Introduction
'Prospect-Refuge' (1975) is a theory or sub-theory of landscape aesthetics proposed by the human geographer Jay Appleton (1919 – 2015), within his wider thesis chosen 'Habitat Theory'. These theories, and those related theories of 'Information Processing' (1989) proposed by the married man and married woman team of environmental psychologists, Rachael and Stephen Kaplan accept unquestionable merit for landscape and garden design application!

Synopsis

In brief 'Prospect-Refuge' theory is founded on the notion that we seek out opportunities to: perceive and acquire visual data, to explore environments, and find opportunities (prospect); and to seek out: shelter, protection, and environments where one can hide abroad (refuge). Although not present in the theory championship Appleton talks also about adventure. Hazard is defined by Appleton as: 'the proximity of something which threatens, menaces, or disturbs our equilibrium.'

We can condense this whole theory of prospect-refuge down to an imperative to encounter without being seen, and a desire to exist comfortably 'safe'. Appleton subscribed to zoologist and ethologist, Konrad Lorenz's (1903 – 1989) notion of 'to see without being seen.'
Ethology is the study of animate being behaviour and Lorenz noticed this trait demonstrated by predators. Predators need to find places in the environment where they can see without being seen. Though not entirely so, human being beings are at least function predators. I would similar to think that human being beings have stopped predating, but unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth, however our mod-day predation, aside from being vile since some human being's prey on other humans, is also very complicated from a social perspective and a unproblematic case is required here.

A Predator Instance
And so, I have arbitrarily chosen the African savannah habitat every bit a simple illustration of the prospect-refuge concept. Using an case from the African savannah nosotros tin can encounter that lions besiege under the shade of Acacia trees and thus are concealed in the shadow of the Acacia trees from creatures in the open up. Bated from providing the lions with condolement the shade causes apoplexy at a distance because of the intense contrast between the bright sunlight in the open savannah. ..

Zebras however, who are grazing in the open savannah can't see the lions considering of this stark contrast between the light and shade. Thus, the lions tin run across, just they themselves cannot be seen, i.east. they take prospect-refuge, and the premise is that this opportunity gives them an advantage. For these same survival reasons, it is postulated past Appleton that fundamental man is as well predisposed psychologically to similar places where they can see without being seen, i.e. prospect-refuge, because their survival in environments like the savannah also depended on information technology. In addition humans like the true cat family seek out comfort as much equally it is afforded.

A Prey Instance
Zebras also like to shelter under the shade of Acacia trees…

We can meet that there are ii imperatives at work here. The desire to come across without existence seen, and a desire for comfort, in this example relief from harsh ecology weather. There is not much in the way of shelter in the savannah except these sparsely dotted shade trees, and then as a habitat resource for exploitation information technology is limited.

The resource however, has more 1 particular function that can exist exploited by both predators and prey: shade leading to physical relief, and shade leading to environmental concealment without loss of environmental awareness. Its dual function is thus integrated effectually a common denominator – shade. These aforementioned benefits practical to humans who lived in the savannah as well equally to animals and then forms role of our deeper psyche. In addition the form of these Acacia trees that gives rise to the benign shade (concealment and shelter) is aesthetic to the human being eye. It offers interesting visual relief from the otherwise monotonous savannah. Now we can encounter that its dual office from the perspective of both predator and casualty creatures is arising from its shading potential, which is thus really an integrated upshot of its wide spreading botanical grade. This to me is integrated pattern. Therefore, I would like to suggest that integrated blueprint is what we demand to do to create skillful prospect-refuge for homo enjoyment in all designed landscapes that take the space to embrace it.
Integrated Blueprint

What separates pure art from pattern is functionality. Landscape designers, architects, interior designers, engineering designers, product designers and even graphic designers all attempt to do integrated design. The desirable objective is a union between functionality and aesthetics. The measure of a master designer higher up a mediocre one is simply his or her ability to creatively synergize more functionality with more beauty. Synergy ways to combine or coordinate the activeness of (two or more than agents) to produce a joint effect that is greater than the sum of their separate effects – a Gestalt solution….

For instance, humans have had a key need to boil water. In Asia water has been boiled for millennia, and this immune it to be made potable since the water born bacteria had been killed. The everyday kettle had a much cruder origin, but through years of homo orientated integrated blueprint effort the kettle has also now emerged as a work of fine art. Nosotros could cite the architectural maxim of 'form follows function' hither with ease…

I therefore competition that prospect-refuge is exactly that: functionality fused with beauty.

Understanding Prospect-Refuge

To create pleasing prospect-refuge in designed landscape it is benign to understand how information technology is created in the natural world. We can analyse the benefits of each naturally occurring prospect-refuge and encounter how landscape pattern utilises this.

In the savannah, prospect-refuge is created by wide spreading shade trees…

In landscape design speak this creates a partial ceiling plane. The ceiling plane creates dappled shade from overhead lord's day, and has a cooling effect, while allowing air movement. The mural features known as pergolas and arbours are a contrived awarding of this concept, only there are no shortage of wide spreading shade copse to autumn dorsum on if the pergola doesn't fit the beak.

An extension of the lonely savannah tree concept – woodlands, also offer stronger opportunities for prospect-refuge on their fringes, and with the ability to move unseen within the woodland to another prospect-refuge they plainly take a tactical advantage in times of conflict. The English language fable of Robin Hood played on this, since it is known that the Norman invaders were afraid of the woods, and so they represent perfect prospect-refuge from the notion of defensible infinite. Anyone in the woodland can see all, but anyone in the field outside cannot see them.

The pleasurable aesthetic however is born of the enframement of the pleasing view and the sharp contrast between low-cal and shade, as any creative person will tell you. The photograph above shows this perfectly – how many times have you lot seen views like this painted?

The fact that we notice all this 'bonny' has nothing to do with survival, that's the functional side of the integrated pattern. I am certain it was just equally attractive to Robin Hood then (if he actually existed,) as it is to us at present. I am sure that if Robin took Maid Marion for a walk he choose places like this as much for the romantic artful, and the opportunity for privacy with his lover, as he did to proceed out of sight of approaching Normans!

In hilly or mountainous regions prospect-refuge is afforded by an elevated (refuge) indicate, assuasive views (prospects) beneath and all effectually. ..

In the image above we have an elevated refuge to a valley prospect augmented by a woodland copse.

The many perched villages of the Cote d'Azur, France are a human extension of the concept of elevated prospect-refuge, which evidently did originate with the survival ethos. Beneath is St Paul de Vence, Provence, French republic…

In times of conflict the perched villages were very defensive allowing invaders to be seen quickly. Invaders wanting to conquer were also disadvantaged because by the time they got to the summit (bold they made it that far under the rain of arrows and other life-threatening projectiles,) they had already expended large amounts of energy and were partially exhausted before they got into hand to hand gainsay.

The aesthetic afforded past these hilltop elevations are however splendid, and information technology attracts many artists of renown. Whatsoever present mean solar day walk through Eze village, or St Paul de Vence in Provence reveals this – the mod-day artists are everywhere, and the views can explain this with no further convoluted deliberation. That is why Chagall, Matisse, Picasso, and Leger all lived in St Paul de Vence for case.

The fantabulous view beneath of the Mediterranean is from Eze village with the peninsular of St Jean Cap Ferrat in the distance…

In that location is now another desire at work in the perched villages of Provence – commercial gain. Here below is a night-time view from La Chèvre d'Or, an exclusive very hip eating house and hotel perched loftier up right on the cliff of Eze village overlooking St jean Cap Ferrat, and frequented by the rich and famous…

Bully panorama and intimately romantic to boot, all at a price, here's the menu: 85 € (weekday lunch), 150/250 € – Bill of fare 200/270 € per person and the recognised and expected tip for the waiter is 20% above the meal cost. The card states that one tin select from the 'interesting' vino listing and no doubt look similar 'interesting' prices per canteen every bit well.

La Chèvre d'Or translated from French means 'The Aureate Caprine animal', now I wonder why they chosen it that? Appleton was right nigh the seeking out of opportunities, or 'what's in it for me' as he put it, hither nosotros run into prosperous-refuge in motion!

Caves are another natural prospect-refuge. Here we not just have the apoplexy in the refuge by means of shade, just we have total enclosure on three sides and a consummate ceiling plane, which will create human comfort of a kind. ..

When the Israeli warrior King David was hiding from the madman Saul who was intent on killing him, he frequented the mount caves in lodge to elude him. So yes of form caves are defensible, just like Eze or St Paul de Vence, merely its beauty afforded by the prospect is also stunning, and has zilch to exercise with defensiveness, information technology has to do with artful view enframement and light contrast. The cave above is in Crete and let's non forget that in the Mediterranean the shade is very important otherwise it is unpleasant in full sun exposure during summertime, and then condolement does also come into the equation.

The landscape garden grotto is an expression of this natural cave prospect-refuge artful. Below is the grotto at Stourhead Gardens in Wiltshire, Uk…

Beneath the grotto in Stowe Landscape Garden, Buckinghamshire, U.k.…

Below the amazing grotto at Parque Terra Nostra at Furnas in Portugal…

From these examples in a higher place we can easily analyse the elements that create the prospect-refuge aesthetic and functionality……

• REFUGE: Shade provided from overhead awning, and thus obscurity, ie wide spreading tree;
• REFUGE: Enclosure or fractional enclosure and again obscurity and comfortable shade, ie a cave or a woodland;
• REFUGE: Distance and one time more than obscurity, ie mountains and hills.
• PROSPECT: 1 or more than beautiful vistas visible from the refuge;
• PROSPECT: Ane or more than beautiful panorama visible from the refuge;

Creating Secure Space

In professional landscape design speak nosotros refer to: 'secure spaces', 'active and passive spaces', and to 'sense of place' (run across my other essays on these subjects for more caption). Secure space in landscape and garden pattern is effectively what prospect-refuge is in the natural world, simply both are arguably 'integrated design'. Secure infinite creates psychological comfort and it also creates privacy. By a deliberate and conscious effort to deport out integrated design we can create secure comfortable artful space – the 'refuge' part, with delightful interesting vistas and panoramas – the 'prospect' part.

Active space is space that incites motility or transition, while passive space incites repose, and this is of import in reinforcing a prospect-refuge. We want the refuge space to incite quiet and the prospect part to incite exploration. Sense of place is also important to drag both the space to something almost ethereal. Thus, the arrangement of these elements is a role of the overall landscape design composition. They can be designed in any given grade organisation: formal symmetric, formal asymmetric, or breezy.

The artful and practical weight of the secure (refuge) space increases as we: integrate more and more elements that give rise to physical and psychologic condolement, improved functionality, respose desirability, and greater aesthetic beauty. In the prospect space we conversely design it to incite motion leading to sequential journey. Here we see a complex synergy at work in both the refuge and prospect components of the composition.

In other words, we tin can intensify the 'prospect-refuge' of any designed space past how we design the spaces, and the careful choice, relationship and juxtaposing of the elements we use to do this, that is the composition.

Balancing the Duality
Prospect-refuge represent two different diametrically opposite kinds of infinite that accept a stiff connection, they are free spaces – a duality in fact. We can easily overlay here the yin and yang cosmic symbol of duality to testify the special relationship between prospect and refuge…

When i is in the prospect the refuge is desirable, it has a strong magnetism. Conversely when one is in the refuge the prospect is not simply visually pleasing, information technology is desirable for exploration. Nosotros can run into from this that prospect-refuge also plays a major office in driving the sequential journey, since desire is the bones human emotion at work in both. As designers we decide on the weight of magnetism we infuse into each role of the duality: the prospect and the refuge. Whether we choose to make the prospect more desirable than the refuge, or vice versa is a philosophical design decision that needs to be made at the design stage of each prospect-refuge. It is fairly safety to assume that the prospect will be more than spacious than the refuge…

When talking about the ratio of relative desirability between the prospect and the refuge I am however not only talking well-nigh the relative scale of the spaces, though that volition of course play a part in the dynamic. I am talking well-nigh the relative interaction of all the various elements ('hard' and 'soft') that brand up the prospect and refuge space. By skilful composition we tin make one of either the prospect or refuge more desirable and thus we create a pleasurable disproportionate balance.

People will exist psychologically influenced by all this. They volition stay longer in a stronger refuge space, and less fourth dimension in a weaker refuge infinite; they volition likewise exit the refuge more readily to explore if the prospect has a greater strength, and stay in the refuge space longer if the prospect is weaker…

As a schematic example in the matrix diagram higher up we tin see that combination 'A' greatly favours exploration of the prospect above repose in the refuge. Combination 'B' does the contrary and greatly favours tranquility in the refuge above exploration of the prospect. Similar sexual attraction the dynamic is driven past the power of attraction to opposites.

It is also safety to assume that a large landscape, park or garden will have more than ane prospect-refuge duality in the sequential journey, and for the sake of interest (or 'complication' as the Kaplan's put it,) it would be skillful to not accept all of these dissimilar prospect-refuge dualities balanced the aforementioned. Returning to our metaphor of landscape blueprint beingness like writing a book, that would be like having all the sentences, paragraphs and chapters the aforementioned length, with the quantity and level of excitement the aforementioned in each, along with a similar plot line. Information technology might be a bit harsh to suggest this type of book would be slow, only it is safety to say information technology would be less interesting – not a best seller!

The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts: the pregnant part of design limerick
What and then tin can nosotros actually do to brand the prospect-refuge improve? We can reinforce and delineate the space with some kind of structural mass to go far stronger. This tin can be planting mass or architectural hard features, or both. If the structural mass is located to deflect or filter common cold winds this makes the space more comfy, which translates to desirability, considering comfort is office of our sensory aesthetic. The structural mass also creates psychological security then long as we can see all the ways into the space.

We tin can create partial overhead celling planes with pergolas, arbores or light foliage copse to give condolement from hot dominicus and privacy from vantages above. The shade as well creates the light and dark dissimilarity that accentuates the ability to run into without existence seen, thus creating secure space. We tin also use a complete ceiling plane as is created past a loggia. Loggias are typical elements within the architectural residences of Florentine villas in Tuscany, Italy…

In the typical Florentine villa above we can see that:

• The villa is situated on a hill giving good prospect-refuge;
• That the loggia on the ground floor has a complete ceiling aeroplane creating shade, but is open up through arched colonnades to allow the prospect of the garden falling downward to the valley below;
• That the loggia is very psychologically secure infinite reinforced greatly by the door;
• That the contrast between the dark shade within the loggia and the bright sunlight outside is intense, thus creating a potent prospect-refuge.

This is a wonderful architectural composition of prospect-refuge. The loggia all the same would have had even greater prospect-refuge if it had been situated in the upper tower, simply regardless the whole is greater than the sum of its parts – it is a Gestalt limerick of annotation.

The Importance of Limerick
Composition is therefore everything in the design of prospect-refuge, as it is in all matters of design. It is within the composition that the skill, feel and knowledge of the designer shows through, and indeed conversely the lack of proficient pattern composition is equally glaring to the trained eye. You cannot simply throw all the elements together at random and promise this work.

The integrated pattern is a deliberate and very skilled effort. There must be: harmony, balance, rhythm, complexity, legibility and appropriate scale and proportion, together with a strong sense of identify. All of this must exist infused within the refuge and the prospect, that may be only i chapter in the sequential journey – it is quite an undertaking.

LandARCHConcepts are experts in landscape design and we have designed and created many examples of prospect-refuge, or secure space. Below we accept dissected a few spaces which punctuate the big sequential journey of Villa Malgaresh in the hills of the Cote d'Azure, French republic to illustrate an example the skilled composition of the elements that make the prospect refuge dynamic work. Beneath is a very strong refuge space with a weaker prospect space. The infinite sits at the end of the sequential journeying around the garden and is thus close to the villa…

The villa is overlooked on one side past a neighbourhood property, so privacy for the Owner was an issue. We accept iv Albizzia copse in a formal arrangement creating an overhead ceiling plane and strongly enframing the sculpture which sits at the middle of the refuge space. The awning of the copse also enframe the prospect.

In the mural management stage of the design informal pruning will maintain a naturally looking small discontinuity in the leafy ceiling plane to allow just enough lite to illuminate the sculpture during the 24-hour interval, thus intensifying its role as a focal indicate in the sequential journey.

Even though she tin be seen from above, if you look hard plenty, the seated girl is about invisible fifty-fifty from a high vantage point. If she chose to sit on ane of the other three seats in the infinite however, she would be completely concealed from that perspective. At the same time the partial ceiling awning provides the essential shade that makes a seating space physically comfortable in a Mediterranean or tropical country as well every bit the desirability of the prospect-refuge psychology.

The secure seating (refuge) space has besides been given a strong desirability by a central focal point which reinforces the visual appeal of the refuge space from the prospect space without, but well-nigh importantly reinforces the desirability for repose from within. The provision of seating further reinforces this desirability to remain.

Annotation the linear rock sleepers leading out to the Western prospect that encourage the explorer in that prospect to enter the refuge, and conversely invite the reposer within the refuge to explore the garden beyond. Note also the largish paving elements in the secure (refuge) space that create an illusion of greater space within, when in fact the space is relatively small.
Day and Dark: the role of artificial lighting

The prospect-refuge dynamic nosotros have been discussing and then far actually gets reversed during the hours of darkness. During daylight the shade of an overhead canopy is eminently desirable, only at night unlit heavily shaded and enclosed spaces take a negative desirability to humans. They stand for existent and imagined 'hazards', or equally Appleton put it 'that which disturbs or threatens the equilibrium', these are expressed as psychological fears, particularly to the female and infant of the species…

In the mural, be information technology residential or public, commercial or municipal, if it is envisaged for night time use, lighting is essential. Not only for practicalities and functionality, but to go on the essence of secure space into the night time realm…

Notice that low level lighting does the play a trick on and intensifies the sense of invitation and repose, there is no need for Blackpool illuminations! Indeed, over illumination would have macerated the intimacy and desirability of the space at dark while making it less of a refuge because those on the outside in the prospect would run into inside more conspicuously. The general rule of thumb is lower level lighting in the refuge to the prospect.

Nested Refuge Spaces
If we analyse the inside-outside room concepts of mural and garden pattern critically we can run into that Prospect-Refuge is at work here too.

The prospect from Refuge 'A' will be cropped by the walls of the architecture, and this can exist a reduced panorama or even just a vista to a focal point. Whereas the prospect from Refuge 'B' volition be a full panorama.

NB: In both cases the quality of the prospect-refuge determines the amount of artful pleasure, received by the users, just in the commercial case given this quality tin also be translated to commercial gain. Without delving into the ethics of this as we illustrated with an case earlier from the S of France the commercial gain tin be translated to a premium price, which because of the aesthetic certain classes volition be prepared to pay; or information technology can be translated to a desire to spend longer in the aesthetic environment and thus extending sales of drinks and food. This commercial benefit is not limited to bars, cafes and restaurants either, it extends to commercial offices, shops and public facilities of all kinds: gyms, cinemas, museums, galleries, and obviously gardens and parks open up to the public.

As is illustrated in the schematic in a higher place prospect-refuge concepts can be nested. At our design for the Chick residence in the UK it can be seen that the first level refuge space is fully architectural and inside the dwelling house – the living room with its large glass terrace door.

The prospect of the wider mural visible from the Chick residence lounge is extended when 1 is on the lounge terrace. The photograph above was taken shortly after practical completion and the fractional ceiling plane of the pergola to exist realised with a climber via wires between the pergola runners is yet to materialise, but when so the terrace effectively becomes another refuge infinite. Below is the prospect from the terrace, but as mentioned the occlusion by overhead shade is missing at this fourth dimension..

Sub refuge infinite tin can be facilitated with residential habitation spaces equally in the Chick garden above, or by: pavilions, loggias, gazebos, and grottos bordering an exterior refuge space of some formation or some other.

The prospect-refuge in the Malgaresh garden illustrated earlier was deliberately designed to exist more than interesting, and more desirable past integrating a second smaller, and far more intimate sub refuge space within information technology, in this example a grotto…

In this case dissimilar the Chick garden the prospect from the grotto is express to a narrow vista, but on exiting the grotto it expands out into a panoramic equally previously illustrated.
In the discussion earlier, I mentioned the relative weighting or strength of the duality between prospect and refuge, and the need to have variety between them in any sequential journey. Below is a second refuge space at Villa Malgaresh, and note that while fulfilling the requirements of prospect-refuge it is relegated to be a weaker refuge in relation to the prospect it affords, and to the other prospect-refuge with the grotto…

In the above second prospect-refuge at Villa Malgaresh the refuge is weaker than its associated prospect, and weaker than the previous refuge at Malgaresh which we illustrated. So the desire to explore the prospect will be greater, while the want to serenity in the refuge will exist less…

Nosotros can now compare the two different prospect-refuge compositions at Villa Malgaresh we take illustrated to perform a simple analysis to show how the asymmetric balances have been created.

There are many prospect-refuge spaces at Villa Malgaresh across the 2 discussed, and they all link together in the sequential journey. The varying asymmetrical balances in these prospect-refuge dualities creates nifty interest and varied exciting man emotional experience as one walks around the garden, pausing in the refuge spaces before proceeding to explore more.

Conclusion
As with all landscapes due to the 4th design dimension in that location is rarely one day the aforementioned. Daily change of weather changes each scene, as does the seasonal climate proving again that landscape pattern is the greatest art class. Thus, walking the sequential journey is a new experience over time. Users experience all the wonderful emotions from the landscape, but practice non consciously realise how 'designed' information technology all is. The skillful mural designer must be: an artist, technician, architect and psychologist to creatively compose all of this.

Prospect-refuge is simply one of the many underpinning landscape design philosophies. The application of prospect-refuge embraces: both architecture and mural architecture, residential, public, commercial and municipal projects. As I have demonstrated hither, prospect-refuge is a powerful design philosophy in the easily of a professional and creative mural designer. Like all the landscape design philosophies, and the principles of fine art, design and composition when understood and utilised creatively, all divide master landscape designers from mediocre ones.

Graham Slocombe © 2019

Additional Link
Prospect-refuge was designed into this customs wellness garden for Hodge Loma in Birmingham, England…

Community Garden Design Competition

Meet more of Villa Malgaresh…..

Villa Malgaresh Architectural & Garden Design: Nice, France 2007

Other LAC designs with strong Prospect-Refuge….
Jenkins Gite, Brittany….

Jenkins Gite Architectural & Garden Pattern: Brittany, France, 2000

Shamrockville, Southern Republic of ireland….

Shamrockville: Composition, Ireland 2017

Luxury Wellness Centre, Portugal….

Health Club Architectural and Garden Pattern: Algarve, Portugal 2013

Additional reading around the topic…..
What is Sense of Place?

What is 'Sense of Place'?

What is Sequential Journey?

What is Sequential Journey?

What is Data-Processing?

What is Information-Processing?

Why are we Fascinated by Gardens?

Why Are We Fascinated by Gardens?

Why employ a professional landscape designer?

Why?