Boston Society of Landscape Architects Spring Fieldbook Volume 14.1 | Page 18

Interoperability

In-State Transportation by Land is on Rails

Top Techn olo gi e s i n Ed u ca t i o n

Now, software interoperability is significantly important in
creating productive landscapes. Software interoperability can be
thought of as the ability to import and export drawings from one
program to the next. This is a feature that more and more software
companies will have to expand upon. As a student, it is frustrating
to work in a software program and then later realize you cannot
do anything else but hit print. One particular program I find to
be difficult to merge with other design software (except Adobe) is
Rhino®. This is a constraint that I have learned to deal with, and I
typically steer away from such uncooperative programs.
Currently, there are four major software packages which I
consider indispensable to my understanding of Landscapes:
ArcGis™, AutoCAD®, Adobe® Creative Suite®, and SketchUp®.
The use of these programs, along with concrete research, makes
possible regional and site analysis and design development, and
helps capture the effects of design interventions. This top-down
method of investigation allows students and professionals to
analyze and design simultaneously.
For landscape architecture students in Boston, the
availability of GIS data and 3D models through MassGIS and the
Boston Redevelopment Authority is a great tool to have at our
disposal. Workshops for some of these programs are available
through student organizations and product websites but times
and locations are not always convenient. Adobe and SketchUp
in particular can be learned through continuous use and online
tutorials such as lynda.com, with many beginner courses being
free, and in many cases, these were all I needed. AutoCAD and
ArcGIS are incorporated in the BAC program curriculum through
required design media courses taught by practicing professionals,
as they are much more technical and precise. Peers are a great
resource as well, sharing tips and tricks in order to achieve a
16

BSLA

Rails + Industry

Figure 1

Rails + Roads [Abandonment]

In design studios we generally start at a broad
scale. The use of GIS layers and software provides
a framework of problem statements like: why is a
particular site underutilized where there is a fair
amount of surrounding residential and institutional
land use? Statements like this help landscape
students develop design concepts. These layers of
data are mapped in a McHargian style and can
highlight areas of interest and/or concern. This
software package by ESRI is also important for
quantifying geographic data in the form of charts
and graphs. The geographic areas can be plotted
at the desired scale and exported to other software
programs for diagramming. The ability to export
these broad scale maps onto Adobe Creative Suite is
a crucial step to creating bold geographic diagrams.
(Figure 1)
Once the analysis diagrams are completed in Adobe,
they can be exported into AutoCAD or SketchUp to
be used as a base for a design concept. The base,
once exported, begins to combine a package of
drawings and 3D models that provides a framework
for iteration. Such iterations can be reworked as
copies, giving an infinite amount of potential to the
project. Once a “final” has been determined, it can
be exported to Adobe Creative Suite and rendered
to exact specifications. And because there are ways
to export drawings in layers, one can transform
them into an exploded axonometric. This part of the
process helps users to understand design decisions
in real life, measurable units, as well as massing. This
method is extremely beneficial for both students and
professionals alike. (Figure 2)
Finally, sections and 3D renderings through Autocad
and SketchUp provide a framework for experiential
as well as informative details which, in real life
projects, translate into construction documents and

Figure 2

In landscape architecture, the use of software
programs to communicate ideas has increasingly become an
indispensable part of our practice. As the 21st century progresses,
representation methods have drastically shifted from hand drawn
to computer-aided in order to fulfill performance demands. The
use of computer software as the tool for representation is highly
encouraged in LA