The design starts before the drawing: how to read a site

Reading a site means understanding how it works before deciding how it should change.

The first visit is not for choosing paving and species straight away. It is for identifying relationships: where water collects, how the house opens onto the outside, which views matter, where there is wind and which parts of the soil have been altered.

The design gains precision when these conditions are recorded and cross-referenced.

References and expectations accompany the project, but they should not get in the way of observation.

A swimming pool may at first be planned for one spot and turn out to be incompatible with levels, wind or views. A dining area may work better in a different relationship with the house.

The landscape architect starts by asking questions and testing the idea on the site.

The concept comes after this reading, not before.

Levels determine circulation, drainage and the relationship between spaces.

A small difference may call for a step, a ramp or a wall. On a larger plot, the way the contour lines are crossed changes the earthworks.

The topographical survey provides the base. The visit shows how the levels are experienced: where the view opens up, where the ground feels steep and how water runs across the surface.

Ground modelling should reduce conflicts and not erase the existing form unnecessarily.

Orientation is cross-checked against buildings, trees and seasons.

An area in sun on a winter visit may be shaded in summer. A west-facing façade may become too hot for sitting out and for sensitive plants.

The sun study helps to position dining, pool, kitchen garden and shade trees.

It also helps to decide between deciduous species, evergreens and built structures.

The prevailing direction and the gusts are observed in relation to the topography and the buildings.

A corridor between buildings speeds up the wind. A valley can collect cold air. A sheltered area may have little ventilation and higher humidity.

Shelter planting needs space and time to grow. A young hedge should not be expected to solve strong exposure immediately.

Wind influences comfort, evaporation, stability and the choice of species.

Low points, erosion, run-off lines, springs and discharges from roofs are looked for.

The absence of water on the day of the visit does not prove good drainage. Staining in the soil, vegetation and information from the owner help to understand the winter.

The source for irrigation, the pressure, storage and restrictions are also identified.

Pools and ponds are related to the overall system, and not treated as separate volumes.

Texture, depth, compaction and fill influence all the vegetation.

Soil maps offer a regional framework, but the plot needs profiles and, where necessary, analysis.

The history of the building work is important. Areas that received machinery or materials may have lost structure.

The design can create different communities for dry, wet, deep or shallow areas.

Each tree and mass of vegetation is assessed for species, condition, value, shade, roots and its relationship with the design.

Preserving is not just a matter of keeping the trunk. The root zone needs protection during the works.

Some plants can be transplanted; others should stay or be removed for justified reasons.

Existing vegetation gives clues about soil and microclimate.

The design identifies what should be shown, framed or hidden.

A distant view may need a narrow opening to gain strength. A nearby element can be filtered by trunks and not by an opaque barrier.

Views are studied from real positions: windows, entrances, the table, the pool and the paths.

The future height of the plants comes into this analysis.

Doors, windows, interior levels, materials and the axes of the house guide the outdoor space.

The garden should extend the use of the house and resolve transitions.

A seating area with no convenient link to the kitchen may end up little used. Paving aligned with a window can reinforce the visual relationship.

The landscape does not need to copy the architecture, but it should be in dialogue with it.

Those who live in the space reveal needs that do not show on the plan.

Children, animals, guests, work, parties, maintenance and available time influence the design.

The questions are how people arrive, where equipment is left, which areas are used in the morning or at night and which activities may change in the future.

The design should not respond only to the day of the presentation.

Where machinery, lorries and cranes come in constrains the works and the mature trees.

Gates, slopes, paving and neighbours are recorded.

Maintenance access to pumps, banks and trees is also planned for.

A solution that is impossible to build or maintain is not resolved.

The PDM (municipal master plan), easements, REN (National Ecological Reserve), RAN (National Agricultural Reserve), heritage, the public water domain and services can limit the work.

The reading of the wider territory should start early so that an incompatible concept is not developed.

The legal analysis is confirmed by qualified professionals and the competent authorities, on the basis of the legislation in force.

Photographs, video, sketches, survey and notes turn the visit into information.

Images should have orientation and scale. Sketches record relationships that a flat photograph does not show.

The reading is updated when ground investigations, specialist engineering designs or new requirements arrive.

The aim is not to produce a list of data. It is to understand what they mean together.

A high point with a good view may be too exposed to wind. A cool area may coincide with insufficient drainage. A valuable tree may constrain access for the works.

The design starts when these relationships become decisions.

• How to assess the soil
• How to build a brief
• How a project is developed

1. Principles of landscape architecture analysis and design.
2. Spatial planning instruments and mapping applicable to the plot.
3. Diaplant’s method for surveying and reading the site.