Natural Landscape Vs Artificial Environment

Landscape Architecture is the art of designing the environment with the help of natural elements like stones, bricks, water, landforms… etc.

If we design a building aesthetically good and also decorate it beautifully  from inside, yet if its surrounding outside area is rubbish, then the beauty of the building will be considered reduced. As such the building must have a beautiful surrounding. This is achieved by landscape development.

Landscaping is an art of planning the drives, walks, lawns, shrubs, gardens, flower-beds etc. so as to form a beautiful setting for a building. The main purpose of landscaping is to create a joyful environment round the building and give the occupants a healthy breath, good appearance and natural beauty.

Landscape design enhances the aesthetic appeal of a building. It entails planning the space outside or surrounding a construction or a building.

The job of the landscape designer is to manipulate and shape the natural layout of the site to suit his uses and create aesthetic pleasure. The outdoor environment could be designed with natural or man-made components i.e., it could be natural or artificial.

The importance of Landscape Architecture should not be undermined.

Natural Environment

A landscape derived from the natural habitat of the region constitutes a natural environment and depends on the type of existing natural surroundings such as a forest or a desert. Such an environment exists even in man’s absence.

Natural landscape is one that is not affected by human activities. Natural landscape remains intact if the living and non-living elements of that natural environment are free to move and change.

There is no place on earth that has remained undisturbed by the human activities. Human beings are also a part of Bio-diversity. But their cultural influences exert such pressure on the Bio-diversity that it completely modifies the natural environment. If an area is abandoned by the culture and is left free to the nature, the natural forces will act on the modified environment and bring it back in nature’s control.

Artificial Environment

Man alters the natural environment by creating an artificial environment such as fields and farms and landscaped gardens.

Man designs his own environment

Man designs the landscape around the built environment for its pleasant and aesthetic appearance. He designs it either by merging the building with the natural environment or by creating Parks and Gardens. In doing so, he makes the environment pleasant to live in.

Maintenance of Artificial Landscape

A man-made landscape once created, needs constant care and maintenance. Some landscape elements get worn out and destroyed over a period of time, and need to be replaced. Weeds should be periodically removed. Proper watering of plants should be done. Cutting and pruning must be carried out periodically. All this involves cost and skill.