Sculptures and Water bodies | Elements of Landscape Architecture

Landscape Architecture is an art of shaping the surroundings… The word “Landscape” itself conveys the message. Land – scape, that is shaping and designing a piece of land with various elements of Landscape.

Trevi Fountain in Rome
Trevi Fountain in Rome

The Evolution of Modern Garden Architecture brought about a revolution in the concept of Landscape Architecture.

Great importance has always been given by our ancestors if we look at our past history. Importance of Landscape Architecture is seen in the design of Modern Gardens that developed in the 18th century after the boom of Industrial Revolution.

Modern Gardens such Chinese Gardens, Italian Gardens, Persian Gardens, French Gardens, Japanese Gardens, Dutch Gardens and the most Legendary one – The English Gardens gave a boost to the art of Landscaping…

In this article, we are going to discuss various elements of Landscape and study “Sculptures and Water Bodies” in Landscape Architecture in detail.

Here are some of the elements of Landscape Design:

Natural Elements

Artificial Elements

Sculptures and Water Bodies

The combination of Sculptures and Water Bodies has always been considered unique since the Roman Times….

Trevi Fountain in Rome -  Combination of Sculpture and Water Body
Trevi Fountain in Rome - Combination of Sculpture and Water Body

Use of “Sculptures” in the Landscape Design

  • Sculptures sometimes act as focal points in courtyards or plaza areas. They maybe created from natural or artificial materials at a great variety of forms, colours and textures are possible.
  • Stone and wood are some natural elements which may be employed to make sculptures.
  • Placement of a sculpture within a space depends upon sunlight and shadow patterns, which project the object in various ways during different times of the day.
  • Night lights can also be adjusted to highlight the interesting aspects of the sculptures from various angles.
  • The sculpture should be so located to take advantage of varying sight lines.

Use of “Water Bodies” in Landscape Design

  • This is the most interesting object in landscape design.
  • Water, which is a natural element, can be a prominent feature in the landscape.
  • It may be used in the form of fountains or pools for its reflective qualities, differences in sound or cooling effect.
  • Programming the flow of water in fountains is done by an electronic timing system which may also control the night light sequence.
  • The water flow and lighting must be coordinated to achieve maximum effect.
  • Sculptural elements of granite or concrete can be integrated in a water cascade or fountain effect.

11 thoughts on “Sculptures and Water bodies | Elements of Landscape Architecture”

  1. Landscaping is not just about rearranging new stuff in our yard, it is all about beautifying your surroundings and giving an amazing look of the nature. This can be achieved with the help of Landscaping elements.
    Sustainable Landscaping is a new concept that is emerging in the field of design along with Sustainable Development.

    • Your statement is contradictory. What do you mean by stuff or landscaping elements? Beauty is relative and subjective. You should rather say forms follow function in Landscape design. sustainable landscaping is under this concept. Thx.

      • “Form follows function” and “Function follows form” are both true incase of landscape design. Sustainable landscaping is not a category in landscape architecture. Landscaping is called sustainable if appropriate plants and trees are selected with respect to the environmental conditions and the available resources which would be utilized for the maintenance of landscape.
        When we are able to achieve the use of resources such as water to the minimum and still be able to create extravagant landscape, this surely could be called “Sustainable Landscaping”.

  2. Sustainable landscaping is an important development in the field as we need to be more ecologically responsible for changing the shape of land so that we are adding to nature’s beauty and not creating more environmental problems such as soil erosion and water pollution

  3. A good landscape designer knows that landscaping is much more like painting on canvas than rearranging the furniture. Of course the landscaper has to deal with the existing elements of his/her “canvas”. But it is definitely a creative process. And a devoted landscaper takes great pride in their finished work, just like a traditional artists and just as they should.

  4. I really like your blog and your articles are of so much help! We are given an assignment of landscaping on a contour site in college and I don’t know how to begin it, the levels, pathways n all have me confused!
    And I am not able to find any help after searching so much, will you please do a post/article where you talk about landcaping on contours and on steep slopes? 🙂
    Thanks!

  5. Landscaping.on.steep.slopes is of great.importance. If our design stands in a steeo.slope, u shud always di landscaping on that part and plant as much trees as possible. It prevents soil erosion and ensures safety of the users.

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