Every project starts with the analysis of the potential of the future garden in the context of the brief. The analysis covers visualisation of the shadow patterns throughout a year, and an assessment of local microclimatic conditions. Attractive views, desired focal points, as well as areas that require visual screening are marked on a site survey plan. This information helps to establish locations for the major garden features.
The next step is an evaluation of the functional relationships between garden elements and establishment of the physical communication routes —”routes of flow”—which are depicted with arrows of different weight, depending on the magnitude of the traffic. The features are rearranged in such a way as to accomplish optimal connections between different areas. The final concept diagram outlines the garden elements as colour-coded bubbles within a frame of the scaled garden plan. It serves as an intellectual scaffold for actual design phase. The larger and more complex the garden, the more important the site analysis becomes.
