LAD, PP 1-11

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the core principles, terminology, and design elements of Landscape Architectural Design as presented in the licensure review material.

Landscape Architectural Design (LAD)

The creative application of functional, orderly, and aesthetic solutions to landscape architectural problems, emphasizing the analysis, planning, and development of natural scenery and diverse land areas.

Hardscape

Structures such as fountains, benches, and gazebos, along with elements like walks, driveways, edges, walls, and fences, which form integral components of a designed landscape.

Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs)

Homogenous societies who have continuously lived as an organized community within communally bounded territories and share common bonds of language, customs, and traditions (Republic Act No. 8371, 1997).

Landscape Design

The culmination of area studies expressed through plans, drawings, and specifications that enable the implementation of the landscape planning concept.

Landscape Planning

The development and application of strategies, policies, and plans aimed at creating successful urban and rural environments for present and future generations.

Landscape Site Planning

A site analysis process involving the study of physical, socio-cultural, and environmental conditions, along with potential users, to determine proper site selection and develop conceptual plans.

Softscape

Vegetation integrated into a landscape, such as shrubs and flowers.

Base Plane

The ground plane or foundation upon which all spatial uses and elements are organized, often composed of soil, vegetation, and water bodies.

Overhead Plane

The plane in outdoor spaces often perceived as open to the sky, or structures introduced to provide shelter, regulate height, and shield from weather.

Vertical Plane

The most visually prominent plane used to obstruct or frame views, guide movement, define space through enclosure, or act as a focal feature.

Unity

A design principle emphasizing the treatment of a composition as a cohesive whole, established through continuity, repetition, and proximity.

Continuity

The consistent application of elements like form, texture, and color to create cohesion and visual harmony throughout a composition.

Repetition

The establishment of patterns or sequences in landscape design to evoke predictability and familiarity.

Proximity

Also known as interconnection; the grouping or physical linking of features based on spatial closeness to reinforce unity.

Simplicity

The practice of eliminating nonessential features while maintaining the integrity of the whole to ensure clarity and purpose.

Variety

A principle that enriches design by adding interest and making the landscape more dynamic and engaging.

Dominance

Also called focalization; the deliberate highlighting of a feature through distinctions in size, shape, or color to capture interest.

Subordination

Features that act as a backdrop to support and enhance a dominant element, reinforcing its prominence.

Opposition

Achieved by contrasting features like color, form, and texture to create striking combinations, balanced by complementary principles.

Order

The balance of visual attraction around an axis or central point, seeking harmony through spatial layout techniques like massing and symmetry.

Massing

The organization of landscape features by grouping similar elements around a central focus to establish structure.

Symmetry (Formal Balance)

Achieved by mirroring elements exactly on either side of an axis to evoke formal stability.

Asymmetry (Informal Balance)

Balance produced without exact mirroring, where varied elements achieve equal visual weight for a natural design experience.

Perspective Balance

The distribution of visual weight across the foreground, midground, and background to emphasize depth.

Scale

The relative size of a feature or element compared to human dimensions, a fixed structure, or another feature.

Proportion

The relationship among all parts of the landscape, such as plant size relative to dominant structures and human scale.

Rhythm

The repetition of elements in regular sequences to convey motion and direct users toward different areas of a space.

Transition (Gradation)

The gradual alteration of a feature's characteristics to produce seamless connectivity and movement between areas.

Proxemics

The study of how people structure space based on comfort and social relationships, ensuring spatial distances align with social situations.

Accessibility Law

Batas Pambansa (BP) 344 of 1983, which mandates features like ramps, tactile flooring, and railings to ensure inclusive design for PWDs.

Clan Culture

A Filipino cultural trait emphasizing group activities with extended families, influencing housing exclusivity and shared space needs.

Maximalism

A local design tendency where spaces are filled with 'abubut' (trinkets) and 'borloloy' (ornaments) to symbolize abundance.

Type 1 Climate (Philippines)

A climatic region characterized by rains occurring from June to September.

Type 2 Climate (Philippines)

A climatic region characterized by rains occurring from December to February.

Steiner's Ecological Planning Model

A 12-step landscape planning process rooted in McHarg's method that integrates biophysical and socio-cultural analysis.

Orthogonal Grid

A plan type offering excellent orientation and controllable lot shapes, but which may be monotonous without periodic interruption.

Organic Block

A block type characterized by irregularity, often originating from residual land between well-worn paths or responsive to sloping terrain.

The Close

A space shared by buildings within a block, featuring a roadway loop or pedestrian path around a central green area.

Arcade

A frontage type where the façade projects over the sidewalk and the storefront is recessed, creating a sheltered pedestrian zone.

Forecourt

A frontage type set back and defined by a low wall, acting as a transitional space for gardens, drop-off zones, or loading.

Dooryard

A frontage type set back from the line, featuring an elevated garden or terrace that acts as a semi-public transitional buffer.