In recent years, planning services for the preservation of historical gardens have been requested more frequently. A number of landscape architects have specialised in these services.

The special feature of planning for listed buildings must be the preservation goal, to which subsequent planning such as measures, maintenance, object planning and construction processes are subordinate. Formulating this monument preservation goal is a separate technical contribution, a special achievement. It is not enough to compare a historical plan with the current state of the building. What is needed is a precise inventory, thorough archival research, analyses, evaluations, and a monument preservation objective derived from these.

Up to now, monument preservation goals have been developed in Germany in different forms and qualities. In 2013, in the bdla's working group on garden monument preservation, I proposed the creation of a handbook for garden monument preservation planning services. The aim was to introduce uniform terms and to clarify planning content and planning methods. Clients and planning landscape architects were to be provided with contemporary standards, among other things for the calculation of offers and the awarding of planning contracts.

There are many reasons for unclear task descriptions. Uncertainties on the part of clients and specialist authorities often lead to the application of inaccurate performance specifications; landscape architects are only rarely active in monument authorities. Clients and monument authorities are looking for specifications for tasks and remuneration regulations. The situation is aggravated by the fact that different terms and service contents apply to planning services for the preservation of historical gardens throughout Germany; see: Parkpflegewerk, denkmalpflegerische Zielstellung, gartendenkmalpflegerischer Fachbeitrag, gartendenkmalpflegerisches Instandsetzungskonzept, Denkmalkonzept etc. Thus, in the past, it was not uncommon for the "specialist contribution for the preservation of garden monuments" to be requested and commissioned as specialist nature conservation planning with the performance profile "maintenance and development plan" in accordance with § 27 HOAI. What was meant, however, was a garden monument conservation target planning. Offers were often not comparable in terms of content.

Object planning of outdoor facilities

The object planning of open spaces as the planning and constructional implementation of garden monument preservation target planning was previously invoiced according to HOAI. "Open spaces in connection with historical facilities, historical parks and gardens, garden monuments" were classified in fee zone V according to the object list for open spaces (Annex 11 HOAI 2013), which, however, was not automatically applied. Often, the degree of difficulty also had to be used for an assessment. For the clarification of the fee claims, the HOAI has been a good help so far. Since 01.01.2021 the new HOAI applies, whose effect must be observed. The situation, which has been comfortable for decades with the application of honoring zones and table values, has been giving way to a new bid culture since the middle of 2020. The preparation of calculations for basic services of the HOAI has become necessary.

FLL technical report "Catalogue of services for the development of garden monument conservation target planning".

In March 2014, the FLL constituted a rules and regulations committee "Garden Monument Preservation", which worked intensively on a technical report for garden monument preservation target planning. Experiences in the individual federal states were evaluated. It became apparent that a direct connection with questions of fees is counterproductive for the acceptance and effectiveness of the technical report. There will be an indirect effect on fees through the technical report.

After six years of work, the technical report "Catalogue of Services for the Development of Target Plans for the Preservation of Gardens and Monuments" is now available as an FLL publication. It is aimed at owners and clients who are entrusted with the preservation of gardens and landscapes, as well as at those responsible for the planning of garden monuments.

The technical report is intended to qualify and standardise the planning of garden monuments. It can be used for all types of listed evidence of garden and landscape culture, such as historic cultural landscapes, gardens, parks, green corridors, cemeteries, city squares or open spaces in connection with historic buildings.

What is new?

The garden monument conservation target planning represents an independent, qualified expert contribution, which sets out the special concerns and objectives of garden monument conservation. In the sense of expert planning, only the concerns of garden monument preservation are presented. The core of the expert report is the restriction to the planning steps of basics, history, inventory, analysis, monument preservation evaluation as well as monument preservation objectives.

Of decisive methodological importance is the separation of the garden monument conservation target planning as an independent technical contribution from the planning phase based on it with care, measure and object planning. The latter phase includes coordination with other public agencies, such as water protection, soil protection, nature conservation, species protection, and fire protection. This makes the weighing of the various specialist concerns and the planning decision transparent and comprehensible. If planning requirements or the vegetation stock change due to storm damage, for example, the garden monument conservation objectives do not have to be changed or redrafted. The historic preservation goals remain in place, and the subsequent planning adapts accordingly.

The service catalogue contains an extensive list of various work steps. The extent of necessary investigations and the effort for the garden monument conservation target planning is always to be applied object- and situation-related and depends, among other things, on the amount of archive material that has to be sifted, analysed and evaluated. The amount of work required for a site can therefore vary considerably.

The specialist report offers the following advantages:

• early recognition of the scope of services,
• use of the service catalogue as a basis for enquiries and offers,
• better comparability of offers,
• early planning of sufficient finances for the technical report,
• clarity on methodology and planning process,
• Use of accurate as-built plans based on up-to-date site and elevation plans, which will be important planning documents in later decades,
• Establishing transparency in adherence to the goals and objectives of historic preservation in subsequent planning efforts.
• In the case of changes in the object planning, no new monument conservation target plans have to be created, as they remain valid as expert reports.

For specialist authorities, clients, owners and landscape architects, the "Catalogue of services for the development of garden monument conservation target plans" will be a welcome help in practice.

It has always been necessary to calculate the special services. The time and effort required to prepare the quotations depends to a large extent on the quality of the terms of reference and the service description for this special service. The quality of the fee inquiries will improve on the basis of the FLL technical report. Clients and owners of listed buildings will be able to better estimate the effort involved.

For the processing of garden monument conservation target planning, profound knowledge of garden history and experience in garden monument conservation are required as qualifications. Developing and educating yourself in the field of garden heritage management will pay dividends in the years to come. In my experience, the specialist report will lead to much better provision of financial resources and at the same time to a higher quality of garden heritage practice. In the last decades, the impact regulation or even the species protection technical report have become self-evident components of cost planning. This will also develop for garden monument conservation target planning.

The work in the working groups of the FLL and the bdla is voluntary. Six years of elaborate cooperation in the working group of the FLL with other professional associations and in the working group garden monument conservation of the bdla lie behind us. For this I would like to thank all colleagues.

Author: Stefan Pulkenat, Landscape Architect bdla, Gielow, bdla-Speaker Garden Monument Preservation; Head of the Working Group Garden Monument Preservation at the FLL. The text was published in the bdla association magazine "Landschaftsarchitekten" 1/2021.

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