Special Project Sites

Designing a master plan for a single-family residential site is a com­plex undertaking that also requires the best effort from a talented individual or firm. Though prototypical, the Duncan residence does not represent all potential site con­ditions that one encounters as a residential landscape designer. The relatively flat, open qualities of the Duncan resi­dence provided few restraints and easily permitted the designer to create a series of well — articulated outdoor rooms with plant materials, structures, and pavement. Other sites have distinct topographic change in some or all areas of the property. The level site is clearly divided into a front yard facing the street and a backyard behind the house. The Duncan residence was used in the previous chapters as a way to illustrate how the different steps of the design process can be applied to an actual project site. From this, it is hoped the reader understands that there is much to consider in creating a master plan that meets the requirements of the client, fits the existing site conditions, and is something that is enjoyable to look at and be in. All in all, the landscape designer is apt to discover a wide variety of site conditions, each requir­ing a slightly different application of the design process to create a master plan. The pur­pose of this chapter is to demonstrate how the design process and guidelines presented in the previous chapters can be modified and adapted to sites that have special conditions. Some sites are smaller and others are larger. Ultimately, the success of the project depends not only on following a process or ad­hering to a set of principles, but also on the inherent abilities of gifted designers who can creatively solve problems and sensitively assemble elements and materials into an attractive spatial composition. The two-story house is located in the middle of a rectangular lot that is about a quarter of an acre in size.