Postgraduate Course: Landscape architecture techniques: Material Knowledge and Detailed Design (ARCH11274)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | In this course you will develop a fundamental understanding of landscape architectural materials (hard and soft), techniques and skills (including working with topography and using acknowledged graphic conventions), as well as the ability to critically appraise the practical and environmental implications of technical and material choices in a climate and biodiversity crisis context. |
| Course description |
This course will introduce you to a range of hard and soft materials, techniques, acknowledged graphic conventions and terminology specific to the discipline of landscape architecture. In this course, you will build skills in research and critical appraisal relating to material choices and practices, while considering dimensions such as social inclusivity, accessibility, practicality, aesthetics, ecology, sustainable resource management, material whole life cycle and the environmental implications of material choices.
Running one day per week, this course will be divided in two phases:
Phase 1 (indicative dates: weeks 1 to 8) will focus on the critical appraisal of two built project case studies. One of the two case study sites will be located in (or close to) Edinburgh, and at least one of the two case studies will be a contemporary landscape architectural project. This phase will be supported by lectures (delivered by ESALA and Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh staff), workshops, site visits to case study sites and tutorials. During this phase, you will be expected to make records of lectures and site visits through notes and sketches, prepare drawings supporting the critical appraisal of your case studies (using appropriate graphic and naming conventions), and engage in independent research to develop a critical awareness of the implications of material and technical choices. This phase will culminate in a formative presentation (indicative date: week 7) during which you will present your critical review of two case studies, which you will then submit as a report.
Phase 2 (indicative dates: weeks 9 to 11) will support you in developing fundamental skills in understanding and designing topography. During this phase, you will be introduced to 2D and 3D (analogue and digital) techniques and conventions to represent the existing topographical conditions of a portion of one of your Phase 1 case studies. You will also be asked to design proposed topographical manipulations for the same case study. You will need to assess the impact of your proposed topographical proposals considering dimensions such as accessibility, ecology, sustainable practices, and cut/fill balance. This phase is structured through lectures, workshops, demonstrations, and exercises, culminating in the submission of a short booklet articulating your explorations of existing and proposed topographies.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 45 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 24,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 2,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 18,
Fieldwork Hours 32,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
116 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 2 assessment components:
Report (A4 or A3 PDF, approx. 30 pages) 70%, due in week 8.
Booklet (A4 or A3 PDF, approx. 10 pages) 30%, due in December exam diet.
Case Study Report: This will contain your critical appraisal of two built project case studies. Your appraisal should focus on materials (hard and soft) and detailed/technical considerations of the built projects, but should be situated within the wider social, cultural, typological, technical, and ecological context of the overall project. Your report should contain both text and images and should prioritise detailed technical drawings using appropriate landscape architectural graphic and naming conventions, associated with other drawing types (such as plans and sections) to support the appraisal of the case studies. This component will be assessed against LO1 and LO3.
Topography Booklet: This will include topographical drawings (2D, digital and/or analogue) and photos/screenshots of topographical models (3D, digital and/or analogue) showing:
existing contour plans/sections/models of a chosen portion of one of your case studies.
proposed contour plans/sections/models showing topographical manipulations for the same case study. Proposed topographical manipulations should be justified with regards to impact on elements such as accessibility, ecology, sustainable practices, and cut/fill balance.
Images included in the booklet should have accompanying short explanatory texts. This component will be assessed against LO2 and LO3.
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| Feedback |
Formative Feedback
There will be two formative review presentations during the semester:
During review 1 (indicative date: week 7), you will be asked to your Case Study Report
During review 2 (indicative date: week 11), you will be asked to present your Topography Booklet
You will receive verbal formative feedback at each review from both your tutors and your peers, including a series of action points for subsequent course stages formulated by your course tutors. You will also receive written feedback from your tutors after review 1.
Verbal feedback will also be given to students by tutors and peers on a weekly basis during tutorials and group discussions.
Summative Feedback
Written feedback will be provided by your course tutors for both assessment components as per University regulations.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Independently research, explore and critically appraise a range of landscape materials and techniques to demonstrate an understanding of practical and environmental concerns.
- Demonstrate an ability to understand and design with topography applying practical and environmental awareness.
- Apply a range of appropriate graphic and written techniques recognising acknowledged codes of practice, graphic conventions, and terminology specific to the discipline of landscape architecture.
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Learning Resources
Buxton, Pamela. 7th Edition, Metric Handbook, Planning and Design Data (Routledge, 2021)
Hutton, Jane. Reciprocal Landscapes: Stories of Material Movements (Routledge, 2019)
McLeod, Virginia. Detail in Contemporary Landscape Architecture (Laurence King, 2008)
Rainer, Thomas, & West, Claudia. Planting in a Post-Wild World (Timber Press, 2015)
Zimmermann, Astrid. 3rd Edition, Constructing Landscape: Materials, Techniques, Structural Components (Springer, 2015)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and enquiry: Engage in independent research to build familiarity with landscape architectural material and technical knowledges fundamental to the discipline of Landscape Architecture.
Personal and intellectual autonomy: Develop critical appraisal skills to contextualise and evaluate the appropriateness of landscape architectural material and technical choices in our climate and biodiversity crisis.
Personal Effectiveness: Develop an informed and ethical perspective on the impact of material and technical choices on social inclusivity and accessibility.
Communication: Grow confidence in using appropriate graphic and naming conventions to competently communicate technical information specific to the field of Landscape Architecture.
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| Keywords | materials,design,planting,graphic conventions,Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Miguel Domingues
Tel: (0131 6)51 5800
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Chloe Hancock
Tel: (0131 6)50 4124
Email: |
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