Spring 2010
Sustainable Solutions to Landscape Maintenance and Infrastructure
A landscape design can have all of the right sustainability ingredients, but ultimately the maintenance and support infrastructure will determine the long-term success of that design. This course deals with the details of a maintenance component, including integrated pest management, and the specifying of infrastructure materials (recycled content, reused, salvaged) that support and reflect the initial project goals. We discuss not only new designs but also how to migrate existing standard landscape designs to a more sustainable model. The design and maintenance of irrigation systems is one of the key topics that is covered in this course because although sustainable landscape designs emphasize low water use, irrigation systems are often necessary for establishing new plantings. These systems must be more flexible and consider the range of options from temporary to permanent installations. A key learning objective of this course is to achieve highly integrated sustainable landscapes that have not only ecological considerations but also practical day-to-day maintenance considerations that result in reduced on-going labor and material costs.
Prerequisite(s):