Ecologies, Techniques, Technologies V

SECTION 1: Topography—-the land—is one of the most basic mediums and tools of landscape architecture. The core mission of this class is for students to acquire a command of the essential technical concepts and skills needed to reshape the land for circulation, occupancy, drainage, stability and performance. Because grading is both precise and conceptual, topics such as land surveying, characteristics of contours, formation of spot elevations, universal grading terminology and formulas, cut and fill, drainage patterns and accessibility issues will be incorporated into exercises that provide opportunities to apply skills to topographic design. To that end, discussions about the physical and psychological experiences of topography will be entwined with technological techniques with the goal of helping students expand their visual resources and vocabulary for speaking and thinking about topography. Lectures will be supported by desk critiques of exercises so that students can become facile with grading through two and three dimensional mediums. This section is for advanced placement students.

SECTION 2: The spatial, ecological, and horticultural aspects of plants in the designed landscapes will be considered within the framework of acquiring plant taxonomy knowledge of one hundred species. Plant typologies – such as individual specimen, allee, or grove – that amplify characteristics of particular species will be the basis of weekly classes. These typologies also establish a series of topics such as dimension, production, ecology, and human culture that situates the design and specification of trees and other plants within the contemporary practice of landscape architecture. Lectures will be augmented by local and regional field trips with landscape architects, horticulturists, and contractors. This section is for advanced placement students.

Schedule: Module 1 meets on both Tuesdays and Fridays. Module 2 will meet once a week on Friday afternoons. Additionally, one local half-day field trip and a regional full day field trip will be held on weekends during module 2.