Research On The Design Strategies For Low-cost Landscape Architecture

With the fast-developing social environment and the advancing research in subject areas, landscape architecture has been extend from pure aesthetic art works to necessities for the public, which has to meet the demands of aesthetics, sociology, ecology and culture. However, in backward areas, local governments may not be able to afford the construction and maintenance of landscape architecture projects. Due to recession, even some developed countries and areas are in a shortage of funds to do so as well. Such phenomenon has seriously affected on social equity and civil liberty. This paper aims to explore the strategies of low-cost design with insufficient construction and maintenance funding on urgent public demand.To begin with, this paper has made a definition of low-cost landscape architecture, clarified that low-cost landscape architecture is different from economizing landscape or ecological design, which does not necessarily means poor-quality or difficult to maintain, and aims to meet the basic needs of the public through creative exploration with limited funds. Next, this paper clarifies the focus on contemporary landscape architecture research by illustrating its core values, and puts forward the principles to conduct low-cost landscape architecture design. Subsequently, to correspond with the stages of implementation in landscape construction, design strategies of "low waste, low intervention, low construction and maintenance" are proposed combined with assistances expected from policies, welfares and academies to enable a better achievement of low-cost landscape architecture. This paper also comes up with innovative strategies in landscape design to achieve the landscape architecture values with low-cost approach and meet the essential requirements of the public, the underlying majority in particular, which highlights the historical mission and professional ethics of landscape architects, and advertises the social concern contained in this subject. Moreover, this paper uses the appraisal procedure of life cycle cost as reference for planning the overall operation of the landscape, utilizes the nature skillfully to reduce the construction and maintenance costs significantly, and summarizes the commercial processes and models to constructively renew the approaches to low-cost procurement, efficient production, low-technology assembly, convenient replacement and restoration in landscape architecture. In addition, the paper suggests economy productivity as the compensation for construction investment, in order to encourage the research and propogation of low-cost landscape.