The Base Plan

Please be sure to read the Introduction and Sustainability and Landscape Design sections of this information series. The previous information is needed to fully understand the information in this section.

The Base Plan is developed from the information collected about the site. Base plan information is the starting point in the development of a landscape design. Information is obtained from many places and can involve communicating with many people. The development of a base plan is necessary to design residential, commercial, and public grounds areas.

Depending on the size and complexity of the landscape project, segments of the process used to create a base plan may be combined or eliminated. Larger and more complex projects will require a greater number of maps, plans, and other informational pieces. This process normally includes:

A final step incorporates this information into one drawing called a Base Plan.

For more on Sustainable Landscape Design, please see The Landscape Design Sequence.