BEAUTY FOLLOWS COMPLEXITY
Journal of Landscape Architecture|LA 78
Designers must heed Sullivan's "form follows function" to avoid beauty over function. Following nature in landscape design enhances ecological productivity while promoting sustainability with principles of use of native species, biodiversity, and conservation of natural resources.
Gurudas Nulkar
BEAUTY FOLLOWS COMPLEXITY

Which architect worth her salt has not heard of Sullivan's cardinal rule 'form Sollows function'? And yet, every city has its share of structures that are good to behold, but miserably fail in functionality. Unfortunately, knowing what matters is not the same as doing what matters. This anomaly is evident even in landscape projects. While manicured landscapes can be spectacular, they stand alienated from the surrounding natural landscape. Designing for beauty often disregards vital biophysical characteristics of the land. Such designs are ecologically cut off from the larger natural ecosystems.

Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, the French restoration architect conceptualized excellence in architecture on how its structure is designed. He believed that each element should be joined to the next and the whole in a manner analogous to the composition of an organic body. Ecologists couldn't agree more. This is how ecosystems are built, and that is why they support us with indispensable life-sustaining services. Carbon sequestration and atmospheric gas balance, hydrological cycle, decomposition and nutrient cycling, groundwater recharge, seed dispersal, and germination are just some of the services that ecosystems generate. The health of natural ecosystems is influenced by species composition, structure, and complexity within the food chain. Natural forests are not designed for beauty, but you don't hear anyone call them ugly! Their appeal comes from the complexity of their composition and structure. The central argument of this article is that by mimicking nature, landscape architects can recreate the charm of natural ecosystems while supporting the ecological productivity of the larger landscape.

Demystifying Natural Ecosystems

This story is from the LA 78 edition of Journal of Landscape Architecture.

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