Design Through Time - by Mark H Hough

About the Book

"Histories of designed landscapes frequently propel a limited narrative in which a landscape's early history-often referred to as its "period of significance"-is presented as the definitive chapter. Through a series of comparative case studies encompassing gardens, cultural sites, campuses, communities, and parks, however, noted landscape architect Mark Hough argues that the true histories of design landscapes are not rooted in a specific period but, rather, spread across a span of time during which they face continuous change. Thus these living designs are not meant to be just viewed as objects, but rather to be moved through and experienced over time"--

Book Synopsis

Understanding landscape design as a dynamic, not static, art form

Landscape architects do not situate their work in a vacuum. It exists in a state of constant change and is better understood as a product of continual evolution than as a work of pure design. In Design through Time, Mark Hough offers case studies of parks, gardens, campuses, communities, and cultural sites--from the Missouri Botanical Garden and Mount Auburn Cemetery to Tuskegee University and Dumbarton Oaks Park--to answer several crucial questions: Who is the proposed landscape conceived to please? How will it change, affected by both natural and societal events? How will stewards address the need for landscapes to remain relevant, attractive, and accessible?

To address these concerns, Hough analyzes the influence and impact of generations of administrators, advocates, horticulturalists, institutional leaders, elected officials, and others whose collective decisions compel landscapes to grow and change in ways that strive to respect their established legacies while adjusting to shifting cultural, ecological, and economic realities. The resulting work is a dynamic look at landscape design that reflects its status as an art form that is ever changing, never static.

Review Quotes

Hough offers new insights into design as an ongoing process, one that does not end with the completion of the first plan for a landscape but that instead continues throughout generations . . . Hough encourages a new understanding of landscapes as malleable rather than static, especially public resorts, such as parks and university campuses, that are molded by the use and desire of today's visitors just as they were by the design of landscape architects years ago. Throughout the book, Hough addresses the tension between preservationists, trends, and needed adaptations. His insights come not only from the historical research completed for this book but also from his own experiences as a landscape architect first at Central Park and then Duke University. By pulling on this experience, Hough presents a masterful study of the patterns through which landscapes evolve. --H-Environment

About the Author

Mark H. Hough is the University Landscape Architect at Duke University.