As Korea's apartment-centered residential culture has developed, social interest and expectations for landscape architecture have increased. However, the designed planting plans are frequently not implemented as planned during construction, with cases...
As Korea's apartment-centered residential culture has developed, social interest and expectations for landscape architecture have increased. However, the designed planting plans are frequently not implemented as planned during construction, with cases such as 6m trees being changed to 12m at completion leading to legal disputes. While such frequent changes raise questions about the effectiveness of landscape design itself, existing studies have relied on surveys or indirect data, failing to objectively identify the actual scale and patterns of changes.
This study aims to empirically analyze how planting designs in private apartment complexes change from construction commencement to completion, identify the causes, and derive practical improvement measures. The research methodology involved direct CAD comparison of construction and as-built drawings from three apartment complexes in the Seoul metropolitan area to quantify changes in species, specifications, quantities, and layout. Additionally, in-depth interviews were conducted with six practitioners including designers, contractors, and supervisors to qualitatively analyze the causes and practical context of changes.
The results revealed that 84.4~90.8% of landscape plantings were changed after construction commencement, empirically demonstrating that construction drawings fail to function as actual construction standards. All practitioners perceived construction drawings merely as legal documents for permits, confirming the existence of separate drawings for actual construction. The core cause of changes was identified as structural disconnection between design and construction, with major institutional limitations including designers' exclusion from construction due to indirect contract structures, insufficient supervision systems with landscape-dedicated supervisors only assigned to projects over 1,500 units, and absence of design change management standards.
Based on these findings, the study proposes practical measures including species alternative matrices, mandatory change request documentation, integrated information sharing platforms, and standardized design intent documents. At the institutional level, it recommends realistic criteria for landscape supervisor assignment, legislation of design change management standards, and transition to direct contract structures.
The significance of this study lies in objectively identifying the vaguely recognized problem of planting design changes through empirical comparison of construction and as-built drawings, systematically analyzing structural causes, and presenting field-applicable improvement measures. This is expected to enhance the effectiveness of landscape planting design and ultimately contribute to improving the quality of urban environments.