Glossary

Drafting and Documentation

Conceptual Design - Initial phase of design where we produce thematic ideas and initial drawings and image boards to convey them.

Detail - A drawing accompanied by text which describes the construction and or implementation of an element within a project.

Design Development - The process of taking an initial concept or schematic design and refining it, adding more detail, and working towards a finished product.

Elevation - A 2d representation from the side showing the vertical plane. This is an orthogonal drawing.

Legend - A Legend, sometimes called a ‘key’ is a way to connect visuals on your drawing to a meaining. These can be drawn items or abbreviations. It helps the reader to interpret the plan. This is great shorthand and is used to save time and reduce clutter on your plans. For that reason, it commonly has items in it that are used more than one within the drawing.

Line weights - Line weights are used to create hierarchy in drawings and give definition. Different line weights can be shorthand to help discern heights, importance, stacking order and depth.

Material Schedule Summary

Orthogonal Drawing - A two-dimensional drawing of the 3d world. We use parallel projection and do not show the depth like in a perspective drawing.

Plan View - Is looking down from the top at a 3d object while taking out the perspective nature. It is an orthogonal drawing that of objects on the horizontal plane.

Scale

Scale Ruler - A ruler that has different scales on each of its sides. It is used to interpreted and draw scaled drawings which are shrunken by a factor down from real world size.

Schematic Design - Early phase of design where we take ideas and test them in physical space on paper or the computer.

Functional Analysis

Section - A drawing from the side where an element is where the subject is sliced open showing the inner workings. It is an orthogonal drawing so does not show any perspective.

Specifications - A written document accompanying your plans and details which describes how work is to be undertaken and what the final results should be.

Title block - A title block is a section of a page comprising of text linework and images that helps the reader interpret what is on the page.  These can be details about the site, client and your business. It should also tell us what is being  communicated on THIS sheet and how to interpret it.

Plants

Annual - A plant that completes its life cycle and dies within one year and often within one active growing season

Anther

Berm - An artificial raised ridge that is often used around plants to ensure watering makes it down to the root ball or that water collects on slopes.

Bract

Bud

Bulb

Capillary

Capsule

Compost

Cone

Cotyledon - A seed leaf. The first of the leaves that comes up from the energy stored in a seed as part of germination.

Cultivar - A plant that has been selectively bread through human intervention for a new trait.

Deciduous

Epiphyte

Evergreen

Exotic

Endemic

Family - A group of plants from one of more genera with some relationship

Filament - The stalk of a stamen

Form

Genus

Gymnosperm

Herbaceous

Hybrid

Indigenous

Internode

Microclimate

Monocot

Node

pH

Root ball

Texture test

Ribbon test

Rhizome

Runner

Saline

Seed leaf

Sodic

Species

Subspecies

Xerophyte

Design Terms

Borrowed landscape - The borrowed landscape is what you can see from your site that doesn’t fall within it’s boundaries. If you are on the beach-side this could be a view our to the water and the cliffs. If you are in the city it could be a view to a half finished wall painted bright red and someones bedroom.

Desire Lines - Often the shortest path between two elements. It could also be the path that someone would take if there wasn’t something blocking their way.

Site Research

EVC - An EVC is an Ecological Vegetation Class. Within a bioregion you will find multiple EVCs.

Biome - Within Victoria there 28 bioregions which are classified based on the climate, geology, vegetation, soils and geomorphology.

Zoning - Zones are used to determine appropriate use of land. They may cover things like township areas, farming zones, industrial land, setbacks, open space, building heights, street fence heights.

Overlay - Overlays are an additional layer of planning control over the top of zones.  This allows more restrictions to be placed over an area that does not have to line up directly with a base zone.

Materials and Construction

Thermal mass - Some materials readily store heat energy. When a material has a high thermal mass a lot of energy is needed to change the temperature of the material. It will then take time for this energy to be released again. This property can be used to your advantage for storing and releasing heat.

Bullnose - A rounded edge on a paver that makes it good for pool edges and stair treads.

Bevel - A slope usually between a horizontal and vertical surface. Often seen on timber and stonework.

Chamfer

Drop face - A paver that has an elongated vertical face that drops down into a pool or over a stair.

Hardwood - A dense timber from a broadleaved tree (non-conifer)

Softwood - The wood from a conifer with soft and light wood

Insulative

Thermal Mass - The ability of a material to store and release heat. The higher the thermal mass the more slowly it releases the heat

Membrane

Pencil round

Rough sawn

Sealer

Softwood

Seasoned

Weld

Elements

Arbour

Pergola