ANJALY MEERA ABRAHAM

INTRODUCTION

WATER HAS BEEN USED BY LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECTS AS A KEY AESTHETIC FACTOR.

IT WAS IMPLEMENTED FOR BREAKING THE

MONOTONY CAUSED BY THE SOLID

MATERIALS USED BY ARCHITECTS OR

ARTISTS

ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN VISUAL AND NON

VISUAL LANDSCAPES DEPENDS ON THE

PERCEPTION OF THE OBSERVER.

WATER IS A BASIS OF LITERARY AND

ARTISTIC PERCEPTION OF LANDSCAPE

ITS A NEUTRAL ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENT

WHICH CANNOT BE CLEARLY CLASSIFIED

AS NATURAL OR BUILT.

WATER IS A MULTIDIMENSIONAL OBJECT OF

RESEARCH WHICH APPEARS IN VARIOUS FIELDS:

1. ENVIRONMENTALLY : A NATURAL RESOURCE FOR

LIVING

2. SOCIALLY : A SENSITIVE BASIS FOR DEVELOPING

HUMAN ACTIVITIES

3. FINANCIALLY : IT INFLUENCES TOURISM,

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, ETC.

4. CULTURALLY : RELATED TO FOLKLORE, MYTHOLOGY,

ART AND RELIGION

5. AESTHETICALLY : REPRESENTED AS A BEAUTY

ELEMENT OF NATURE.

WATER IS AN IMPORTANT DESIGN ELEMENT.

LIKE PLANTS, WATER HAS QUALITIES THAT CHANGE OVER TIME AND IN DIFFERENT LIGHT AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

ITS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A WIDE VARIETY OF EFFECTS, FROM THAT OF A STILL POND, TO THE EXCITMENT OF A GREAT CASCADE.

IT APPEALS TO ALL THE SENSES, TO ALL PEOPLE OF ALL AGES.

1. ANCIENT GREECE

• IN ANCIENT GREECE, FOUNTAINS WERE

CONSIDERED TO BE SACRED.

• THEY WERE CONVERTED FROM A HOLE

EXCAVATED CLOSE TO THE WATERPOINT

INTO THE BUILDINGS

PUBLIC FOUNTAINS WERE EXISTING IN

ANCIENT ROME.

USUALLY THEY WERE A RECTANGULAR

STONE TANK ON A SMALL PEDESTAL AND

IT HAD A SCULPTURED HUMAN OR

ANIMAL HEAD.

THE NAME OF EACH FOUNTAIN IS

DETERMINED BY THE POSITION,SHAPE OR

LOCAL TRADITION

IN BYZANTIUM,WATER WAS A SYMBOL OF

LIFE, HEALTH AND CIVILISATION

THE PEOPLE WERE REGARDING WATER AS

AN INDISPENSIBLE ELEMENT OF PARADISE

FOUNTAINS WERE EXISTING EVEN AT

RURAL OR FOREST AREAS FOR THE NEEDS

OF TRAVELLERS

BATHS WERE A SOCIABLE PLACE

APPROPRIATE FOR MEETINGS,

DISCUSSIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS.

WATER WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A

SUPERNATURAL ELEMENT

IT WAS CONSIDERED TO BE AN ELEMENT

OF MULTIPLE BELIEFS AND FUNCTIONS.

WATER RELATED LANDSCAPE VALUES :

1. SOUND OF WATER OR WATER BIRDS

2. MOVEMENT OF RIVERS, WATERFALLS OR

WAVES

3. COLOURS OF WATER AND COASTS

4. REFLECTIONS ON WATER SURFACE

5. POSSIBILITY OF EXPANDING BIOTOPES OF

CERTAIN SPECIES.

6. WATER CREATES A SCULPTURING EFFECT.

LINE

THE WATER SURFACE CAN BE EXPRESSED

AS A LINE.

BY SHAPING THE EDGE OVER WHICH

WATER FALLS, WATER CAN BECOME A

SERIES OF VERTICAL LINES

IT ACCENTUATES THE VERTICAL

DIRECTION.

IT IMPLIES A CONNECTION BETWEEN

EARTH AND SKY.

WATER FEATURES CAN BE LINEAR,

ACCENTUATING THE FLOW OF WATER, OR

COMPACT IN FORM

IT CONVEYS A SENSE OF CENTRALITY OR

ARRIVAL

GOOD QUALITY WATER IS RELATIVELY

CLEAR

IT TAKES ON COLOR IMPARTED BY

REFLECTIONS CARRIED UPON ITS

SURFACE

THE WATER SURFACE REFLECTS ALL THE

COLORS IN ITS IMMEDIATE

ENVIRONMENT.

THE SURFACE OF MOVING WATER IS

DETERMINED BY DEPTH AND FLOW

CHARACTERISTICS, SHAPE AND DEPTH OF

ITS CONTAINER.

CONSTRICTIONS OR PROTUSIONS INTO

THE FLOW CAUSE TURBULENCE AND

INCREASE SURFACE TEXTURE.

WATER STIMULATES THE SENSES.

WATER CAUSE MEMORIAL AND EMOTIONAL IMPACTS WITH ITS TRANQUIL AND SENSITIVE PROPERTIES.

THE MOVEMENT OF WATER PRESENTS A DYNAMIC AND CHARMING CHARACTER.

WATER IMPLIES INSTABILITY OR MOVEMENT AGAINST THE BALANCE

1 .RUNNING

WATER IN THE

GARDEN MAKES A

DYNAMIC

IMPRESSION

WHICH BREAKS

ANY MONOTONY

CAUSED BY

EXTENSIVE GREEN

MATERIAL.

FOUNTAIN IN THE

GARDEN.

WATER PROOF

MASONRY, LIKE

CONCRETE, CAN

SEAL ALL THE

WATER IN THE

WATER FEATURE.

PONDS

NATURAL LOOKING

WATER FEATURES

SUCH AS ARTIFICIAL

STREAMS OR WILDLIFE

POOLS ARE USUALLY

IRREGULAR SHAPED

AND LINED WITH

FLEXIBLE WATERPROOF

MATERIALS.

EDGING AND LINING

STREAMS

WATER BELONGS TO THE MOST

INPORTANT AESTHETIC SOURCES.

ITS EXISTENCE (NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL)

IMPROVES DRASTICALLY THE AESTHETIC

EFFECT.

THE AQUATIC ELEMENT IS OF CRUCIAL

IMPORTANCE FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE

AND THE SUSTAINABILITY OF ECO-SYSTEMS

AND ALSO FOR ATTRACTIVENESS OF

LANDSCAPES.

AN INTRODUCTION TO LANDSCAPE

DESIGN.

FUNDAMENTALS OF LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECTURE – BY TIM WATTERMAN

THE WATER ELEMENT AS AESTHETIC

FACTOR IN LANDSCAPE DESIGN - PDF