Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Site GradinG iS inteGraL to the phaSeS
of deSiGn
The process of landscape architecture design generally follows stan-
dard steps or phases of work similar to the steps followed by architects
and engineers. The process is detailed in a professional service contract
under the heading of scope of work. The scope of work consists of a
number of phases: first, consultation with the client, followed by devel-
oping one or more design solutions, each of which is accompanied by a
budget analysis. Subsequent steps in the process lead to the preparation
of what are called bid documents. These documents contain a set of plan
drawings, details, written technical specifications, and other contrac-
tual and bonding documents that make up the complete bid package.
Contractors prepare and submit their bids based on their review of the
plans, detail drawings, and technical specifications prepared by the
landscape architect.
Now that we have established the broader context of the design
process, we should appreciate why design involves many steps and the
preparation of many documentation types, graphic and written. A doc-
umentation package specific to the requirements of each phase would
include preparation of plans, details, and other graphic representation
drawings for client and governmental reviews.
A site-grading plan is a representation of a portion of the earth,
such as the project site. The project area is drawn to fit on a sheet of
paper or within a computer file that is viewed on a screen. The distinc-
tive characteristics of a site (topography, tree cover, circulation, and
structures) are represented with lines, symbols, contours, and eleva-
tions supplemented with notes and dimensions. These graphic repre-
sentations are of course smaller than the real areas they represent. The
lines, dimensions, contours, and other graphics are drawn such that
each dimension and length on paper represents an actual dimension or
length on the ground. Two-dimensional representations of the physical
world are drawn at a prescribed scale. Further explanations of the con-
cept of scale are found in the following section.
