ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) that promotes environmentally beneficial landscape design and maintenance by providing numerous guidelines and sources of informa­tion. Modeled after and in coordination with LEED, The Sustainable Sites Initiative seeks to provide landscape architects and designers with a set of tools that can guide and evaluate landscapes for their effectiveness in creating a sustainable environment. Chapter 8 addresses functional diagrams, the first step for organizing the overall layout of a site. org/). Although most of the emphasis of LEED is on building design, some design criteria apply to the land­scape as well. epa. Likewise, an increasing number of government agencies are providing information and establishing performance
standards for sustainable design. Sustainable Sites Initiative: The Sustainable Sites Initiative is an interdiscipli­
nary partnership coordinated by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin, and the United States Botanic Garden to promote green design by es­tablishing voluntary national guidelines and benchmarks for sustainable land­scape design construction, and maintenance. Overall, LEED provides a credible means for identify­ing and acknowledging buildings that are sustainable. The program is organized into two general categories: one for large-scale or more public landscapes and one for homeowners. org). In essence, the design process is a methodology that helps the designer advance from broad intentions to specific design proposals. gov/watersense). S. sustainablesites. Green Building Council for the design, construction, and operation of green buildings. To be a responsible steward, you should now know the following:
• Definition of sustainable design
• Six primary principles of sustainable landscape
design
• Different strategies for making a residential land­scape fit its regional context, including those that address climate and materials
• Techniques for minimally impacting a residential site, including ways to preserve vegetation, minimize grading, protect surface runoff, and maintain wildlife habitats
• Methods for restoring a degraded site that address soil rehabilitation, toxic material removal, and un­suitable vegetation removal
• Ways to design a residential site in coordination with natural events and cycles, including an understanding of sun and shadow patterns, methods for minimizing sun exposure in the hot season, ways to maximize sun exposure in the cold season, an understanding of wind patterns, techniques for minimizing wind exposure during the cold season, procedures for maximizing wind exposure in the hot season, tactics for conserving water, considerations for proper plant selection, meth­ods for reducing runoff, and strategies for protecting a site from wildfires
• Different means to recycle and reuse on a residential site, such as ways to salvage materials on-site and in the region, use remanufactured materials, and estab­lish a compost area
• Strategies for ensuring a healthy environment on a residential site, including the use of toxin-free mate­rials and healthy maintenance practices
section two Design Process
CHAPTER 4 Design Process Overview CHAPTER 5 Meeting the Clients CHAPTER 6 Site Measuring and Base Map Preparation CHAPTER 7 Site and Design Program CHAPTER 8 Functional Diagrams CHAPTER 9 Preliminary Design and Design Principles CHAPTER 10 Form Composition CHAPTER 11 Spatial Composition CHAPTER 12 Material Composition and Master Plan
Section 2 outlines a recommended design process for creating a residential site design that is based on the philosophical framework presented in Section 1. The sustainable design concepts and techniques discussed in this chapter are integral to a growing body of knowledge and awareness about the need to “design green.” More and more people and design firms are becoming aware of the benefits of adopt­ing these principles, and more clients are demanding them. Further, there is a GreenScapes Alliance Program that seeks companies and organizations to com­mit to conducting their business in an environmentally responsible manner. Good residential site design is sustain­able. WaterSense does this by promoting water-efficient products and serv­ices, including guidelines for wise use of water in the landscape (http://www. Collectively, these chapters and steps of the design process counsel the designer at all the critical stages of design. GreenScapes: This is a program of the U. Chapter 5 discusses how one should seek clients and involve them in the design process so the resulting design reflects their vision. WaterSense: This is a voluntary public-private partnership program that is
also managed by the EPA in an effort to protect the future of the nation’s water supply. And finally, Chapter 12 explores potential structural materials and guidelines for their use during the preparation of the master plan. Although no design process can guarantee that every project will be award winning, it does help guide the designer’s activities and thinking at different stages of a design’s evolution. In addition to hav­ing a rating system for determining how well buildings meet a number of per­formance standards, LEED also offers a certification program that verifies a building’s green design. SUMMARY
Creating a sustainable landscape is desirable because of the environmental consequences as well as the potential economic and functional benefits that are outlined throughout this chapter. epa. usgbc.