The Land8 Webinar: Forgiving Landscape Details and Detailing for Ease of Construction featuring Thomas Ryan provided a much needed look at the adapting field of detailing. Details are a Landscape Architect’s bread and butter. Consideration, intuition, and final construction are why we’re hired. The material and design consideration for a simple detail can be mind-boggling and very in-depth; But you have to set the first brick to build Rome–and that brick, it turns out, is 3/8″ inch smaller in each direction.
To expand your library further, I have found the following books inspirational (beyond Time Saver Standards):
Detailing for Landscape Architects: Aesthetics, Function, Constructibility
Thomas Ryan’s book wraps many of these considerations up nicely and, in my opinion, should be issued with every Landscape Architecture Diploma. His illustrations provide a walkthrough for those wishing to strengthen their detailing ability. Much like “Time Saver Standards,” Ryan provides a great foundation for satisfying the integration between design and construction, in a new and improved way, considering tolerances, aesthetics, and climate. It’s encouraging to know that we’ve come so far in this niche of the profession. This book should be an open and used addition to every firm’s library, especially if they wish to have lasting, strong, successful built projects.
Detail in Contemporary Landscape Architecture
Through focusing on different highly detailed projects from Australia to Canada, this book uses a number system and accompanying cd-rom to reveal basic, progressive, and avant garde detailing. The book features fantastic pictures and descriptions.
Materials for Design – by Victoria Ballard Bell and Patrick Rand
By using famed designs across the globe this book features sections on glass, metal, concrete, and much more. It focuses primarily on Architectural constructs but is easily translated to the built landscape.
Living Systems- Innovative Materials and Technologies for Landscape Architecture – by Liat Margolis and Alexander Robinson
For those with sustainability at heart, this book provides incredible detailing, pictures, and descriptions of projects that feature sustainable materials you probably never knew existed. Many of the designs provide enhanced ecology and make participants aware of function while maintaining fantastic aesthetic. The book is written in an article fashion and is an inspiring and enjoyable read.
Thomas Ryan conveyed that communication is key. The more we share, the more we can dial in our budgets and increase our material success. He recommended two books during the webinar – Brick in the Landscape: A Practical Guide to Specification and Design and Wood in the Landscape: A Practical Guide to Specification and Design
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Andrew Spiering
Awesome list of books…Thanks for sharing Jayson!
Coordinates
I am pretty sure that these books can prove extremely helpful for all young architects who are out there. By thoroughly studying these books one can become highly knowledgeable about construction as they contain complete construction details right from the basics. Thanks for sharing such a nice list of books.