LARC 1950 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Al-Andalus, Walled Garden, Ground Plane

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Landscape Architecture
• Course: LARC 1950
• Professor: Ben O' Hara

Document Summary

Empire extended from egypt to the indus valley. Hot, dry, arid desert with fertile river valleys. Ban on figurative art led to geometric patterns. Height of the persian empire came under darrius i and xerxes, ended with the conquests of alexander the great. Early islamic gardens: the world as a paradise garden. Other uses of plant material start to evolve. Straight geometric water channels, moving from point a to point b. Ribbons of water that go around the buildings for beauty and for function. Islam starts to spread through north africa and into spain. No portrayal of human or animal forms. Gardens were designed to reflect ideas of heaven. Very decorative gardens and geometric patterns, mosaics all around in tiles and walls. Water features set in place to cool the areas down. Pavilions, raised porches, placed in the intersection of pathways. Four quad patterns were a very central design. A lot of architectural features that intertwine with garden landscapes.