ABSTRACT
Space is a bit like colour in as much as designers sense its basic nature almost instantaneously – designers are aware of space, before we start to notice the details of a place. In landscape design, including urban design, planting can play a primary role in creating spaces. These spaces are often described in the language of buildings. The design and location of these openings will articulate vision and physical movement within and between spaces. The degree of enclosure is the length of the perimeter that is enclosed by vertical planes. Different degrees of enclosure result in spaces that vary in character from introverted to extraverted. Enclosure is one key element in the composition of spaces. Its degree and its permeability can be manipulated to control the linkages and inter-relationships between spaces. An external focus can be used to emphasize the orientation that is inherent in the shape, enclosure or slope of a space.
