SLIDE 6 72 Joshua Zeunert
To create an effective PP usually involves several stages, which often combine several computer pro- grams and possibly hand-rendering techniques. Optimum timing and the sequencing of these stages are important to maximize efficiency in the design process. Many designers produce draft and early plans through hand drawing-using pencils and pens on trace/butter/sketch paper over a printout of a scaled base plan of the existing site. This approach allows rapid and flexible scenario and design testing. Once a proposition or direction has been agreed, the design is usually taken into a precise 2D computer-aided design (CAD) program to give spatial preci- sion and scaled accuracy. This CAD program is usually used for either line-work-only (Figure 6.1) or line-work and color rendering. Some PPs include 30 modeling of the site context and also the design
- proposition. This is sometimes done in CAD or programs such as SketchUp and Rhinoceros (Figure
6.2), or through combining several programs. Building a 30 model of the site and design assists a PP to communicate light quality, shade and shadow, making the PP a more accurate representation of the site design vision, intent and possible outcome. It also facilitates a more considered and resolved design response than only providing unsealed 30 images. Once the spatial layout and massing are complete then rendering processes usually take place-both rendering of shadows and light quality, and color rendering-which can be approached through hand or computer techniques, or a combina- tion of both. Use of hand-drawn textures and rendering techniques is still commonplace in landscape representation; the combination of hand-drawn and computer technologies (Figures 6.3, 6.8, and 6.9) is often effective in overcoming the sometimes soulless output of the computer alone. The tactile and textural surface of the printing medium and the ink itself have a significant influ- ence on the qualities of the final drawing. Multi-sensual qualities are often lost in the digital medium. The often generic paper types available for use in plotting machines can be restrictive when compared to the choice of papers suitable for hand drawing. Vivid rendering techniques in Photoshop can offset this somewhat (Figure 6.4) and some plotters are capable of plotting on to a range of media such as
- canvas. A high-quality PP renders depth and "vertical lift" of the drawing from the Bat 20 medium it
is printed, drawn or projected upon (Figure 6.5) and helps the process of the appearance of the image leaping from the page. Fading, darkening, simplifying and increasing the opacity of the surrounding context to the design site help to focus the eye on the design rather than its surrounds. Applying a darkening layer with illuminating elements can offer a "night view" plan of the site (Figure 6.6). Use of aerial photo- graphy, ideally black and white, as the contextual background to the design site helps to graft the design vision into a tangible and realistic context, aiding comprehension of the drawings by non-
- designers. It also avoids the design resembling an object Boating in space. Due to the large scale of
many landscape architectural projects, PPs often involve zoomed areas or focused areas that provide detail at a closer and more human scale (Figure 6.7). In most cases, the use of text for labeling key elements in the plan should not be excluded. Labels are useful on the plan. Excessive amounts of text should be contained in a key/legend to not clutter the drawing; however, a complete absence of text makes the PP a more artistic drawing rather than an essential communicative tool that outlines programs and site elements. Use of a small, simplified
- utline plan drawing to show section lines and 30 view angles is usually preferred and this can be
combined with a plan schematic drawing. If section lines are shown on the PP they should only be indicated at the outer edges of the drawing. Often overlooked, but not unlike 30 images (and depending on the scale used), activating a PP through adding people and activity increases the presence of the drawing. Plans of large sites can use effects such as "clouds" to increase the depth and elevate the sense of mastety and persuasion (Figure 6.8). Many landscape plans and drawings use exaggeration to gain attention, especially in competitive design scenarios. TI1is is often achieved through over-saturated and vivid color palettes that distort the reality of the actual context and outcome (e.g. saturated blue skies in the UK, where grey and softer
Digital Presentation Plans 73
tones are the norm, and vivid, tropical greens in semi-arid environments, where softer and pastel colors are more common). PPs can easily become homogeneous due to unsophisticated color palettes (e.g. using default colors) or use of generic communication programs and techniques (line-weights, tools, filters, opac- ity, lighting). Plans should express the (existing and proposed) nature of the site: density and height
- f buildings; the intensity and quality of the light; angle of the sun and depth of shadows; the color
- f the soil and nature of the geology; the openness, enclosure or topographic experience, the shape,
form and textures of site vegetation; colors and patterns of hydrology, seasonal change, and so on. While architectural digital communication has perhaps become more globally generic and homoge- neous, landscape communication should retain its connection and expression of genius loci and the special characteristics of
- place. Good PPs capture these qualities and express these elements to give the
viewer a more tangible and connected sense of experiencing the design (Figure 6.9). Spending time
- n site observing and absorbing these qualities has decreased in recent decades, facilitated through the
digital age, ease of image capture and reproduction, and the hyper-speed of modern life. Landscape architects and their drawings need to retain their connection to place to avoid drawings and resultant designs that are "anonymous, standardized, unseen, and lacking in regional or human character and
Notes
Refer to James Corner's article, "Representation and Landscape." Word & Image: A journal of Verbal/Visual Enquiry, Volume 8, Issue 3, 1992. 2 See Alon-Mozes, T. "Landscape Architecture and Agriculture: Common Seeds and Diverging Sprigs" in Israeli Practice, Landscape journal, 28:2-09, 2009, p. 168.
