SketchUp Pro for Landscape Design

– SketchUp Pro for Landscape Design

The design of landscapes is a very specialized area of expertise, and with increasing awareness of environmental and ecological issues, along with climate change, more interest in the landscape is evolving.  Add to this the wish for (and active pursuit of) local food production, urban farming and permaculture activities are growing quickly.  Greenroof technologies and projects are growing, and a general awakening to new and better methods of designing and using our built environment, the landscape of modern society, is emerging.

To help serve this thirst for knowledge, and to prepare those involved in the design and planning of sites, landscapes, gardens, and community spaces, the SketchUp course was envisioned.  Based on an affordable and very intuitive software program that can deal with the ‘big CAD guys’ (AutoCad, Vector Works, etc), ‘SketchUp Pro for Landscape Design’ has been created for the small business, part-time designer, and can be used for a full range of plan and model projects.  Taught online, it develops knowledge, design skills and technological expertise in a sophisticated integrated design process.

With a CAD background of almost thirty years, developing this program with Gaia has been a great success story. In just over three years of operation, participants from Australia, Greece, Norway, the US, and all across Canada, have become users of a powerful and fascinating landscape design tool.  The course is offered three times a year, and is currently part of the continuing education and/or diploma offerings at Humber and Seneca Colleges in Ontario, and at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC.