Most people begin with intuition. They are drawn to pictures, to feelings, to the beauty of nature, but they don’t really understand the components that make up those things. Intuition is a good starting point, but it is also a bit unreliable. Intuition reacts; it doesn’t proactively lead to great solutions. As one begins to pair their creative inclinations with structure, the learning process starts to take on a whole new meaning.
Structure, in the context of landscape design, simply means having a foundation to base one’s decisions on. It is not about following a formula, but rather about having a way of thinking that can be applied in various situations. As one gains more experience and knowledge, they begin to notice patterns. They see how paths are designed to guide people through a space by using visual interest. They notice how spaces are designed to accommodate certain functions by manipulating the proportions of the space and the way in which they are defined. When one can recognize these patterns, their intuition begins to become more refined. It is less about having a good feeling about something, and more about understanding why that feeling is appropriate.
So how does one go about acquiring structure? For me, the best learning experiences were in the classroom. Not because I was being lectured at, but because I was being asked to apply theoretical concepts to real situations. I wasn’t being asked to simply memorize principles, I was being asked to figure out how to apply them. Through this process, I began to understand how to approach a design problem. I learned what worked and what didn’t. I began to develop my own way of doing things. I think this is an important distinction. Many landscape designers have told me that they went to school for landscape design, but that they really learned most of what they know on the job. I think that approach is incredibly inefficient.
If one is simply applying memorized principles to a situation without truly understanding the reasoning behind them, they will likely struggle to adapt when things don’t go according to plan. When structure and intuition are paired, the process of landscape design becomes relatively simple. Decisions aren’t based on intuition or feeling. Rather, they are based on a solid understanding of how to solve a problem. That is not to say that the solution isn’t creative, but rather that the approach isn’t a shot in the dark.
When structure and intuition come together, one no longer needs to explain their reasoning behind a particular decision. Rather, the reasons are inherently clear. Most designs that I see which have been created through this process stand the test of time. They do not need to be redesigned as uses change over time. Rather, they continue to function and adapt as needed. For this reason, I believe that learning landscape design through the pairing of structure and intuition is a valuable approach. It not only teaches one how to solve problems, but also how to think.