How a landscape architecture project is developed

A landscape architecture project organises land, uses, planting, water, materials and infrastructure before work starts on site. The drawing is one part of the process, but it is not the starting point.

The work begins with reading the place and understanding who is going to use it. Then scenarios are developed, feasibility is confirmed, solutions are detailed and construction is followed through.

At Diaplant, the link between nursery, design and site makes it possible to work with real specimens and to carry information from one stage to the next.

The first contact is for understanding the scope and confirming that the request and the service are a match.

What matters is the location, the area, the condition of the land, the relationship with buildings and the main intentions.

The timescale is also identified, along with the point at which other disciplines are working. An outdoor project often depends on architecture, structures, water, electrics and planning consent.

Where documentation exists, plans, surveys, photographs and constraints are gathered before the proposal.

The briefing is the first structured step before design. It turns routines, needs and priorities into a project brief.

The questions are who uses the space, at what times of year, which activities should take place and what level of maintenance is realistic.

Privacy, shade, socialising, animals, a swimming pool, a kitchen garden, agricultural production and accessibility may carry different weights.

Visual references help in discussing atmosphere, but they should come with what appeals in each image. ‘Natural’, ‘contemporary’ or ‘Mediterranean’ mean different things to different people.

The budget available should be raised early. Where there is no clear indication, scenarios can be compared to understand the consequences of the options.

The project needs topography, boundaries and the relationship with the building.

The visit looks at sun, wind, views, access, run-off, soil, vegetation and current uses.

Not all the information shows on the surface. A topographical survey, a search of the land register, ground investigations, soil analysis and the location of services may be needed.

Existing trees are assessed for their value, condition, roots and capacity to be integrated. Keeping a mature tree can constrain the works, but it can also give instant maturity.

Before the design is firmed up, the PDM (municipal master plan) and the constraints applying to the land are consulted.

Land classification and zoning, easements, REN (National Ecological Reserve), RAN (National Agricultural Reserve), heritage, the public water domain and other restrictions can influence what is possible.

Walls, swimming pools, structures, ancillary buildings, underground services, ground modelling and soil sealing do not all fall under the same rules.

It should not be claimed that an outdoor project is automatically exempt from or subject to planning consent on size alone. The procedure depends on the operation as a whole and on the rules in force.

Decree-Law no. 108/2026 revises and republishes the RJUE (Portugal’s legal framework for urban development and building), with its main entry into force on 3 August 2026. The applicable version should be confirmed at the date of the project and coordinated with the municipality.

The concept sets a direction for the decisions.

It may start from the relationship with the landscape, the way of living outdoors, water, topography or an existing planting structure.

It does not need to be a decorative theme. It should explain why the paths, the spaces and the plants are organised in that way.

A useful concept helps to decide when alternatives arise, without preventing adjustments to the ground.

The concept design presents the organisation of the space and the overall language.

It includes a plan, zoning, the main levels, materials, structural planting and references. Three-dimensional models, images and video can help to convey scale and atmosphere.

At this stage, alternatives are compared and the brief is adjusted. The solution does not yet contain all the detail needed to build.

The cost estimate is updated according to areas, materials, walls, water, infrastructure and the size of the planting.

When the scheme requires a procedure, the documents are developed and coordinated with the other disciplines.

The authorities may ask for additional items or impose conditions.

Administrative time has to be built into the programme. A job should not be contracted as though planning consent were merely a formality with a guaranteed duration.

In complex cases, a pre-application enquiry can help to clarify feasibility before the whole solution is developed, depending on the applicable legal framework.

Once the concept design has been approved, levels, paving, walls, drainage, irrigation, lighting, planting and details are defined.

The written documents specify materials, methods and quality criteria.

Measured quantities and the schedule of works organise the quantities and allow tenders to be compared.

Coordination checks for clashes between trees, foundations, pipework, chambers and equipment.

A realistic image is no substitute for this information.

The planting plan defines species, cultivars, forms, sizes, quantities and spacings.

Mature trees can be chosen at the nursery while the design is being developed. Their actual form influences orientation, space and logistics.

In batches, sufficient uniformity is checked. In individual specimens, individuality may justify an adjustment to the design.

Availability is confirmed at the appropriate moment, without turning an internal nursery list into a permanent promise.

Before starting, the design, timescales, access, permits and supplies are reviewed.

Long-lead materials and mature trees are reserved well in advance.

The sequence defines when machinery, services, structures, paving and planting come in. Large trees may need to be planted before access is closed off.

During construction, conditions come to light that the survey did not reveal.

Technical assistance makes it possible to interpret the design, approve samples, resolve clashes and decide on changes without losing coherence.

It does not replace site management or supervision where these have their own roles. The scope should be made clear in the contract.

Changes are recorded and, when they affect cost or time, approved before they are carried out.

At handover, systems, finishes, planting and documentation are checked.

The client receives instructions for watering, staking and maintenance.

The first year is critical for mature trees and new planting. The second remains important in hot weather.

Observation after the works makes it possible to correct the programme and learn from how the space actually responds.

Not every project needs the same number of documents. A small garden and a property with several pieces of infrastructure are on different scales.

The stages can be adapted, but they should not disappear without an understanding of what is left unresolved.

The design exists so that decisions are taken before they become more expensive on the ground. The larger the scheme, the greater the value of that preparation.

• What a landscape architect does
• What a concept design includes
• What a detailed design includes

1. Decreto-Lei n.º 555/99, de 16 de dezembro — RJUE, in the wording applicable at the date of the project.
2. Decreto-Lei n.º 108/2026, de 29 de maio — amendment and republication of the RJUE, with phased entry into force.
3. Spatial planning instruments and easements applicable to each municipality and plot.
4. Diaplant’s method for design, construction and follow-up.