AR Landscape key terms

The degree of skill and care a reasonably competent landscape architect would exercise under similar circumstances. It is the legal yardstick for judging negligence and is generally not lowered by contract terms.

A written list of the tasks the landscape architect will and will not perform under a professional services agreement. It sets the fee basis, deliverables, and limits of responsibility.

A written modification to bidding or construction documents issued before proposals are opened. Addenda clarify, correct, or supplement the documents and become part of the contract.

A written agreement, signed by owner and contractor, that modifies the contract sum, contract time, or scope after award. It is the standard instrument for authorized changes.

A written order from the owner, prepared by the landscape architect, directing a change before owner and contractor agree on price or time. It is later converted into a change order.

A formal written question from a contractor asking the design professional to clarify or interpret the contract documents. Responses are logged and may lead to an addendum or change order.

A document, sample, or product data sheet the contractor sends to the design professional to show that proposed materials or methods meet the specification. Review confirms conformance but does not relieve the contractor.

The stage when work is sufficiently finished that the owner can use it for its intended purpose, with only minor punch-list items remaining. It starts warranty periods and releases part of retained payment.

A contractor's periodic request for payment, supported by a schedule of values showing work completed. The landscape architect reviews it and certifies the amount due to the owner.

A scaled drawing of existing site conditions, including property lines, contours, utilities, and structures, assembled from survey and public records. All inventory and design layers are drawn over it.

A field survey that measures ground elevation, boundaries, and physical features of a site, producing contour lines and spot elevations used as the basis for analysis and grading.

A line on a map connecting points of equal elevation. Spacing indicates steepness: closely spaced contours mean a steep slope, widely spaced contours a gentle one.

A fixed point of known elevation, often a brass disk in concrete or a marked monument, from which surveyors and graders measure every other elevation on a project.

A mapped study dividing a site into ranges of gradient, such as flat, gentle, moderate, and steep, to reveal buildable areas, drainage patterns, and limits on use.

The area visible from a chosen vantage point, mapped to evaluate what a viewer will see. It guides placement of overlooks, screens, and preserved view corridors.

The elevation of the highest water surface expected during a flood with a one percent chance of occurring in any year, used to regulate construction in mapped floodplains.

A legal right to use another person's land for a specific purpose, such as utilities, drainage, or access. It limits where structures, paving, and plantings may be placed.

The first design phase, in which rough concepts, bubble diagrams, and simple massing studies explore alternative arrangements of program elements before details are developed.

The phase after schematic design in which the chosen concept is refined into dimensioned plans, materials, and planting palettes, and the construction budget is checked against the design.

A written and graphic statement of what a project must accommodate: users, activities, space sizes, quantities, and relationships. It is the measurable brief against which design options are tested.

An imaginary line along which elements are arranged to create order and to direct movement or view. Axes may be formal and straight or implied through a sequence of spaces.

The feature that draws the eye and anchors a composition, such as a specimen tree, fountain, or sculpture. It gains emphasis through contrast in size, color, or placement.

The sense of a defined outdoor room created by walls of vegetation, grade change, buildings, or built elements, measured by the height and openness of the surrounding edges.

The selected group of species chosen for a project, defined by hardiness, water needs, mature size, texture, and maintenance, and organized into trees, shrubs, and groundcovers.

Designing spaces and routes usable by people of all ages and abilities without special adaptation, including accessible grades, firm surfaces, clear widths, and resting places along paths.

A drawing that shows existing and proposed elevations, spot grades, contours, and drainage patterns, and specifies how the ground will be cut, filled, and shaped.

A point on a drawing marked with its exact existing or finished elevation, used where contours alone cannot convey the intended grade, such as at paving edges or drainage structures.

The process of removing soil from high areas (cut) and placing it in low areas (fill) to achieve proposed grades, ideally balanced on site so no soil is hauled away or imported.

The line where a proposed slope meets the existing ground surface. It defines the limit of grading and the footprint of cut or fill on a plan.

A shallow, gently sloped channel, usually vegetated, that carries and slows stormwater across a site. Swales reduce runoff volume and peak flow compared with piped drainage.

A way of expressing steepness as horizontal distance to vertical rise, such as 3:1 for three units horizontal to one unit vertical, used to specify stable and maintainable grades.

A standard equation, Q = CiA, that estimates peak stormwater runoff from a small drainage area using rainfall intensity, a runoff coefficient, and the area draining to the point.

A depression that temporarily stores stormwater and releases it slowly through a control structure, reducing peak flows downstream after a storm.

The elevation of the lowest inside surface of a pipe or channel at a given point, used to calculate slope, flow capacity, and connections between drainage structures.

A table on the planting plan listing plant symbols, botanical and common names, size, quantity, spacing, and remarks, tying each drawn symbol to the written specification.

A standardized format organizing each product section into General, Products, and Execution parts, so contractors find administrative requirements, materials, and installation instructions in predictable places.

Contractor-marked records showing the actual installed location, size, and materials of constructed work, used by the owner for future maintenance, renovation, and record keeping.