Topos, Topology or Topography

The manipulation of topography is an important part of landscape architcture practice, but is generally thought of as a technical endeavour since the geometry of landform is difficult to represent. Since representation is complicit with design generation, the ability to design in an intuitive fashion is limited to how easily it can be represented. In order to change the way that topography is designed by landscape architects, the conventions of topographic representation must be reconsidered. In this chapter the author discusses his masters by design research that critically considered the conventions of representing topography and the sort of design outcomes that result from tehse. Through deisgn studies new methods are develoepd to enrich the design of landscapes with topography, and new forms fo space and experience that result are considered.