Landscape Grading

This updated second edition is designed as a textbook for the landscape architecture student, a study guide for the professional studying for the LARE, and a refresher for licensed landscape architects.

Valerie Aymer is a licensed landscape architect and a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. She received her Master's in Landscape Architecture in 2002 from Cornell University and her professional license in 2009. She has practiced in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and New York, most notably on the World Trade Center projects in Lower Manhattan. In 2015, she joined the faculty of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Cornell University where she teaches several technical courses including site engineering.

Introduction Section One - Grading Basics 1.1) What is Grading? 1.2) Understanding Spot Elevations 1.3) Determining Slopes 1.4) Interpolation and Slope Intervals 1.5) Contour Grading 1.6) Graphic Conventions 1.7) Summary 1.8) Exercises 1.9) Literature Cited Section Two - Landforms 2.1) What Are Landforms? 2.2) Watersheds 2.3) Ridges, Peaks and High Points 2.4) Valleys, Ponds and Low Points 2.5) Plane Surfaces 2.6) Summary 2.7) Exercises 2.8) Literature Cited Section Three - Grading of Landscape Elements 3.1) Drainage Systems 3.2) Plane Surfaces and Warped Planes 3.3) Swales 3.4) Retention Ponds 3.5) Drain Inlets 3.6) Berms 3.7) Summary 3.8) Exercises 3.9) Literature Cited Section Four - Grading of Built Elements 4.1) Roads, Shoulders, Curbs and Sidewalks 4.2) Paths 4.3) Stairs 4.4) Ramps 4.5) Retaining Walls 4.6) Summary 4.7) Exercises 4.8) Literature Cited Section Five - Landscape and Built Element Combinations 5.1) Parking Lots 5.2) Culverts 5.3) Sloping Berms 5.4) Summary 5.5) Exercises 5.6) Literature Cited Section Six - Other Concepts That Are Good to Know 6.1) Calculating Ffe 6.2) Cut And Fill 6.3) Pipes 6.4) Horizontal and Vertical Curves 6.5) Landscape Grading Standards 6.6) Summary 6.7) Exercises 6.8) Literature Cited Section Seven - Taking The Examination 7.1) A Note About the Computer-Based Test 7.2) Scheduling Your Life Before the Exam 7.3) Test-Taking Tips 7.4) Identifying Topographic Signatures 7.5) Where to Start 7.6) Recommended Reading 7.7) Literature Cited Section Eight - Grading Vignettes Section Nine - Solutions to Exercises And Vignettes Appendix - Metric Standards in Canada and the United Kingdom A.1) Units of Linear Measurement A.2) Comparison of Accessible Building Regulations A.3) Stairs A.4.) Ramps A.5) Summary A.6) Literature Cited Index Acknowledgements