Furniture Design Ideas

Principle: The residential site should be in concert with natural events and cycles. All residential environments are exposed to and dependent on a series of natural events, including sun exposure, wind exposure, and precipitation. The potential for fire and earthquakes impacts the landscapes in certain regions as well. Most of these phenomena occur in cyclical […]

Poor soil, incorrect maintenance practices, or simply wrong plant selections by a previous owner result in unhealthy or invasive plant materials on some residential sites. All weak and diseased woody vegetation should be carefully pruned or completely removed depending on the type and extent of the problem. Again, improving soil conditions will also help plants […]

As already mentioned, some landscapes suffer from the presence of toxic materials in the soil or in structural materials (Figure 3—10). Newly built houses often have con­struction debris that has been left behind in various areas of the site or even buried out of sight in the ground. All of this must be removed, with […]

The soil on a derelict site may lack topsoil, be compacted, be infertile, and/or contain pollutants such as lead, oil, pesticides, and so on. A sustainable landscape relies exten­sively on healthy soil to support all life in and above the ground, so it must be rejuve­nated before other restoration strategies are applied. The soil should […]

Principle: A flawed residential site should be restored to a healthy environment. Many residential landscapes have been severely altered from their once natural state and are degraded environments, though they may not always appear that way. The most obvious impaired sites are the barren landscapes found around newly con­structed homes in recently developed subdivisions. In […]

Birds, animals, insects, and microorganisms live in a range of habitats from within the ground to tree canopies above. These habitats are easily disrupted or removed when a house and associated landscape are inserted into a natural setting. Even the well – intentioned objective of preserving selected habitats or forms of wildlife while removing others […]

Surface water exists on all sites, if only temporarily. During and after a storm, water drains across and through a site seeking low channels and areas to collect. Surface water may be present longer or permanently in the form of wet areas or even wet­lands. Some residential sites also adjoin streams, rivers, ponds, or lakes. […]

As already mentioned, some site grading or earth moving is a common and necessary activity during construction in order to fit the house and other structures into the landscape, to direct site drainage, or simply for aesthetic objectives. It is undertaken by heavy equipment such as a bulldozer, Bobcat, or backhoe, although fine grading is […]

Principle: The residential site design should have minimal impact on the existing site. A sustainable design alters the existing site conditions as little as possible by preserv­ing the elements that are present on a site as well as the natural processes and cycles that support them. This goal is hardest to achieve yet most critical […]

All materials used in the sustainable landscape should be manufactured, quarried, or found within the region as much as practically possible. Note that regional materials are not those purchased at a local supplier that originated somewhere else in the coun­try or world. Employing materials obtained in the region has several advantages. First, local materials are […]