Foundation Studio II

Abstract

The primary goal of the studio is to design landscape. This requires the constant oscillation between territorial relationships and local actions - between landscape space and place. Due to the dynamics of their constituent elements such as soil, water and vegetation, landscapes change their dimensions and character with cycles and time.

Objective

Designing landscapes and processes The primary goal of the studio is to design landscape. This requires the constant oscillation between territorial relationships and local actions - between landscape space and place. Due to the dynamics of their constituent elements such as soil, water and vegetation, landscapes change their dimensions and character with cycles and time. Designing landscape consequently means thinking in and designing systems and processes. 'Reading' a landscape, its space-defining levels, and the processes and forces that shape them is as much a focus of teaching as designing. Thus, an intensive examination of our understanding of landscape and our relationship to nature goes hand-in-hand with the semester. Students are asked to take a stand and come up with their own definition of landscape - a term that includes image and concept as well as pragmatism and romanticism. From an initial fascination and intuition, students formulate a vision at the very beginning. Based on this hypothesis about the question and territory, the specific design tools and processes are chosen and research is deepened. Brief exercises accompany the development of the project, teaching different tools for reading and writing landscape and stimulating debate about landscape qualities, identities and meanings. Due to the complexity of the territory and the task, the iterative design method is followed, oscillating between designing and analyzing and between large and small scales. Developing an attitude, crystallizing the specific themes, and choosing the appropriate design tools are as much a part of the work process as designing the transformation processes. Parallel to the landscape design, the students - the future actors in the space - get to know landscape architecture as one of the instruments with which today's questions can be answered. Because these increasingly demand different answers - systemic thinking, designing processes, accepting change and a differentiated landscape vocabulary are prerequisites for this

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