Environmental control in architecture by landscape design

Abstract

The landscape design is a significant component of effective building design.Landscape elements can provide such benefits to buildings as shielding themfrom the sun, protecting them against wind, facilitating passive cooling, and providing opportunities for natural ventilation. Furthermore, landscape elementscan be useful to clean the air and water, absorb floodwaters, improve aesthet-ics, provide recreational amenities and develop ecological habitats for wildlife.The heating, cooling and lighting of a building are very much affected by thesite and landscape in which the building is located. Plants are immensely use-ful in the heating, cooling and lighting of buildings. Landscaping that sup-ports the heating, cooling, and lighting of buildings varies with the climate.The general logic for tree planting around a building includes shade trees on the eastand west, wind breaks on the north, and open fields on the south-facing sides. In thisconnection, lawns should be used only when necessary. On the other hand, a vertical vine-covered trellis is very effective on east and west facades, while a horizontaltrellis can be used on any orientation. Outdoor shading structures such as trellisesand pergolas, can be used for providing shade and/or to control air movement. Other functional landscaping elements include allées, pleached allées and hedgerows.In short, the following sections discuss some of the critical concepts and topicsnecessary for understanding landscape design as it relates to sustainable buildingdesign.