Thoughts About Formal Gardens

For ease of explanation say route as in length. My first site measurement is from the house ground base of wall to first floor of the house. This is then squared on the drawing board with the use of a compass, in a scale of 1:50 (for larger gardens I use two scales, this allows for greater accuracy). Put the compass point on the house/ground base, and the pencil on first floor, and describe an arc to ground - draw to square. Keep the compass point on the house/ground base, put the pencil on the top diagonal corner from ground base, and make another arc to ground/square. Draw in a vertical line parallel to the uprights, up to first floor, and draw back to the first square, top, and bottom. Always keep the compass point on ground base, but move the pencil to the top diagonal corner of each new section, and repeat say to 6 sections. Each of these sections gradually reduces in length - root (route) the height remains the same as the first square. All are in proportion to the house.

Setting out a design using the root (route) with these sections, and multiples of the same, to scale from the prepared module, (proportions are not worked out by measuring) allows for an abstract concept related to the house in cube form. Curve radiuses also relate from the module, thus getting over the dominant effect of symmetry. Then by countering the curves with proportional straight lines appropriately picking up the curves anywhere along their length. Can make the eye turn across the axis to a secondary, or multi axes if necessary to suitable mixed focal points. Oskar Kokoschka used similar structural ideas with his multi perspectives in painting.

Designing with the module in this abstract way allows for no preconceived ideas. The construction has to be worked out on plan, and developed up to the stage when the scheme seems to have its own soul, and works as a whole. One has to free up initially, this is not as difficult as it sounds.

Hope you can use this for your own concepts.

Best wishes

Hugh O'Connell

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