Whenever a technical drawing lands on my desk, I don't usually start with the overall layout like most engineers would.

Instead, I tend to zoom in on the places where different parts of the project come together. A drainage channel meeting a kerb. The last few paving units before a planter. The junction between bespoke stonework and standard paving. They're not the parts of a drawing that immediately catch your eye, but they're often the places that tell me the most about how a project is likely to come together on site.

Over the years, I've found that the biggest challenges on landscape projects rarely come from one major design decision. More often, they come from lots of smaller details that haven't quite been worked through yet. The good news is that they're usually the sort of things that can be resolved early on while the design is still being developed.

Looking at a drawing differently

When I'm reviewing a design, I'm not looking for mistakes. I'm asking questions.

How will this actually be installed? Will the contractor have enough room to lay that final paving course? Has enough tolerance been allowed where two materials meet? What happens if site levels vary slightly from the drawings? Has the drainage detail been considered alongside the paving layout, or are those two elements being looked at separately?

Sometimes the answer is "Yes, that works." Other times, moving a joint, adjusting a paving module or rethinking the way two materials meet is enough to make installation much simpler without changing the finished appearance of the scheme. Those are the conversations worth having early.

Good detailing protects good design

Technical detailing sometimes gets a reputation for slowing projects down or introducing constraints.

I think that's a little unfair.

The better a detail is resolved during the design stage, the less likely it is that somebody on site will have to find an alternative because the last paving unit won't fit as expected, a drainage detail clashes with another element or an installer is forced to make a decision that was never intended to be theirs.

For me, technical input shouldn't be something that happens once the creative work is finished. Done well, it supports the design process from the outset and can protect those creative elements from issues arising later in the project.

By bringing technical expertise into a project while ideas are still flexible, it's possible to resolve practical challenges without compromising the original design intent. In many cases, the finished landscape looks exactly the same. The difference is that everyone involved has a much clearer understanding of how it's going to be delivered.

Every project benefits from different perspectives

No two project meetings are quite the same, largely because everyone looks at the same drawing differently. Landscape architects, engineers, contractors and manufacturers all bring their own experience to a project, and that's exactly how it should be.

A contractor might immediately think about installation sequence. A manufacturer may spot an opportunity to simplify production. An engineer may be considering long-term performance, while a landscape architect is rightly focused on protecting the overall vision for the space.

Bringing those perspectives together early nearly always leads to a better result than waiting until construction has started.

It's also how we work within the Marshalls Design & Engineering (MaDE) team. By engaging the team from the very start of a project we can provide design support, engineering expertise and technical assurance at the right time. Working alongside the wider project team means we can spot potential issues while they're still straightforward to resolve, helping protect the original design and reducing the likelihood of changes once work starts.

Thinking beyond practical completion

It's easy to think of construction as the finish line whereas, in reality, it's the point where a landscape starts its working life.

Will surface water continue to drain where it's supposed to? Can individual paving units be lifted if maintenance is required? Will adjacent materials weather differently over time? We don’t want people to only learn about these issues once elements stop performing as they should. 

Questions like these don't always demand complicated answers, they just need somebody to ask them before construction begins.

It's the small details that make the biggest difference

Most people will never notice a well-resolved paving interface or a carefully detailed drainage connection and nor should they. What they will notice is a landscape that feels cohesive, functions as intended and continues to perform long after the project has been handed over.

Those details are rarely a talking point once a landscape is finished. If we've done our job properly, most people will never notice them at all.

Written By

Peter Dobson

Peter Dobson is the manager of Marshalls Design Team providing bespoke design solutions in concrete and natural stone to customers. 

Read Peter's full profile here.