A changing landscape

Enhances our connection with nature, the passage of time, and the seasonal experience.

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Roche Rotkreuz, Switzerland
“Nature gives to every time and season unique beauty; from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it’s just a succession of changes so soft and comfortable that we hardly notice the progress.” Charles Dickens - Author

Time and transformation

The landscape project is an unfinished design process, inherently dynamic because it involves experience and because its scenario is alive and constantly changing. It is the place itself that changes—its light, colours, smells, and sounds.

 

  • Define a design intention that takes change into consideration since exterior spaces evolve progressively and with the seasons.
  • Use perennial or deciduous vegetation depending on the solar radiation requirements of the adjacent buildings.
  • Prioritize deciduous plant species over evergreens to enhance the experience of the changing seasons.
  • Plant an herbaceous mix with different blooming times and seed heads and berries that remain throughout the winter.
  • Catering for migratory birds or butterflies is another way to bring the natural cycles into Roche exterior spaces.

 

Roche Rotkreuz, Switzerland
Roche Tucson, U.S.A

Climate conditions

Plan with the weather and soil conditions of the site in mind:

  • Use vegetation to control direct sun radiation in summer.
  • In areas of excessive solar radiation, block by using plant species with dense foliage or layers of multiple species.
  • In rainy climates, plant trees, bushes, and grass to control soil erosion, as rain causes soil covering loss. Their roots will anchor the ground against erosion.

Roche Sydney, Australia

Adequate vegetation

  • Toughness: resistance to temperature, precipitation, and diverse soil types. Tolerance to diverse urban conditions, and shadow or light conditions.
  • Form and structure: consider height and time of maturity or growth, the structure of the plant and branches, and shadow and light filtering abilities.
  • Foliage: form, size, texture, and colour, which change noticeably throughout the year.

Key to A changing landscape

  • Define a design intention that takes experience and natural changes into consideration.
  • Use perennial or deciduous vegetation depending on the solar radiation requirements of adjacent buildings.
  • Emphasize the changing of seasons by choosing deciduous plant species.
See all Exteriors key features