| Summary: | This project explores the sustainable landscape design at the residential scale. Landscape
architecture at the residential scale often sacrifices sustainable building and design
principles for an aesthetic that, under many current construction practices, requires huge
amounts of energy inputs to maintain and often display a limited lifespan. These
landscapes often do not work to enhance passive energy gains, are water wasters and do
not address habitat issues. In addition, many residential landscapes do not integrate with
the surrounding community context.
Research into sustainable landscape theories shows that energy inputs, built-form lifespan
and ecological function have the greatest impact on a residential project's contribution to
sustainability or lack thereof. Designing with local materials, building easily maintained
forms, handling wastewater on-site and creating site specific and regionally appropriate
habitat patches and links will lead to a more sustainable condition, regardless of the
design form. Discovering the character of the surrounding community and addressing this
through design is essential.
Analysis at the regional, community and site scale provided a base from which to create a
design that: 1. treats energy, water, and material flows in a sustainable manner, 2. creates
habitat patches and linkages that are site specific and appropriate to the parcel's position
in the region and 3. integrates the development into the existing character and fabric of
the community. === Applied Science, Faculty of === Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of === Graduate
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