Integrating Technology and Art in Landscape Design

Abstract

Contemporary landscaping has been influenced by specific periods of art and technology. As a result, landscape architecture has two leading design philosophies: art and science.1 The grafting of art and technology is an essential concern in the landscape design process.2 Landscape design is the process of determining shape,3 while form generation (FG) provides the direction for the shape.4 Modeling work becomes a representative method for FG. In contrast to architectural materials, FG in landscape design uses more flexible materials, such as clay and sand. Sand is one of the most accessible materials for FG and can be used to transform a diversity of forms. Sand’s easily deformable and reformable characteristics become the most important factor in stimulating human creative activities.5 For example, Jean-Pierre Hébert is an artist who uses sand by combining advanced technologies in the art field.6 Karesansui Gardens, in Japan, offers a prime example of changeable material use.7 However, the easy variability of sand also requires that designers be able to develop the subsequent design process. Only limited applications are possible for those designers who do have the ability. Using sand in the modeling process can offer an effective design direction in terms of creativity. However, its variability makes achieving the ultimate goal of landscape design, which must be applied on a 1:1 scale, difficult. To address the challenges, we have found that laser surveying techniques are useful in measuring its variability. Laser surveying technology recently has been used for landscape planning and design because it is helpful for accurate analysis of the site situation and for preparing the design plans accordingly.8 This cutting-edge technology expands the technological aspects, offering fresh nuance in the process. Figures 1, 2, and 3 provide examples of this work. 1 Michael Murphy, Landscape Architecture Theory (Washington, DC: Island Press, 2016). 2 Sanda Lenzholzer, “‘Science’ and ‘Art’ in Landscape Architecture Knowledge Production,” Landscape and Imagination Conference Proceedings (Florence: UNISCAPE 2013), 287–92. 3 Sanda Lenzholzer, Ingrid Duchhart, and Jusuk Koh, “Research Through Designing in Landscape Architecture,” Landscape and Urban Planning 113 (2013): 120–27. 4 Susan Herrington, Landscape Theory in Design (London: Routledge, 2016). 5 Josie Nickum and Lewis Purgason, “Using the Sand Tray to Facilitate Client Creativity: A Strengths Focused Approach to Adolescent Depression,” Journal of Creativity in Mental Health 12, no. 3 (2017): 347–59. 6 Crisman Cooley, “Sand Traces: Works in Sand by Jean-Pierre Hébert,” jeanpierrehebert.com/~jeanpie7/docs/traces.pdf (accessed July 7, 2022). 7 François Berthier, Reading Zen in the Rocks: The Japanese Dry Landscape Garden (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2005). 8 Philipp R.W. Urech et al., “Point Cloud Modeling as a Bridge between Landscape Design and Planning,” Landscape and Urban Planning 203, no. 9 (2020): 103903; and Philipp R.W. Urech, Aurel von Richthofen, and Christophe Girot, “Grounding Landscape Design in HighResolution Laser-Scanned Topography,” Journal of Landscape Architecture 17, no. 1 (2022): 58–69.