Green Gardens / Landscapes
A living landscape is an extension of the built environment. When developing a piece of land sustainably, we need to look at the bigger picture of what we are creating. Eventually, in time, the buildings may return to the soil, but long after our use for the land has ceased, the gardens, plants and biosphere we rely on now will still be there. Landscape design has evolved to become a living system, departing from the ornamental designs of the past. By understanding the land and then reviving its innate state of being, it is possible to create spaces in your outside ‘rooms’ that attract nature back into your own backyard.
A living landscape is more than just an indigenous landscape. It is a place where we can grow food, give water a home, give animals a home, revive nutrient flows and restore balance. We achieve all this without the need for chemical inputs.
Land art is another important element that can be included in any design: using natural materials and organic design to create forms and features in our outside spaces that mimic and resonate with the beauty of the buildings that rest on the Earth -- quiet spaces to reflect in and create an aesthetic ambience that ties the built spaces into their natural surroundings.