2024 will be the year that landscape design embraces technological advances more than at any other time as technology promises to redefine outdoor spaces – saving time, allowing greater sustainability, and saving costs. In a new regular column, landscaper Matt Leacy shares his views.
Outdoor spaces and structures already have heating and lighting technology that match what’s on offer for the indoors, and pools can be heated for year-round use. Jet swim functions, magnesium/mineral systems and a raft of other tech advancements have also become second nature.
The technological advancement has also spilt over more into the actual garden design and function. Incorporating technology into your outdoor space can be costly if you’re retrofitting smart features, but making the investment can pay off many times over on future costs when it comes to heating, lighting and watering your outdoor space.
And while technology isn’t something you would automatically consider a key design element, it really should be on the list of top five considerations when outdoor spaces are being planned and designed. This will mean that lighting and other elements are well considered, and cost effectively executed. It will also save you a lot of time in watering and other garden maintenance tasks in the future.
Some of the best technological innovations in the outdoor space include:
Smart irrigation
Smart irrigation isn’t a new concept however improvements in systems and the ability to accurately control them remotely have improved exponentially. Smart systems can be controlled entirely remotely and will also sense the weather and deliver water to your garden system based on plant needs and according to the design and the sun and other elements your outdoor space is exposed to. Irrigation systems can also be linked to water capture and use of rainwater from rooftop gardens or other forms of water capture in your garden.
3D garden design
The 3D renders and designs that we’re able to produce for our clients are incredible. We can take them on a fly-through of their house and garden design and really offer them the opportunity to be immersed in their green space long before any work on site begins. It means if we’ve made an out of the box suggestion design wise, or incorporated items/plants that clients may not be familiar with, we can show them how they’ll work in their outdoor space. Likewise with structures in the space and location of pools and other key elements. It really helps to bring the design to life in a holistic way – and share the design vision. We can also demonstrate the lighting design and how will set the mood for the entire space.
Monitoring apps
The development of apps for outdoor spaces have also gone ahead in leaps and bounds allowing real time data on soil moisture, nutrient levels, and even personalised care recommendations. Once you have invested in an amazing outdoor space, it’s important to ensure it’s well maintained to ensure plants thrive to create the vision that was designed.
Vertical gardens and hydroponics
These two elements are reshaping outdoor spaces in urban settings. These high-tech solutions allow for cultivation of a variety of plants and creating green walls and other design features in limited spaces.
Robotic lawn care
Robotic lawn mowers have evolved to a viable and reliable solution to garden maintenance – saving time and also minimising noise.
Sustainable materials and 3D printing
The use of sustainable materials continues to gain momentum. Just as people want to know that their coffee, diamonds and chocolate are ethically sourced, we’re finding more and more that people are wanting the same of their building and landscaping materials. We expect reclaimed timber and recycled/reused materials to continue to grow in popularity this year for this reason. 3D printing technology also allows for customised, eco-friendly designs that are crafted with precision and give a real bespoke feel to properties.
Climate-controlled environments
As the impact of climate change continues to be felt, there are more and more options being developed to help us combat the extremes. From greenhouses to climate-controlled rooms and outdoor spaces, these developments allow for a more even environment for plant growth year-round.
Solar
Considered well, solar can generate power to run everything in your garden – lighting, pool filtration and heating, recharging your tools – with an environmental as well as cost-saving benefit.
AI
AI is coming in a big way – soon our gardens and homes will be totally automated. You will be able to ask your bot how to fix the pool heater and ask the questions required to fix the problem yourself. Our homes will have all of the instruction manuals inbuilt so we are able to just ask the question. These are very exciting times ahead.
-Matt Leacy is the founder and creative director of Landart, an award-winning landscape architecture, construction, pool design, pool building and garden maintenance company for both residential and commercial projects. After 17 years of success, the company continues to grow with an ethos of passion, creativity and commitment to the finer details of every client and project.
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