Championing An Integrated
Approach To
Landscaping And Construction
The relationship between landscaping and construction goes
accepted or rejected on the basis of the entire project, it is still
back a long way. Whether the hanging gardens of Babylon
the case, particularly with private housing developments, that
existed or not, remarkably detailed descriptions of how they
the landscape aspect may not always be fully implemented. It
were constructed, irrigated, planted and what they looked
is a fact that by the time some builders get to the landscaping
like were recorded by no less than five writers, including a
their funds have run out, or they simply don’t appreciate the
Babylonian priest named Berossus who wrote the first account
value that landscaped grounds add to a development and see
of what was one of the Seven Wonders of the World in about
it as an area where they can perhaps cut back and maximise
290 BC.
profit.
During the second half of the 20th century - some 26 centuries
Building land in urban areas is at a premium. With an
after the possible existence of the gardens - soft landscaping
expanding population to be housed, the pressure on the
was largely being ignored by urban architects and planners.
Government to provide housing on every viable pocket
There was a marked preference for the architects of some of
of urban land is enormous. Gardens were designated as
the more futuristic buildings of post-war Britain, epitomised
brownfield sites in 2000 and in the middle years of the last
by London’s South Bank Centre, to surround their buildings
decade larger gardens were identified for development with
with hard la ndscaping, reducing the maintenance burden and
over 40 per cent of new developments in the South East of
adding to the futuristic feel.
England being built on former residential land. Existing homes
It would be good to say that soft landscaping is now seen as an
intrinsic part of any major urban development. Unfortunately,
however, whilst construction plans submitted to the planning
authorities include landscaping, and those plans are either
were demolished and replaced with higher density housing
within the same land footprint. Local councillors with housing
targets to meet became powerless to prevent the overdevelopment of neighbourhoods and the infill of green spaces.