Design Process
Jono Nieger
Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke goes over this process in detail. At each point look for and accept feedback from both land and client goals.
I. People: Goals of the Client - for example, to grow food, self-reliance, demonstration site, etc.
II Land: Site Analysis and Assessment
A. Site analysis (observation - the “What” What are you seeing?)
At this stage, just observe. Allow yourself to not know. Visit the site at different times of day on different days and see what is happening there if possible.
Thematic observation - water, slope, wind
Scale of permanence* (see below sequence)
B. Assessment (interpretation - the “So What?” What does that mean?)
III. Design process (non linear)
A. Conceptual design
From patterns to details (Holmgren). Look at things from 100 feet above.
Broad concepts
Napkin drawings
Draw bubbles and arrows
Mind maps
Potential elements
Develop several concepts - maybe 10 - into a simple visual report and go over the ones that seem good with the client. Pro landscape companies use this model: show concepts with a visual on the left and a verbal description on the right.
Verbal descriptions
B. Schematic Design
Feedback throughout process
Elements
Shapes & sizes
Relationships and Interconnections
Work out the problems
C. Detail design (detail drawings)
Specific species, materials
Planting plan
Grading plan (earthworks)
Building plans
IV. Implement it
Phases - Breakdown of sections of implementation (earthworks, food, shelter, etc). This may be influenced by financial constraints and other factors)
Staging - Order that things are installed (ie get the soil into place before you start planting trees)
V. Assess it
Scale of Permanence
(This has to do with the permanence of site aspects, it is not about how important something is) http://smallfarms.cornell.edu/2016/04/04/scale-of-permanence/
Your purpose in observing these elements is to answer clearly some key questions: “What are the opportunities of this land? What is the land saying to us?” We try to match human needs with this context. We are working with nature, not against her.
You design in this sequence, or you run into problems. E.g., you need to understand major climate patterns before you choose your crops, as if you choose totally unsuitable tree crops for the climate, you waste funds and potentially years of growing time.
It is easier to change the tree crop than the climate. You need to understand how water moves on your site before you put in your access roads. If you don’t, you might end up with your roads in the wrong place, e.g. flooded and unusable for a period of every year. It tends to be much harder to influence or engineer how water moves, how much comes on the land, well depth, etc, than to change where a road might be.
1st Climate
2nd Landform
3rd Water
4th Vegetation and animals
5th Access (roads) and circulation (movement of people, materials & animals)
6th Buildings and infrastructure
7th Soils
8th Aesthetics (Design With Nature by Ian McHarg)
DESIGN REPORT
This is a suggested format only. Different designers have different layouts and presentations.The elements of this report should be present, regardless of format.
Client goals and priorities
Summary of what exists on the site - challenges and opportunities
Design recommendations:
Recommendations for each petal of the flower
Use principles to define why you are placing elements as you are
Drawing of site with:
Placement of elements including plants
Zones
Sectors
Plant list
Phases/Staging for installation
Budget and materials
Appendices:
Client interview
Site survey
Needs and resources survey
Site analysis (includes Scale of Permanence)