ABSTRACT
Good design usually depends on getting right the relationship between buildings and the spaces that surround them: landscape design can make or break a building scheme. It can complement, soften or even obscure the scheme, and provide functional space such as restaurant seating areas, gardens and car parks. Landscape design can affect the performance and long-term viability of a scheme through maintenance requirements; managing surface water; changing the perceptions and values of an area; and influencing the microclimate created by buildings. Landscape design should create a living, changing place, and the maintenance of space could be more important than that of the buildings. Aspect, topography, and the nature of the site's edges are important considerations in layout and landscape design.
