What are the design phases of landscape architecture?

Design process

A construction project documents is a collection of documents necessary for the construction of a building, utility network, a facility or its part. It is a set of data based on the client’s design brief, general plan or detailed plan, design requirements, legal norms, and other necessary documents. The construction project documents consist of design description, drawings, specifications, material volume table, and other documents. The significance of the construction project documents primarily lies in applying for a building permit and later an occupancy permit from the local government.

The design process is divided into phases based on the level of detail of the project, where each preceding stage forms the basis for the next. The phases include the concept design, preliminary design, detailed design, and construction working documents phase.

Concept design

The basis for creating a concept design in landscape architecture includes:

The design brief (also read our post on the necessity of design brief and how to compose one) describing the client’s wishes: for whom, what, and why is being designed, as well as various priorities and values affecting the design process;
Planning documents (general plan, detailed plan);
Design requirements;
Relevant legal acts, strategic documents (e.g., bicycle strategy, urban green planning principles, etc.), and voluntary documents (standards, guidelines, etc.).

With the concept design a concept (design and aesthetic principles) is created for the design, provides general spatial logic, describes interventions, necessary new functions (e.g., accessibility, pathways, recreational and green areas, parking, etc.) as zoning and other crucial aspects for the client.

The concept design phase might seem abstract and intangible at first, but it’s crucial as it sets and fixes fundamental spatial decisions to be developed in the next stage and forms the basis for all future design phases.

The importance of the concept design also lies in determining the need for specific specialists and experts to be included in the design team and requesting quotes for further design (e.g., engineer in water supply and sewerage, electrical engineer, road engineer, architect, construction engineer, botanist, tree technician, street artist etc.).

The concept design usually consists of:

Design description describing the concept and spatial solution in general;
A site plan (functional zoning and basic spatial solution);
Reference images illustrating the idea;
3D images.

Preliminary design

In the preliminary design phase usually, no fundamental changes are made compared to concept design. The spatial solution, zoning and the layout of functions approved in the concept design are developed further in this stage. Changes at this stage are considered additional work.

The preliminary design is based on:

The client’s design brief and the corresponding concept design;
Planning documents (general planning, detailed planning);
Design requirements;
Legal acts;
Strategic documents (e.g., bicycle strategy, urban green planning principles, etc.);
Voluntary documents (e.g., standards, guidelines, MaaRyl, InfraRyl, best practices, etc.);
Various constraints (servitudes, etc.);
Site investigation studies (e.g., engineering geology for construction, tree survey and herbaceous plants survey, radon study, noise study, mobility study, etc.).

The importance of the preliminary design lies in analyzing different possible variants and alternatives to find the most optimal solution for all the functions and spatial solutions proposed in the concept design. This means developing the concept design further by considering different materials, technical solutions, etc., to find the most sustainable and cost-effective way to implement what is determined in the design brief through the concept established in the concept design. Considering different options allows to find the best possible solution, which can save money on construction and maintenance, improve safety and usability, enhance aesthetics, and improve the technical solution, etc.

A building permit is applied for based on the preliminary design, which involves coordinating the approval of the design with various local government authorities. The building permit application is generally made through the Register of buildings. Depending on the project’s complexity, obtaining the permit can take a few months to a couple of years. The application for a building permit involves a state fee according to the law. The local government checks whether the proposed preliminary design complies with the planning documents, design requirements, strategic documents, and is in accordance with legal acts. If there are issues or deficiencies, the design receives relevant comments, suggestions for improvement, and then the changes must be made. If the design is sufficient and meets the requirements, a building permit is issued.

It is important to understand that the preliminary design is insufficient for construction, as its detail level is not informative enough in terms of volumes, types of materials, or costs. This stage only gives an approximate cost of construction, not an exact price. The detailed design phase is needed to calculate volumes, estimate construction costs, and start construction.

As mentioned, a building permit is applied for based on the preliminary design, but more importantly, if there is a requirement to apply for an occupancy permit, the completed construction must comply with the conditions in the building permit (i.e., the preliminary design). Therefore, the preliminary design is an essential input for the detailed design, based on which construction is carried out.

The preliminary design usually consists of:

Design description describing the spatial solution, the method and requirements for the work and subsequent maintenance, and the competence description of the workers;
A site plan;
Detailed drawings of the designed elements (e.g., sections, details);
An initial general material volume table.

Detailed design

The detailed design stage is based on:

The approved and building permit-obtained preliminary design from the previous stage;
Various legal acts;
Voluntary documents (e.g., standards, guidelines, MaaRyl, InfraRyl, etc.).

In this stage, the building permit-based preliminary project is technically detailed further for budgeting and organizing and conducting construction.

The detailed design provides technical solutions in a way that enables the calculation of material and labor volumes. For this, drawings and a material volume table (bill of materials, bill of quantities) are prepared.

For a landscape architecture detailed design, this includes:

Presenting constructive sections for roads/sidewalks/plazas in terms of the type and volume of materials and their level of processing/finishing;
Defining the species (and variety) composition for landscape and determining the quantity per unit area, as well as defining the size and quality of the plants;
Selecting materials, processing, finishing, and technical solution drawings for small structures according to their peculiarities;
Other parts not highlighted here, but may be relevant.

Usually, the detailed design consists of:

Design description describing the spatial solution, the method and requirements for the work and subsequent maintenance, and the competence description of the workers;
A site plan, which may be in several different scales;
Detailed drawings of the designed elements (e.g., sections, details);
Size and quality requirements for selected plants;
Product cards and certificates for selected products and materials;
Descriptions of principles for substituting selected inventory and other small forms with equivalent alternatives;
A material volume table (bill of materials, bill of quantities).

Construction working documents

The detailed design forms the basis for the construction working documents. On this stage, alongside with the preparation of shop drawing, is the most detailed basis on which construction can be carried out. The construction working documents determines the measures, locations, and technology for preparing the work. It also specifies the specific products used in the design (e.g., selected play equipment, inventory, small architectural forms, flowerbed edges, etc.).

The construction working documents specifies all aspects that remained unsolved in the detailed design phase – e.g., some aspects regarding small architectural structures (fence, railings, steps, etc.), specific technical solutions for those locations where the standard solution presented in the detailed design cannot be used. The purpose of this design phase is to detail atypical cases and minimize misunderstandings and possible misinterpretations. For further resolution of such problems, there is a period of construction supervision by designer.

Usually, the construction working documents consists of:

Design description describing the spatial solution, describing the preparation and method of work, as well as the desired quality of the result, and the competence description of the workers;
A maintenance plan detailing the maintenance methods, timing, and frequency of every maintenance work needed to be done for this particular design project;
A site plan, typically several different plans in various scales;
Detailed drawings of the designed elements (e.g., sections, details of railings, steps, planting areas, flowerbeds, small architectural forms, etc.);
Product cards and certificates for selected products and materials;
Size and quality requirements for selected plants;
Descriptions of principles for substituting selected inventory and other small forms with equivalent alternatives;
A material volume table (bill of materials, bill of quantities).

Landscape design is a rather extensive process that consists of an concept design, where the design brief, functionality, originality and character, and nature of the place are combined, followed by the phases of the preliminary design, detailed design, and construction working documents phase. Each stage is necessary, as it helps to avoid costly mistakes that can be overlooked if any stage is skipped. Although a building permit is applied for based on the preliminary design, it does not provide enough information for construction cost calculation or construction. It is necessary to design a solution that can actually be built, i.e., it’s important that the preliminary project is further developed into the detailed design and construction working documents phases.