Landscape architecture, as we know it today, emerged following the Industrial Revolution. While garden design has been a part of history since the Middle Ages—with iconic examples such as the Garden of Eden—it played a particularly prominent role during the Renaissance and Baroque periods with the emergence of vast, intricate gardens that surrounded royal palaces.
Today, the field of landscape architecture has diversified, and there are professionals specializing in urban landscape architecture, garden design, and other areas. To learn more about this profession, we spoke with Paula Rial, an architect and academic coordinator of the Landscape Architecture Technician program at Universidad ORT Uruguay.
Are there differences between landscaping and garden design?
When I talk about my profession, people often ask me what the difference is between landscaping and garden design. Landscaping involves designing and constructing various outdoor spaces, ranging from balconies to patios and terraces, residential gardens, farms, ranches, parks, and even entire cities, conceived through urban landscaping as a whole. It is clear, then, that garden design can be understood as a part of landscaping work.
What areas does landscape architecture cover?
Landscape architecture is a vast field has such has rich history that has offers us countless possibilities. Many people think our job is simply to design with plants, but landscape architecture also involves designing with non-living materials.
One example of this is traditional Japanese garden design, where landscapes can be created using stones alone, without any plant material. Or, at the other extreme, there are famous landscape architects such as the Dutch architect Piet Oudolf, who set a new standard for naturalistic landscaping with the High Line in New York .
Do you consider landscaping to be a practical profession?
“It’s a well-rounded profession because you work in the office preparing projects using computer software, but you also have to go out to nurseries to source plant material and take part in the planting process. This brings us closer to nature, where our perspective on it changes, and we watch with great excitement as the plants, their flowers, and their fruits transform.”
"Bringing gardens to life through landscaping is the greatest source of satisfaction in this profession. Seeing our ideas come to life and, because we work with living materials, watching them continue to evolve."
Landscape architecture emerged as a response to humanity’s need to shape nature in order to reflect its own design vision; this is why it is directly associated with architecture. However, landscape architecture has since taken on a life of its own and is closely linked to well-being. When applied correctly, it can improve the conditions of both outdoor and indoor spaces, creating more pleasant and peaceful environments in which to live.
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