Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Landscape Design Flashcards
7 cards from real BLArch Bachelor of Landscape Architecture practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Landscape Design flashcards as text
The 'sense of enclosure' in outdoor spaces is primarily created by:
Answer: The ratio of vertical height of surrounding elements to horizontal width of the space
Enclosure is a perceptual quality determined by the height-to-width ratio of surrounding walls, hedges, or landforms — taller elements relative to a narrow space feel more enclosed.
Which site analysis tool maps the path of the sun across a site at different times of year to inform solar access and shading decisions?
Answer: Sun path diagram (solar chart)
A sun path diagram plots the sun's altitude and azimuth angles at various dates and times, allowing designers to predict shade patterns and optimize solar access.
In a planting plan, the term 'groundplane' refers to:
Answer: The horizontal layer of low-growing plants, paving, and lawn that forms the floor of the landscape
The groundplane is the horizontal surface layer of a landscape — including turf, groundcovers, paving, and mulch — that defines the floor and guides circulation.
What is the primary ecological benefit of using native plants in landscape design?
Answer: They support local wildlife, require less irrigation and fertilizer, and are adapted to regional climate and soils
Native plants have co-evolved with local insects, birds, and soil microbes, making them more ecologically supportive and lower-maintenance than non-adapted exotic species.
Which design element is defined as a line formed by the junction of two different surfaces or materials?
Answer: Edge
An edge is the boundary line where two different surfaces, materials, or plant masses meet, and it is a fundamental design element that defines spatial boundaries and visual transitions.
In stormwater management design, a 'bioswale' differs from a standard drainage swale primarily because it:
Answer: Uses vegetation, soil, and sometimes compost to slow, filter, and infiltrate runoff
A bioswale incorporates engineered soil media and selected vegetation to biologically and physically filter pollutants from runoff while promoting infiltration, unlike a hard-lined drainage swale.
The concept of 'imageability' in landscape design, as described by Kevin Lynch, refers to:
Answer: The quality of a place that evokes a strong, clear mental image and sense of identity in observers
Lynch's imageability describes how strongly a place's physical form creates a vivid, memorable, and emotionally resonant mental image in the mind of observers.