Sound and smell are often overlooked aspects of landscape design, but they can have a significant impact on the mood, ambiance, and functionality of a space. In this article, you will learn some of the best ways to use sound and smell in your landscape designs, and how they can enhance the sensory experience of your clients and visitors.
Sound and smell are part of the natural and cultural environment, and they can influence our emotions, memories, and behaviors. For example, sound can create a sense of tranquility, alertness, or excitement, depending on the type, volume, and frequency. Smell can evoke nostalgia, relaxation, or appetite, depending on the source, intensity, and association. By incorporating sound and smell into your landscape designs, you can create more immersive, engaging, and memorable spaces that appeal to different senses and preferences.
Immediately, I think of seeking nature in dense urban environments. And rather than hearing and experiencing sound, I genuinely enjoy the lack thereof. As a San Francisco resident, I love getting to my favorite spots in Golden Gate Park and hearing nothing but the sound of wind in trees versus the sounds of sirens and horns. Also, this can only be discussed by giving attention to those who experience their senses differently than others. Sight or sound may not be possible for some, and our landscapes must provide an experience for all.
One of the ways to use sound in your landscape designs is to introduce natural elements that produce pleasant and soothing sounds, such as water features, wind chimes, or bird feeders. These can help mask unwanted noises, such as traffic or construction, and create a sense of harmony and calmness. Another way to use sound in your landscape designs is to create zones or areas that have different sound levels and qualities, such as quiet, loud, or rhythmic. This can help define the function and character of each space, such as relaxing, socializing, or working.
In landscape design, sound and smell can be integrated to enhance the ambiance. Incorporate elements like water features or wind chimes for calming sounds, while choosing aromatic plants such as lavender or jasmine for pleasant scents. Consider the space's acoustics, utilizing sound-absorbing materials strategically to control noise levels. Plan for seasonal variations by selecting plants that bloom at different times. Design areas where sound and smell complement each other, creating a multisensory experience. Always consider user preferences to ensure a positive and engaging landscape environment appealing to multiple senses.
Incorporating sound into landscape designs enhances the sensory experience. Water features like fountains or streams introduce soothing sounds, while wind chimes add a musical touch. Plant choices are important; bamboo, for example, creates a gentle rustling in the wind. Encouraging birds and wildlife adds natural sounds, and using different materials for pathways, like gravel or stone, creates varying sounds underfoot. Creating secluded seating areas allows for a more immersive auditory experience, as visitors can sit and enjoy the natural symphony of the garden.
I love waking up to the sounds of birds. Landscapes containing native plantlife that provide year-round shelter and food to native birds will always provide diverse sounds. Incorporating a range of plantlife that fruits and flowers at varying times of the year attracts different bird life, providing a changing soundscape.
One of the ways to use smell in your landscape designs is to plant aromatic plants and flowers that emit fragrant and diverse scents, such as lavender, rosemary, or jasmine. These can help stimulate the olfactory system, enhance the mood, and attract pollinators. Another way to use smell in your landscape designs is to incorporate elements that release subtle and seasonal smells, such as fire pits, candles, or mulch. These can help create a cozy and warm atmosphere, and mark the changes of the seasons.
Fragrant plants and flowers don't just add beauty to outdoor spaces; their diverse scents enhance mood and even welcome helpful pollinators. But that's not all! Their strong aromas can also act as natural mosquito and fly repellents, making outdoor seating areas more enjoyable. That's why we love using them in our design as often as possible to keep such insects away!
Considering olfactory and auditory experiences in a landscape is crucial for a truly emersive and inclusive space, especially when there are plenty of natural scents and sounds that can animate a landscape. Imagine a small shady garden dominated by gravel. Punctuated by a few boulders and moss in a low-lying spot and a simple water feature that bubbles and spills in a gentle, circulating rhythm, it’s surrounded by a few clumps of bamboo. The crunch of the gravel is heard underfoot until one settles down on a wooden bench; it gently creaks. In the soft wind the bamboo stalks and leaves whisper and the water picks up a woodsy herby scent as it travels amongst and between boulders covered in moss. A bird chirps as it lands for a drink.
Smell is another crucial aspect of landscape design. Planting fragrant flowers like roses, jasmine, and herbs such as rosemary and thyme along walkways or near gathering areas ensures their scents are appreciated. Layering scents with plants that bloom at different times offers a changing olfactory experience throughout the year. Groundcovers like creeping thyme, which release a pleasant aroma when stepped on, add an element of surprise. Including night-blooming plants introduces unique fragrances for evening enjoyment. In both sound and smell design, it’s important to consider harmony with the environment, the impact on neighbors and wildlife, and maintenance needs.
When using sound and smell in your landscape designs, it is essential to consider the context and purpose of the space, the intensity and duration of the sound and smell, as well as the contrast and compatibility of the sound and smell. Ask yourself what the expectations and needs of the users are, how loud or strong the sound or smell is, how long it lasts, and how it relates to other sensory elements in the space. Taking these factors into account will help you create a sound and smell strategy that suits your landscape design goals and enhances the user experience.
Balancing sound and smell in landscape design involves understanding the space's purpose and the users' needs. For a harmonious sensory experience, choose mild, complementary scents and sounds that suit the garden's theme. For example, a relaxation garden benefits from soft water sounds and subtle fragrances like lavender, while livelier spaces can handle stronger scents and varied bird calls. Ensure the intensity of smells and sounds isn't overpowering and consider their duration and change throughout the day or seasons. Aim for a sensory balance where sound and smell enhance, not dominate, the garden's atmosphere. This approach creates an inviting and cohesive outdoor experience.
To ensure that your sound and smell design is effective and appropriate, you need to measure and evaluate the sound and smell levels and qualities in your landscape designs. To do this, you can use tools such as sound meters and recorders to measure sound pressure level (SPL) and sound frequency spectrum (SFS), as well as smell meters and testers to measure odor concentration and odor quality. Additionally, surveys and interviews can help you collect feedback from users and visitors to assess their satisfaction with the sound and smell design. By using these methods and tools, you can monitor and improve your design to meet your objectives and user expectations.
Ambient noise is important to consider. The environment around us is often much louder than we would assume because we are so well-adjusted to it that we don't consider it so. This can quickly be done with sound meters. Smell is much harder to determine and varies significantly from situation to situation. The easiest method is to get out in your favorite mode of transportation that does not involve a car and to spend time being still and focusing on the olfactory senses. I enjoy keeping running notes of where I am and what I smell. I cannot design everything and cannot test everything as I design. So, I must use what already exists around me for my research.
One of the ways to get inspired by sound and smell in your landscape designs is to explore and experience different sound and smell environments, such as natural, urban, or cultural settings. You can observe and listen to the sounds and smells that are present, and how they affect your mood, cognition, and behavior. You can also record and document the sounds and smells that you encounter, and use them as references or sources for your landscape designs. Another way to get inspired by sound and smell in your landscape designs is to research and learn from the sound and smell design examples and best practices of other landscape architects, designers, or artists. You can study and analyze how they use sound and smell in their landscape designs, and what are the effects and outcomes of their sound and smell design choices.
Everyone experiences sound and smell differently! Explore with others and always ask what they're experiencing. What is conscious to us as designers can often be subconscious to others. Share what you're experiencing as well. You might hear "Now that you mention it, I hear/smell that too." It's both good to understand how often people experience our landscapes subconsciously and good to make others aware of what we the designers experience so that we can receive better insight.