Aims

To introduce students to the range of scientific and horticultural knowledge applicable to landscape architecture. To introduce and develop skills in planting design and an understanding of the role of landscape management in the care of land to ensure that landscapes can fulfil needs and aspirations in an effective and sustainable manner for present and future communities of users.

Outline Of Syllabus

The module covers the following:

The principles of botany, ecology, horticulture, geology, soil science and climatology applicable to landscape architecture.

Introduction to plant materials for landscape design. Styles of planting (e.g. Gardenesque, Arts and Crafts, Modernist, Ecological etc.)

Selecting appropriate material for site and environmental conditions.

Aesthetic considerations in planting design: scale, texture, colour, form etc. Functional aspects of planting: shade, shelter, structuring space, groundcover, screening etc.

Landscape architectural planting plan conventions. Plant schedules. Preparing a planting plan.

Plant production and the horticulture industry. Establishing plant material. Maintenance schedules.

Application of ecological principles to planting design.

Green roofs and ‘vegitecture’.

Long term management of greenspace.

Difficult sites. Dealing with reclaimed land. Phytoremediation.

Plants for special purposes and more extreme climates.

Design and management of waterbodies and waterside planting.

Productive landscapes: urban forests, city farms, permaculture, biomass.

Students will also go on short guided walks around the campus, looking at examples of planting. There will be day visits to a nursery and a botanic garden.

Students will also complete a planting design exercise and write a landscape management plan.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The module is structured around a lecture course which introduces students to sciences with a bearing upon landscape architecture practice. As the module progresses, the emphasis shifts towards the landscape architect’s role as a designer with plants. At the same time students are introduced to longer-term issues of maintenance and management. The module also utilises experiential learning, as the lectures are linked to a series of practical tasks. At the outset, these are quite delimited (e.g. identifying trees from their leaves or testing a soil sample) but they become more complex and more creative as the module progresses (e.g. creating a detailed planting plan).

Site visits (e.g. to plant nurseries, botanic gardens or planting operations) give students the opportunity to connect their theoretical knowledge to the professional activities of landscape architects.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The acquisition of knowledge and skills is assessed through a series of exercises undertaken over the course of the module. In the latter half of the module students are also required to produce a creative planting plan and a landscape management plan. These are complex tasks which test the extent to which students are able to usefully synthesise knowledge gained over the course of the module.