Selecting materials

How to start when selecting materials

What is the process?

Where to start. Well, you probably have already started if you made some inspirational palettes or took a thorough brief from your client. Now we need to refine our selections to get to a point that we can specify them for construction.

What do we need to select?

We want to select all the visible materials. But a good point to start is selecting the major surfaces that make up the site.

We also will need to match in furniture and dropped in elements.

What don’t we need to select?

This differs across projects. Often designers do not get involved in specifying the materials that aren’t visible at completion. This is things like timber subfloors and the fixings that make them up, unless we are in charge of construction detailing and documentation. Often this is completed by the construction team or engineers.

In the landscape we don’t have as much choice in materials as they have to survive the elements.

Common Surfaces

  • Turf

  • Paving

  • Gravel

  • Concrete

  • Decking

  • Stone

  • Metal Grills

Common Fixings

  • Decking screws

  • Hidden fixings

Common Walling

  • Timber

  • Tiles

  • Stone

  • Concrete

Common Elements

  • Chairs

  • Tables

  • Bench seats

  • Firepits

  • Baths

  • Clothes lines

  • Letter boxes

Common Structures

  • Pergolas

  • Arbours

  • Shade Structures

What are the strengths of different materials?

Matching Materials


Session Outline

  • What is the process?

  • What do we need to select?

Presentations