Types of drawings: Vocabulary list

Design plan:

  • a drawing that shows the final design from the top, looking down.

Design section:

  • a drawing that shows the final design from the side, as if the site was sliced like a loaf of bread!

Planting plan:

  • a drawing that shows the location, number and types of plants to be planted on the site. Plants are not realistically represented, but by symbols – typically circles with some indication of size and colour.

Contour model:

  • a physical or digital model that uses contours to visualise the topography of a site (and may include other elements like built structures and trees).

Concept sketch:

  • a sketch that captures the essential idea of the project. Often diagrammatic and abstract, lacking any detail of the design.

Design development:

  • any drawing or model that is used to iterate/evolve/develop the design. Any good design project requires many of these!

Construction drawing:

  • any drawing (typically plans or sections) that is issued to the landscape contractor to provide detailed instructions as to how a landscape must be set out and built.

Perspective rendering:

  • a drawing, usually from a first-person perspective, that attempts to communicate the spatial qualities of a design. In other words: what will it be like standing in the design once it is completed.