landscape architecture spatial organisation lecture 3

SPATIAL ORGANISATION Bineet ChhajerCOMPARITIVE STUDY OF PUBLIC PARKSCOMPARITIVE STUDY OF PUBLIC PARKS

Space can be defined as :• An area of land enclosed, defined or adopted by people for human purposes..•A medium and concept of landscape architecture.•A place for outdoor activiies.•An enclosure.•The opposite of “form or mass”.(source : Form and Fabric in Landscape Architecture – Catherine Dee)“It may also be defined as captured, enclosed or molded and organized by solid elements of mass.” (source : Form, Space and Order – D.K. Ching)Space can be defined in three dimensions by :•The base or the ground plane•Wall or vertical planes•Sky or the overhead plane(source : Form and Fabric in Landscape Architecture – Catherine Dee)

For a Horizontal plane to be seen , there must be a perceptible change in texture or color between its surface and the plane upon which it lies.(source : Form, Space and Order – D.K. Ching)Wall planes may consist of vegetation that is coarsely textured and merges from the ground to an overhead plane.Overhead plane consists of the sky or the ceiling formed by the trees and their canopy. (source : Form and Fabric in Landscape Architecture – Catherine Dee)

SPACE:

HOW SPACE IS FORMED:

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Fig: Base plane – Space definition Fig: Sunken Base

planeFig: Elevated Base plane

Fig: Vertical plane

Fig: Overhead plane- Sky

Fig: Overhead plane- Built

Fig: Overhead plane- Vegetation

SPATIAL ORGANISATION Bineet ChhajerCOMPARITIVE STUDY OF PUBLIC PARKS

The essence of a volume is its quality of implied containment. A space :• It may be static. It may direct and concentrate interest and vision inward.•It may open out. It may direct attention to its frame and beyond. It may fall away or seem to expand.•It may be flowing and undulating, suggesting directional movement.• It may dominate an object or it may be dominated by an object.•It may have orientation inward, outward, upward, downward, radial, or tangential.•It may be so designed as to stimulate a prescribed emotional reaction or to produce a predetermined sequence of such responses.(source : Landscape Architecture – J.O Simonds)

SPATIAL QUALITY:

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SPATIAL ORGANISATION:The spaces can be organized in many ways:•Centralized: a central, dominant space about which a number of secondary spaces are grouped.•Linear: a linear sequence of repetitive spaces•Radial: a central space from which linear organizations of space extend in a radial manner.•Clustered: Spaces grouped by proximity or the sharing of a common visual trait or relationship.•Grid: Spaces organized within the field of a structural or other three dimensional grid.(source : Form, Space and Order – D.K. Ching)

Fig: Centralized

Fig: Linear Fig: Radial Fig: Clustered Fig: Grid

Fig: Enclosure created by landform and the vegetation

Fig: Loose Enclosure created by landform

Fig: Enclosure created by the built form

Fig: visual continuity in the space

Fig: visual continuity in the space – ground plane

Fig: visual discontinuity in the space – eye level

Fig: visual continuity in the space –ceiling level

Fig: Space formed by vertical elements – directionality to the space

Fig: Claustrophobic environment created by the vertical elements


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BIRKENHEAD PARK, England,1847:•Birkenhead became the first town to react to the new concept for the provision of public open space.•Free flowing undulating space was created out of swampy low lying land which is seen as 20meters in a fairly uniform slope.•The space intended here was the picturesque pastoral meadows defined by the presence of clumps of trees.•The landform also defines the space and it facilitated the creation of rolling meadow like parkland but was changed around the lakes and mounds and irregular berms were created which enclosed the space and guided the view.•There are various vantage points from where the site can be seen. There is no one definite axis from where the landscape can be experienced.

First Public Park: 125 acre of open space enclosed by residential areaEnclosure accentuated by earth mounds andClump of trees above it.

Mass of vegetation defining the space whilethere is no visible organizing lines

Grand entrance: an object in the space defining the access to the park


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LEGEND:1.Park Road North2.Boothby Ground3.Grand lodge4.Ashville Road5.Carriage Road6.Upper lake7.Boat house8.Lower lake9.Swiss bridge10. Upper park11.Lower park12.Castellated lodge13.Park Road West14.Park Road south15.Italian Lodge16.Gothic lodge17.Park Road East

BIRKENHEAD PARK, England:N

100 metres

Vegetation defining the various enclosure in the park

7.Boat house


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100 metres

N


6Fig: Plan of the Birkenhead Park showing the spatial organization


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CENTRAL PARK, Manhattan, New York, 1873:

Aerial view of the central Park Vast meadow enclosed by clumps of trees

Landscape

Architect:

Frederick Law

Olmstead

Architect:

Calvert Vaux

Area:

840 acre

Fig: Google image of the Central park


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CENTRAL PARK, Manhattan, New York :•The space here has been defined by the massive usage of vegetation as a means to enclose, guide view and create experiences.•This is an inward looking space and the city is kept out of the park by means of the vegetation- thick boundary plantation. Thus creating a natural setting in the park. •The spatial organization was such that it compliments the landform of the site and views were guided.

North

Part plan of Central park


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CENTRAL PARK, Manhattan, New York :•There is a hierarchy of spaces and a sequence and flow in the views.•The space has been physically divided into two halves by the large reservoir in the middle of the site, yet maintaining the visual unity of the spaces. •The space here is enclosed by the vertical mass of vegetation.•The space is flowing and the views changes along the curvilinear path.•Various vantage points have been reinforced by the presence of a focal point e.g. the “Angel of waters” fountain.

Part plan of Central park


Lake

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Fig: Section through the Central Park



CENTRAL PARK, Manhattan, New York :

Transverse Road No 1

theThe Mall

Vantage PointEnclosure

VantageBelvederes Castle



Belvederes Castle

The great lawnThe reservoir

Transverse Road No 3 Transverse Road No 4


North Meadow

Great hill

Cliff


HYDE PARK, Central London, England:

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•The space intended here was a hunting ground for the king. So it was designed in way to facilitate the same purpose.•The space here is defined by the avenues that have been created along the movement spines.•Many enclosures are created by means of the clumps or groups of trees.•There is a directional quality in the space design.•There are various axes that cross each other. •The space overflows to the Kensington Gardens.

Fig: Google image of the Hyde park

Space created by means of enclosure provided by the trees

Space defined by the boundary between water and land

Landscape

Architect:

JOSEPH PAXTON

Area:

350 acre


Fig: Plan of the Hyde park showing the spatial organization

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HYDE PARK, Central London, England:

Experience created along the lake Space defined by the lake Directionality given Fig: Aerial view of the park


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Regent’s Park, London:

Fig: Google image of the Regent’s park

Aerial view of the park

Enclosure given by the vegetation

Space definition by means of the vegetation

Focal point in LandscapeFocal point in Landscape

The three of the principal physical elements of the layout are : • the broad walk• the inner circle• the boating lake

The three of the principal physical elements of the layout are : • the broad walk• the inner circle• the boating lake


Regent’s Park, London:

Fig: Plan of the Regents’ park showing the spatial organization

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Landscape Architect:JOHN NASHArea: 265 acre


Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York:

Fig: Google image of the Prospect park1

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Landscape Architect:Frederick Law OlmsteadArchitect: Calvert VauxArea:585 acre

Top Hill – enclosure given by the vegetation Space definition by the vegetation


Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York:

Fig: Plan of the Prospect park showing the spatial organization

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Park Buttes Chaumont, Paris:

Fig: Google image of the Buttes Chaumont park1

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Landscape Architect:EDOUARD FRANCOIS ANDRE Area:61 acre

Directionality provided by the vegetationEnclosure provided by the vegetation


Park Buttes Chaumont, Paris:

Fig: Plan of the Buttes Chaumont park showing the spatial organization

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Park De la Villette, Paris:

Fig: Google image of the Park De La Villete

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Landscape Architect:BERNARD TSHUMIArea:86 acre

Point in Landscape space


Park De la Villette, Paris:

Fig: Plan of the Park de La Villette park showing the spatial organization Fig: Showing the various layers of the design of the Park

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•The Lodi Garden has an irregular polygonal plan having undulating landform.

•The Tombs are situated at the higher elevation with gradually sloping landform and acts as a central stage to control entire system.

•An axes is laid from the entrance to the tomb and it is further strengthen by the mass of avenue plantation which creates directional space.

•The monumental scale remains dominant throughout the design in order to accentuate the setting of the Tomb in the picturesque landscape.

LODI GARDEN

Centralized spacesaround monumentsEnclosed byRow of Palmtrees Spaces defined by

Clumps of trees

Spaces were organized in a way that Tombs got the central stage to control entire system

Directional space Centralized space

Spatial volume under the canopy of a tree

Vertical forms are more instrumental inDefining spatial volume and providingsense of enclosure

Sunken plane with water provides depthto the object in the space

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•Raj Ghat is completely enclosed by built edges.•The samadhi is placed in the centre of the courtyard and the terrace (viewing gallery) merges with the gradually sloping landform creating unity with sky.• •In the main sanctum area of Shakti Sthal is enclosed by the wooded landforms.

•The wooded landform opens up in a large meandering lake which creates continuity to the adjacent space.

•Birbhumi is enclosed by vertical walls and it was organised as a object in space.

SAMADHI AREA:

Elevated horizontal plane separates the viewing gallery from the surroundings and creates a domain with larger spatial context

Completely enclosed space

Sunken base defines Space

Clumps of tree defines Space

Object in space

Vertical mass defines space

Combination of elevated and sunken base plane to accentuate the enclosure quality

Symbolizes ridge and valley feeling

Fig: Plan of the Samadhi Area

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landscape architecture spatial organisation lecture 3

Design