Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
of various lines, symbols, colors, and patterns will not have to be guessed
at. The legend will also reduce labeling requirements while improving
graphic clarity and communication. Having a north arrow on a drawing
provides the designer with an analytical tool not only to provide orientation
and direction but to project sun and shadow patterns useful in making site
design decisions. By knowing the direction of north, the designer can pre-
vent the sun from interfering with a baseball batter, or position a building
so as to reduce solar gain. Scale makes a plan useful for the purposes of
knowing distance and dimensions, calculating degrees of slope and eleva-
tion in concert with the contour lines, and calculating areas and the dimen-
sions of any feature currently on a project site or being proposed.
foLLoWinG draWinG conventionS
preventS miScommunication
The function of landscape-grading plans, in tandem with technical
sections and details, is to communicate clearly, and with as little ambi-
guity as possible, the relation between existing site conditions (such
as topography, vegetation, man-made features, and important context
features), and the proposed designed site grading and landforms. The
landscape-grading plans, together with the full set of construction doc-
uments, are, in essence, the directions used by the contractor to build
the project. The contractor uses the construction documents to plan and
develop strategies to build what is shown in the construction package.
We have described the importance of applying drawing conven-
tions in landscape architecture in general, and specifically in the prepa-
ration of grading plans and drawings. There is room for personal graphic
expression to convey the nuances a designer may want to use to com-
municate the grading information. There is room in the conventions of
graphic representation for the designer to add shading, texture, color,
and graphic composition (page layout) to make clear the nuances of the
design. In some cases, graphic representation of grading information
may have a more three-dimensional look, when the designer wishes to
communicate specifics of sculptural form for which straightforward line
drawing may not be adequate. A cautionary note: The nuanced aspects
