This year's landscape trend is set to plant eco-seeds into the hearts of society
By VIKNESH ASHLEY
As the world evolves, landscape design seems to be progressing in line with human needs and the use of technology.
Every year, the Malaysian Landscape Architecture Awards (MLAA) sets the tone for the landscape elements of the country.
Interestingly, one of the key design trends that will be adopted this year is holistic living systems, which raises the concept of landscape designs assisting or serving as a complete living system for organisms including wildlife, plants and humans.
This landscape theme helps the ecosystem to boost sustainability levels within a development, with each design component complementing the next.
Rediscovering Memories is another landscape theme that hopes to attract the community.
This design cue reintroduces the image of quiet villages, lush gardens and natural environments from nostalgic times that are now reflected in landscape design components, although with a new twist.
As prices of produce rise, many people are taking small steps to introduce an urban living landscape trend. This trend involves community-driven efforts to create space for social interaction, where the community can plant their own supply of vegetables to use for their daily cooking.
The next landscape trend involves keeping people at the centre of the landscape design. This is to improve productivity and functionality, ensuring that landscape expanses are built in line with local needs.
This can be made a reality by conducting community studies and engaging local individuals throughout the design process.
One would also notice that the creation of themed gardens and parks is increasing across the nation. These masses of land are earmarked as outdoor spaces for recreation as well as learning.
These eco-parks hold a diverse collection of plants and wildlife, and are therefore ideal for the public to learn about local flora and fauna.
In addition, the preservation of forests has become a key responsibility among many developers who strive to increase the element of sustainability within their respective developments.
This applies especially to developers responsible for housing developments or even townships located next to thriving forests. Forest parks can serve as recreational grounds for the community, just like artificially-crafted parks that can serve as safe havens for local wildlife and plants.
For those developments that do not have much landed space, parks above the sky or “sky parks” have been created and implemented as an innovative practice.
It is evident that many high-rise development developers are crafting and providing green spaces equivalent to parks in different parts of their development.
Green spaces are no longer just limited to podium levels alone. In fact these spaces are now being placed within middle levels of developments and even on the rooftop.
This increases the possible areas of landscape within a high-rise and raises the bar for exceptional landscape designs.
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