History of Landscape Architecture

Unit 1 - definitions

cultural landscape

how the culture treats the land

designed landscape

laid out intentionally by a professional

vernacular landscape

refects traditions, values, beliefs, customs of its everyday people

cosmological landscapes

landscapes tied to astrology and spiritual meaning

axis mundi

world axis connecting heaven, earth, and the underworld

menhir

single stone laid upright

henge

circular enclosure, can be full or partial

geoglyph

images inscribed into the earth

fuctions of gardens

expressing money, power, education, community, culture, relaxation, refuge, habitat and water conservation, spiritual

classical greek and roman civilizations

simplicity, harmony, symmetry, and humanism as shared values

genus loci

“spirit of place” - human made design that feels like it is growing out of the landscape

stoa

tow of columns supporting a roof

agora

greek city’s open space

acropolis

“city on edge”

Hippodamus

father of urban planning

roman city characteristics

planned colonies used a strict grid while rome grew organically

castrum

roman walled military camp build to stabilize land holdings

cardo

primary north to south street

decumanus

primary east to west street

forum

roman version on the agora

basilica

roman version of the stoa

domus

roman upper-class courtyard house

peristyle

colonnade surrounding a hortus

hortus

garden

trompe-l’oeil

“trick of the eye” a painting technique using realism and perspective

villa

country estate and rural retreat of the wealthy

villa rustica

active agriculture emphasis

villa urbana

served primarily as a pleasure retreat

villeggiatura

tradition of retreating to a summer residence in the country held by wealthy citizens of ancient rome

grotto

natural cave associated with spiritual forces

nymphaeum

a grotto associated with nymphs

hortus conclusus

an enclosed garden

faubourg

french term for a suburb lying immediately outside town walls

piazza

italian term for public square

jannah

the islamic heavenly paradise, attainable by living a faithful and obedient life on earth

chahar bagh (charbagh)

“four gardens'“

persian garden influence

charbagh

moors in spain

islamic rule that brought persian garden traditions to europe

geomancy

system of divination by interpreting shape and position of topographic and other landscape features

feng shui

chinese form of geomancy

chinese imperial city planning

gridded, walled capitals oriented to the cardinal directions

chinese imperial gardens

walled parks with exotic plants and animals

realm of the immortals

mythical mountain islands that grant immortality

chinese private gardens

small, contemplative, tied to eremitism, poetry, and painting

gongshi

prized stones meant to look like mini mountain landscapes

shan shui

core chinese concept of landscape

heian period imperial city plannig

capital modeled on chinese city planning

heian period gardens

pond-centered gardens attached to aristocratic estates

chisen teien

pond garden attached to the shinden-zukuri estate house style

sakuteiki

japans oldenst survivng garden design manual

jodo teien

built to evoke amida buddha’s paradise

otium

leisure spent away from the business of the city

pliny the younger

roman letter-writer whose villa descriptions later inspired renaissance design

influence of garden of eden

biblical paradise as a template for garden design

symbolism of hortus conclusus

virgin mary’s purity

romance of the rose and decameron

two medieval literary works set in walled pleasure gardens

medieval city characteristics

walled for defense, taxation, and symbolism

bastide

gridded planned town built in medieval france