LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND WATER

1. ANJALY MEERA ABRAHAM

2. INTRODUCTION
 WATER HAS BEEN USED BY LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTS AS A KEY AESTHETIC FACTOR.
 IT WAS IMPLEMENTED FOR BREAKING THE
MONOTONY CAUSED BY THE SOLID
MATERIALS USED BY ARCHITECTS OR
ARTISTS

3.  ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN VISUAL AND NON
VISUAL LANDSCAPES DEPENDS ON THE
PERCEPTION OF THE OBSERVER.
 WATER IS A BASIS OF LITERARY AND
ARTISTIC PERCEPTION OF LANDSCAPE
 ITS A NEUTRAL ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENT
WHICH CANNOT BE CLEARLY CLASSIFIED
AS NATURAL OR BUILT.

4.  WATER IS A MULTIDIMENSIONAL OBJECT OF
RESEARCH WHICH APPEARS IN VARIOUS FIELDS:
1. ENVIRONMENTALLY : A NATURAL RESOURCE FOR
LIVING
2. SOCIALLY : A SENSITIVE BASIS FOR DEVELOPING
HUMAN ACTIVITIES
3. FINANCIALLY : IT INFLUENCES TOURISM,
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, ETC.
4. CULTURALLY : RELATED TO FOLKLORE, MYTHOLOGY,
ART AND RELIGION
5. AESTHETICALLY : REPRESENTED AS A BEAUTY
ELEMENT OF NATURE.

5.  WATER IS AN IMPORTANT
DESIGN ELEMENT.
 LIKE PLANTS, WATER HAS
QUALITIES THAT CHANGE OVER
TIME AND IN DIFFERENT LIGHT
AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
 ITS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
WIDE VARIETY OF EFFECTS,
FROM THAT OF A STILL POND,
TO THE EXCITMENT OF A GREAT
CASCADE.
IT APPEALS TO ALL THE SENSES,
TO ALL PEOPLE OF ALL AGES.

6. 1. ANCIENT GREECE
• IN ANCIENT GREECE, FOUNTAINS WERE
CONSIDERED TO BE SACRED.
• THEY WERE CONVERTED FROM A HOLE
EXCAVATED CLOSE TO THE WATERPOINT
INTO THE BUILDINGS

8.  PUBLIC FOUNTAINS WERE EXISTING IN
ANCIENT ROME.
 USUALLY THEY WERE A RECTANGULAR
STONE TANK ON A SMALL PEDESTAL AND
IT HAD A SCULPTURED HUMAN OR
ANIMAL HEAD.
 THE NAME OF EACH FOUNTAIN IS
DETERMINED BY THE POSITION,SHAPE OR
LOCAL TRADITION

11.  IN BYZANTIUM,WATER WAS A SYMBOL OF
LIFE, HEALTH AND CIVILISATION
 THE PEOPLE WERE REGARDING WATER AS
AN INDISPENSIBLE ELEMENT OF PARADISE
 FOUNTAINS WERE EXISTING EVEN AT
RURAL OR FOREST AREAS FOR THE NEEDS
OF TRAVELLERS

12.  BATHS WERE A SOCIABLE PLACE
APPROPRIATE FOR MEETINGS,
DISCUSSIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS.
 WATER WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A
SUPERNATURAL ELEMENT
 IT WAS CONSIDERED TO BE AN ELEMENT
OF MULTIPLE BELIEFS AND FUNCTIONS.

14. WATER RELATED LANDSCAPE VALUES :
1. SOUND OF WATER OR WATER BIRDS
2. MOVEMENT OF RIVERS, WATERFALLS OR
WAVES
3. COLOURS OF WATER AND COASTS
4. REFLECTIONS ON WATER SURFACE
5. POSSIBILITY OF EXPANDING BIOTOPES OF
CERTAIN SPECIES.
6. WATER CREATES A SCULPTURING EFFECT.

17.  LINE
 THE WATER SURFACE CAN BE EXPRESSED
AS A LINE.
 BY SHAPING THE EDGE OVER WHICH
WATER FALLS, WATER CAN BECOME A
SERIES OF VERTICAL LINES
 IT ACCENTUATES THE VERTICAL
DIRECTION.
 IT IMPLIES A CONNECTION BETWEEN
EARTH AND SKY.

19.  WATER FEATURES CAN BE LINEAR,
ACCENTUATING THE FLOW OF WATER, OR
COMPACT IN FORM
 IT CONVEYS A SENSE OF CENTRALITY OR
ARRIVAL

21.  GOOD QUALITY WATER IS RELATIVELY
CLEAR
 IT TAKES ON COLOR IMPARTED BY
REFLECTIONS CARRIED UPON ITS
SURFACE
 THE WATER SURFACE REFLECTS ALL THE
COLORS IN ITS IMMEDIATE
ENVIRONMENT.

23.  THE SURFACE OF MOVING WATER IS
DETERMINED BY DEPTH AND FLOW
CHARACTERISTICS, SHAPE AND DEPTH OF
ITS CONTAINER.
 CONSTRICTIONS OR PROTUSIONS INTO
THE FLOW CAUSE TURBULENCE AND
INCREASE SURFACE TEXTURE.

25.  WATER STIMULATES THE SENSES.
 WATER CAUSE MEMORIAL AND EMOTIONAL
IMPACTS WITH ITS TRANQUIL AND SENSITIVE
PROPERTIES.
 THE MOVEMENT OF WATER PRESENTS A
DYNAMIC AND CHARMING CHARACTER.
 WATER IMPLIES INSTABILITY OR MOVEMENT
AGAINST THE BALANCE

26. 1 .RUNNING
WATER IN THE
GARDEN MAKES A
DYNAMIC
IMPRESSION
WHICH BREAKS
ANY MONOTONY
CAUSED BY
EXTENSIVE GREEN
MATERIAL.
FOUNTAIN IN THE
GARDEN.

27. WATER PROOF
MASONRY, LIKE
CONCRETE, CAN
SEAL ALL THE
WATER IN THE
WATER FEATURE.
PONDS

28. NATURAL LOOKING
WATER FEATURES
SUCH AS ARTIFICIAL
STREAMS OR WILDLIFE
POOLS ARE USUALLY
IRREGULAR SHAPED
AND LINED WITH
FLEXIBLE WATERPROOF
MATERIALS.
EDGING AND LINING
STREAMS

29.  WATER BELONGS TO THE MOST
INPORTANT AESTHETIC SOURCES.
 ITS EXISTENCE (NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL)
IMPROVES DRASTICALLY THE AESTHETIC
EFFECT.
 THE AQUATIC ELEMENT IS OF CRUCIAL
IMPORTANCE FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE
AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ECO-SYSTEMS
AND ALSO FOR ATTRACTIVENESS OF
LANDSCAPES.

30.  AN INTRODUCTION TO LANDSCAPE
DESIGN.
 FUNDAMENTALS OF LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE – BY TIM WATTERMAN
 THE WATER ELEMENT AS AESTHETIC
FACTOR IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN - PDF