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Built to last : new construction in the west Fraserlands

University of British Columbia

This project explores the sustainable landscape design at the residential scale. Landscape architecture at the residential scale often sacrifices sustainable building and design principles for an aesthetic that, under many current construction practices, requires huge amounts of energy inputs to maintain and often display a limited lifespan. These landscapes often do not work to enhance passive energy gains, are water wasters and do not address habitat issues. In addition, many residential landscapes do not integrate with the surrounding community context. Research into sustainable landscape theories shows that energy inputs, built-form lifespan and ecological function have the greatest impact on a residential project's contribution to sustainability or lack thereof. Designing with local materials, building easily maintained forms, handling wastewater on-site and creating site specific and regionally appropriate habitat patches and links will lead to a more sustainable condition, regardless of the design form. Discovering the character of the surrounding community and addressing this through design is essential. Analysis at the regional, community and site scale provided a base from which to create a design that: 1. treats energy, water, and material flows in a sustainable manner, 2. creates habitat patches and linkages that are site specific and appropriate to the parcel's position in the region and 3. integrates the development into the existing character and fabric of the community.

Text

2010-01-08

For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/17728

Landscape Architecture

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace