Site Planning — L.BURO Landscape Design Studio

We carefully think through and design functionality and routes in the garden

We maintain balance between aesthetics and function

We consider terrain, utilities and lighting

We create gardens that combine Scandinavian simplicity and asceticism with elegance

Why do you need site planning?

To make the site convenient for living

Planning is the horizontal and vertical architecture of space. It helps the site 'come together': recreation areas, entrance groups, paths, lawns, gardens — everything builds into a coherent and understandable system. This is more than a scheme — it's a life scenario on the site.

To avoid mistakes during improvement

Without a detailed plan, unplanned funds will be spent on rework: incorrectly laid paths, inconvenient elevation changes, puddles near the foundation, chaotic tree planting. Competent planning considers terrain, drainage, insolation, slopes, utilities — and protects you from unnecessary expenses and inconveniences.

To make the garden and house a single organic space

Planning unites the house and garden into a single whole. The space around ceases to be an 'empty site' or conflicting with the style and functionality of the house — it gains meaning, routes, rhythm. A sense of completeness, coziness, flow arises — when everything is in its place and everything works for your state.

To manage time and resources

A quality project and construction plan is a tool. It allows you to implement the site in stages, preserving the overall concept. At any time, you can understand what to do now, tomorrow and next season, without the risk of violating the integrity of the project.

Stages of site planning from L.BURO studio

1. Site analysis and initial data

Planning doesn't start with drawings, but with studying the surrounding environment and terrain. We visit the site to see it in person: feel the terrain, check the soil, sense how light falls, where water collects, where views open, wind corridors, whether neighbors' buildings are visible. This observation is not a formality, but the basis of a meaningful project.

We record and evaluate architectural and engineering features of the site: house location, utility blocks, entrance group, presence of existing trees or fruit garden, available utilities. We consider legal and technical parameters: boundaries, protection zones, soil type, groundwater level, slopes.

It's important to understand not only the physics of the site, but also the client's desires: how they will live on this site, what's important — privacy or openness, minimal care or seasonal flower beds, a place for guests or silence for themselves. We ask many questions so there are no random decisions later.

At this stage, the first guidelines emerge: where the center of composition will be, what zones will appear, what routes will become main. Everything that will be created later must be based on this analysis — otherwise the garden will remain a set of elements, not become a single whole.

2. Scenario formation and zoning

When the idea is formalized, we move to the detailed project of your garden. We prepare a set of drawings, diagrams and specifications: from drainage and lighting to planting plan and visualization of small architectural forms.

This stage is about preparing for garden creation. It helps make implementation predictable, avoid mistakes and save time and money. When the site is read, we begin creating future scenarios — that lifestyle that will unfold in this space. This is not about formal zones 'for recreation' and 'for children' — it's about the feeling of rhythm, movement and rest, about how a person will move and stop, where a feeling of privacy will arise, and where — community, where they will meet friends and spend time with them.

We think through the logic of routes: how a person exits the house, where they go first, where their gaze lingers, where it's convenient for them to walk, sit, turn. The site begins to breathe — axes of perception, smooth transitions, focal points appear. We combine aesthetics with function: we program the future story in space.

Zoning ensures the style and lifestyle of the family. Often garden zones are needed for playing with children or secluded zones for reading a book with a view of the landscapes. Sometimes — with a lawn and equipment for sports. We fit all this into the natural context of the site — so that nothing conflicts with the place, but only complements it.

3. Terrain work (vertical planning and geoplastics)

Terrain is one of the most expressive tools in landscape. Sometimes it needs to be 'muted': level the site, remove elevation changes, to make the space safer, logical, suitable for paving, plantings and placement of elements. And sometimes vice versa — terrain becomes an accent that reveals the style and aesthetics of the garden.

We create terraces, hills, embankments, soft or expressive forms. Such geoplastics helps zone the site, guide routes, create private spaces. At the same time, everything is done with engineering precision: calculations, slopes, stability, work with soils — behind every aesthetic solution stands a technical calculation.

A properly developed terrain makes the site alive. It helps the garden 'sound', set depth and multi-layeredness. It becomes part of the character of the future space.

4. Drainage planning and geoplastics

Water is one of the important components of the site. Without proper work with it, even the most beautiful project risks becoming a source of problems. Puddles, flooding, subsidence, mold near the foundation — all this is the result of not giving water a path. Therefore, even before plantings and paving, we design a water drainage system.

We think through how rainwater and meltwater will drain, where it will collect, where to divert it, what slopes and elevation changes will allow it to move naturally. Depending on the task, we apply storm drains, collectors, gravel channels, drainage systems.

Engineering solutions fit into the landscape delicately — without visual noise. Water works not against the site, but together with it. This is the foundation on which everything else can be built safely and beautifully.

5. Landscaping preparation

After the structure is built and engineering systems are worked out, preparation for planting trees and plants begins. We develop the fertile layer, distribute it by zones, prepare soil for lawns, flower beds, shrubs and trees.

All parameters are considered: planting depth, acidity, soil structure, watering. We lay the conditions for normal plant development for years to come. What will grow and bloom in the garden depends on how the soil is prepared.

At this stage, the site transitions from construction site state — to future garden state. The geometry is visible, routes are felt, the visual assembly of space begins. This is the point where the concept is about to become alive.

Geoplastics advantages

Geoplastics is a way to give the site character. With its help, we create hills, terraces, smooth slopes that work not only for aesthetics, but also for structure, functionality and atmosphere of space. The landscape becomes deeper visually and emotionally.

Aesthetics Hills, soft rises, terrace transitions make the site voluminous and expressive. A play of light and shadow appears, perspectives emerge, the garden ceases to be flat.

Functionality Geoplastics helps zone the site: separate a secluded zone, create a private terrace, emphasize the entrance group. Space begins to work by the laws of comfort.

Natural water drainage Terrain is a tool for directing water. We use elevation changes to create water drainage without complex engineering structures, while preserving landscape harmony.

Space saving Even on a small site, you can make a 'deep' composition. Multi-level terrain allows expanding site functionality without increasing area.