain the purpose of a design grid in beginning a garden
design.
 Describe how to draw a concept or theme design
 Describe how to use a theme drawing to draw a layout
plan.
 Describe two techniques for visualising and drawing
vertical or ‘3D’ elements of design.
 Material choices - hard landscaping
 Choices in hard landscaping - suiting materials to style,
budget, maintenance considerations, texture, line and
form.
 State three hard landscaping materials and relate these
to particular garden styles.
 Relate hard landscaping choices to the design principles
in Week 3.
 Identify budget considerations for each material

3. Group Discussion – ‘mood board’ and
design ideas exercise
 How did you go about finding ideas?
 How are you storing and organising
them?
 Why did you choose the
images/ideas/objects that you did?
 Is there a theme at this stage or did
you just go for interesting stuff?
 How can you use this process to find
new ideas, rather than just confirming
existing tastes/attitudes?

4. Triad colour scheme –
warmth and strong contrast
Pergola – modern slatted
design, square ends.
Sandstone for all
paving – in different
formsCorten steel for
security, interest and
warmth of colour.
Flexible forms.
Colour
highlights to
block work -
for year
round
interest
Hard Landscaping Colour Test 1

5. Colour Test for Planting

6. Design Grids
 A guide not handcuffs! But a useful trick to
help keep design in scale and proportion to
the house and, therefore, people.
 On tracing paper over the scale plan. Either
draw horizontal and vertical lines from house
corners, then add lines from corners of
windows, doors etc.
 Choose a subdividing line to create a grid – it
does not have to be regular (but this may be
better) nor in squares!
 Or, use a regular grid – say 1m scale squares
or 1m by 1.5m rectangles.
 Add sight lines in another colour.

7. Theme drawings
 Theme drawings are those based on
strong shapes that divide the grid into
different use areas. Use the grid to place
the shapes.
 Circular, rectangular, square themes –
aligned with the house or at an angle.
 Start to locate use and circulation spaces
in the areas you identified in the appraisal
process
 Scale up the grid for use away from the
house in large gardens, scale it down to
plan smaller, intimate spaces close to the
house.

8. Design grids – use to create themes
 Place another sheet of tracing paper over the grid
and begin to draw use and circulation spaces in –
strong shapes work best (squares, rectangles,
circles).
 These shapes should pick up the grid units – so
rectangles might be three by two units, circles have
a radius of three units and centre on a cross point
etc. Use the grid to make sure the shapes line up
etc.
 Create several of each type of shape – looking for
balance between the use spaces and the planting
etc spaces.
 Angle the grid for diagonal use – 45 degrees.
 Just outlines at this stage – looking for a satisfying
theme to work further.

9. Design Grids – layout plan
 Choose the theme plan that you like best.
Secure over your scale plan.
 Take another sheet of tracing paper and
secure over the top.
 Add the grid lines in fine pencil and the
theme lines in pencil, adjusting them for
scale and use. Once you are happy then ink
the theme lines in.
 Allocate uses and note materials and
features. This brings in style and design
choices.
 Then draw the master plan – transferring all
the scale and design information (not the
grid lines) to a final large sheet paper. Add
the North point and plan block.

11. Materials -Hard Landscaping
 Refers to everything in the garden
design that is not living.
 A wide range of choices of varying
cost, difficulty of construction,
maintenance requirements and
appearance.
 The choice will be partly dictated by
the style of the design – rough
stone in a cottage garden for
example.

12. Design principles - reminder
 Scale/proportion
 Balance
 Rhythm
 Line and shape
 Colour
 Texture
 Simplicity
 Styles?

13. Hard landscaping - horizontals
 Can bring unity to a design by linking
the other elements.
 Edges create lines to guide the eye.
 Must be suited to the type of use –
e.g. gravel is fine for level informal
paths, but not so great for driveways
subject to heavy traffic or on slopes.
 Must also be suited to the design style
and have the right colour and texture
to blend or contrast effectively with
the other elements of the design.

14. Hard landscaping - verticals
 Vertical elements in design provide
interest. Focal points. ‘Borrowed
views’
 They break up the design – providing
a ‘journey’ and dividing use areas
from each other.
 Hard landscaping verticals provide
permanent structure and features
 They can provide shelter and privacy
in overlooked sites

15. Hard Landscaping – budget
considerations
 Most expensive element of most designs.
The materials themselves can be expensive.
 Hardest to change if you get it ‘wrong’.
 Different materials require different levels of
expertise – most people could lay slate chips
on a compacted base, but an expert would
be needed to lay a York stone patio well.
This adds to the materials cost.
 Scale plans allow you to work out areas for
the different materials and therefore to cost
them.

16. Learning outcomes
 Creating the outline design
 Explain the purpose of a design grid in beginning a garden
design.
 Describe how to draw a concept or theme design
 Describe how to use a theme drawing to draw a layout plan.
 Describe two techniques for visualising and drawing vertical
or ‘3D’ elements of design.
 Material choices - hard landscaping
 Choices in hard landscaping - suiting materials to style,
budget, maintenance considerations, texture, line and form.
 State three hard landscaping materials and relate these
to particular garden styles.
 Relate hard landscaping choices to the design principles
in Week 3.
 Identify budget considerations for each material