Architecture, Landscape & Visual Arts

Unit Outline

Landscape Architecture Studio - Groundings

LACH1000
SEM-2, 2015
Campus: Crawley
Unit Coordinator: Prof Tony Blackwell

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Copying of this material by students, except for fair dealing purposes under the Copyright Act, is prohibited. For the purposes
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the course material itself
The University of Western Australia 2001

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Unit details
Unit title
Unit code
Availability
Location

Landscape Architecture Studio - Groundings

LACH1000
SEM-2, 2015 (27/07/2015 - 21/11/2015)
Crawley

Credit points

Mode

Face to face

Contact details
Faculty
School
School website
Unit coordinator
Email
Telephone
Consultation hours
Lecturers

Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts

Architecture, Landscape & Visual Arts
http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/
Prof Tony Blackwell
tony.blackwell@uwa.edu.au
9383 0888
As per Studio Guide

Name

Position

Email

Telephone Number

Professor Tony Blackwell Unit Coordinator tony.blackwell@uwa.edu.au 6488 1566

Megan Salom
Unit Coordinator megan.salom@uwa.edu.au

Unit contact hours

Online handbook
Unit website
Other contact details

This unit consists of 6 hours of studio contact each week for 12 weeks. We will meet on Mondays 10.00am1.00pm and Thursdays 10.00am-1.00pm. Attendance at these studio times is essential in order to manage
your workload and progress efficiently through each project.
http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/LACH/LACH1000
http://www.lms.uwa.edu.au/course/view.php?id=4703
Outside of studio Tony Blackwell can be contacted in Room 4.10: Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 1.30pm 5.00pm.

Unit description
This unit offers a substantial introductory course in landscape architectural design and investigates the landscapes cultural and
ecological systems as the context for site-specific designs and planning strategies.

UNIT DESCRIPTION
This unit offers an introduction to landscape architectural design and investigates the landscapes cultural and ecological systems as
the context for site-specific designs and planning strategies.
The studio environment provides a context for diverse concepts and experiments in the design of structures in relation to their physical
and social contexts, response to functional requirements, application of basic structural principles and to the effects of architectural
composition, lighting and material perception upon the occupants spatial and aesthetic perceptions. Project briefs are designed to
develop students' conceptual and compositional abilities and contextual understanding, imparting the necessary skills to communicate
their ideas in a tangible form. Students will be introduced to landscape architectural case studies appropriate to their design problems
and will be encouraged to critically analyse them to derive applicable principles for their own design propositions. They will, furthermore,
be introduced to landscape architectural terminology at an introductory level.

UNIT AIMS & OBJECTIVES

This unit will introduce graphical and modelling communication skills used by landscape architects and other design professionals.
Students are introduced to the necessary equipment and material for the establishment of their own place of work, and are provided
with appropriate instruction for their proper use. The studio will develop techniques of representation, including modelling, freehand and
digital drawing and three- dimensional projections thus imparting the ability to think, design and draw in two and three dimensions. In
addition, at least one of the projects is designed to give students direct experience of using materials which develop familiarity with
workshop practices. The design unit culminates at an end-of-semester exhibition in which the Facultys studio endeavours are
celebrated. The unit will impart an adequate basis for further development of landscape architectural design and communication skills
in the second year Landscape Architecture Studios - 'Considerations and Speculations'.

Learning outcomes
Students are able to (1) explore elementary design strategies, theories and methods; (2) explore to a preliminary level basic spatial and
material design concepts; (3) apply technical areas of study relevant to design; (4) demonstrate awareness of traditions of landscape
architecture as mediums of cultural and material expression rather than methods of solving problems; and (5) explore mediums and
skills of communication and acquire basic competence in their application.

Unit structure
This unit consists of 6 hours of studio contact each week for 12 weeks.

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Unit schedule
Week

Date

Lecture Topic

July 27

1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
7
7

July 30
August 3
August 6
August 10
August 13
August 17
August 20
August 24
August 27
August 31
September 3
September 7
September 10

8
8
9
9
Non Teaching Study
Break
10
10
11
11
12
12
N/A

September 14
September 17
September 21
September 24
28 September - 2
October
October 5
October 8
October 12
October 15
October 19
October 22
October 30

Studio Introduction
Introduce Project 1: Key Design Figures
Research & Precedents
Introduce Project 2: The (Propaganda) Poster
Students to Present Key Design Figures
Introduce Project 2: The (Propaganda) Poster
August 13 Presentation Techniques Continued
Drawing Methodologies & Techniques Tutorial
Draft Drawings Due
Refine Preferred Option
Students to Present The Poster
Introduce Project 3: The Design
Site Visit
Introduction to Basic Design Process
Using Models to Help Visualise & Analyse (and thereby inform the
design)
Introduction to Basic Design Communication Tools
Revisit "Style" in Context.
Applied Style
Guest Jury - Students to Present Draft Design

Tutorial

Design Development
Design Development
Design Development
Design Development
Design Development
Design Development
Folio Hand In Date

Assessment
Assessment overview
This is by folio submission which may include a combination of interim and final submissions. Students must pass the final folio
component to pass the unit.
Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria in Landscape Architectural Design

AREAS OF
LEVEL OUTCOME STATEMENTS
PERFORMANCE

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Key Design
Figures

Research capability and understanding of cultural

and historical context of design, together with
basic editing and compositional skills.

Poster

Landscape
Design

(aligned to outcomes)

Demonstrated application of technical areas of

study and research relevant to design together
with an awareness of traditions of landscape
architecture as a medium of cultural and material
expression rather than just methods of solving
problems.
Demonstrated exploration of mediums and skills
of communication and acquired basic
competence in their application.

More advanced compositional skills and

understanding of cultural context of design
through use of appropriate mediums and
appreciation of impact of stylised communication
methods.
Demonstrated exploration of elementary design
Ability to comprehend the basic characteristics
strategies, theories and methods plus exploration, that define design style and their application in a
to a preliminary level, of basic spatial and material physical context. Technical aptitude in the use of
design concepts.
basic design communication methods, ie plans,
sections and elevations.

In addition to the above it is intended that students will come away from this unit with a basic lexicon of formative (occidental)
designers, artists, architects and landscape architects who have helped shape the design language that permeates contemporary
western culture.
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Assessment mechanism
# Component

Weight Due Date

1 Key Design Figures 10

2 Poster
30
3 Landscape Design 60

6 August
27 August
30 October

Assessment items
Item Title

Description

Submission Procedure for

Assignments

Key Design
Figures
Poster

'Potted Illustrated Biographies' of key historic designers nine (9) designers

per team of three, ie three (3) per student, all in A3 vertical format.
Scans of pencil sketches indicating process work - minimum of three (3) all in
A3 vertical format. Plus one (1) final Poster artwork, medium to be your own
choice, in A3 vertical format.
One (1) monochrome, cardboard site contour model (A3 size).
Plus a set of design drawings consisting of one (1) of each of the following, all
in A3 vertical format:
concept plan at 1:250 scale,
cross-section at 1:100 - 1:200 scale,
detail plan at 1:20 scale
detail cross-section at 1:20 scale
NB the medium for all design drawings shall be consistent but it is to be of
your own choice.

Electronic via LMS - maximum

size 8MB
Electronic via LMS -maximum
size 8MB

Landscape
Design

Electronic via LMS -maximum

size 8MB

Textbooks and resources

Recommended texts
The following list of books represent seminal texts in landscape architecture that should be essential reading to any aspiring landscape
architect.
Alexander, Christopher, A Pattern Language, Oxford University Press, New York, 1977
Berry, Thomas, The Dream of the Earth, Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, 1988
Berry, Wendell, A Timbered Choir: the sabbath poems, 1979-1997, Counterpoint, Washington DC, 1998
Ching, Francis, Architecture: Form, Space and Order, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, 1979
Corner, James, Recovering Landscape: Essays in Contemporary Landscape Theory, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 1999
Diamond, Jared M 2005, Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed. Viking, New York.
Gompertz, Will, What Are You Looking At, Viking, New York, 2012
Jacobs, Allan B, Great Streets, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, 1993
Jacobs, Jane, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, New York, Random House, 1993
Jellicoe, Geoffrey & Susan, The Landscape of Man, The Viking Press, New York, 1975
Krier, Leon, Architecture of Community, Island Press, Washington, 2009
Nitschke, Gnter, From Shinto to Ando: studies in architectural anthropology in Japan, Academy Editions, London, 1993
McHarg, Ian, Design with Nature, Doubleday Natural History Press, New York, 1971
Moore C, Mitchell W & Turnbull W, The Poetics of Gardens, MIT Press, Massachusetts, 1988
Seddon, George, Sense of Place, UWA Press, Perth WA, 1972
Schenk, Leonhard, Designing Cities, Birkhaser Verlag, Basel, 2013
Simonds, John Ormsbee, Landscape Architecture- An Ecological Approach to Environmental Planning, McGraw Hill, New York 1961

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Additional resources and reading

Materials and Equipment
The Faculty provides students with access to workshop facilities and inexpensive printing. You will need some of the following items
during the course of the semester. Some of you will already be familiar with these things from your first design studio. Your studio
coordinator will inform you and advise you on what you will need. Some of the items can be bought progressively over time as needed
but you should endeavour to have at least a basic set of tools to use at the start of the semester. Discounts at supply outlets tend to be
better at the start of semester.
A base kit for controlled drawing would include a drawing board and T square, adjustable set square, scale rule, pencils, tracing paper
and masking tape. A small sketchbook for ongoing recording of ideas and notes is useful and can become a key in the process work
component of your folio submission. We will discuss this in studio. EACH OF YOU NEEDs TO EXPERIMENT AND INVESTIGATE
WHAT YOUR PREFERRED TOOLS AND METHODOLOGIES ARE.
A beginning list design tools include:

A lightweight toolbox (for storage of drawing and model-making equipment)

A1 size portable drawing board

Good quality parallel motion rule to attach to board (or T square)

Adjustable set square

Scale rule 1:5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 (combined)

Tracing paper/butter paper

Masking tape

Sketchbook

Desk light

A2 cardboard folio (for process work)

A1/A0 cardboard or black vinyl folio (for final folio submission)

Pencil eraser

Scalpel and blades

Scissors

Good quality pencils

Other important information

PRIZES FOR THIS UNIT
The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) - WA Chapter sponsor a $250 prize for the best student in this unit, to be
awarded the following year at the annual ALVA Prize Giving ceremony (normally held in May).
To be eligible for the prize, students must first be a member of AILA. Note: this membership is free!
For more information on the prize, go to: http://spe.publishing.uwa.edu.au/latest/prizes/category/alva/f25605

Enrolled students can access unit material via the LMS in units that use LMS

Building clean-up and folio collection (for units with folio submissions)
Studios are expected to be left clean and tidy. Drawing boards are to be cleaned. Students must remove all personal property
immediately after the submission of their folio. If the content of a folio is used for exhibition then the student must write their name on
the back of the work so that when the exhibition is demounted collection is simplified. If staff or the Faculty wish to reserve work for
reproduction and/or accreditation purposes then this should be negotiated with individual students.

Attendance
Attendance is required at all lectures, tutorials and workshops. These are the primary means of consultation with your Unit Coordinator
and Teaching Assistants. Do not expect questions relating to content missed through unjustified absence to be answered. Additionally,
it will be assumed that students have read all relevant course materials.

Authenticity of work
For Studio units, the Faculty may prevent your continuation in this unit if you fail to meet requirements for attendance at
classes to establish the authenticity and originality of your work.
Submissions
The ALVA Submissions policy is available at:
http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/students/policies/

Submission of Late Work

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All assessment tasks are due no later than 4pm on the date indicated in the unit's Assessment Mechanism Statement, with the
exception of in-class assessment items such as tutorial presentations. Any assessment task which is submitted after the time
indicated in the assessment mechanism statement without a formal approved extension will be considered LATE and appropriate
penalities will be applied. Information on penalties can be obtained in the Faculty Policy on Submissions
at http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/students/policies/.

Extensions
The Faculty approves extensions only in exceptional circumstances in order to ensure that all students are treated fairly and that
submission date schedules, which are designed to produce ordered work patterns for students, are not disrupted. Extensions may be
authorised only by the allocated Faculty Course Advising Office or a delegated representative. In all cases, requests for extensions
require the submission of Special Consideration form no later than three University working days after the due date.
Students are encouraged in the strongest possible terms to familiarise themselves with the Faculty Policy on Extensions available
at http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/students/policies/.

Return of Student Work

Marked assessments submitted on time will be made available for collection by students at least one week before the next assessment
in the unit is due (if it is related to the previous assessment), or no more than four weeks after submission, whichever is sooner.

Special Consideration
For information regarding special consideration please go to:

http://www.student.uwa.edu.au/course/exams/consideration
Faculty Safety Inductions
The ALVA Health and Safety Induction (Part A) must be completed online by all students enrolled in a unit taught by the Faculty. This
online module is available for self-enrol via LMS. Completion of the Part A induction will ensure after-hours access to the ALVA Building
(including computer labs) is enabled.
The ALVA Workshop Induction (Part B) runs in Week 1 of each semester, and must be completed if the unit involves use of the
Workshop. Your Workshop Induction lasts for five years, after which you will be required to attend a refresher. Please refer to
http://www.alva.uwa.edu.au/students/facilities for more information on Inductions and Workshop close-down period.

Material and Equipment Costs

Costs specific to individual units will be communicated to students in this unit outline or early in semester.
All sites will require students to wear protective helmets; students needing to purchase a certified protective helmet may do so from
Alsafe Safety Industries Pty Ltd, 177 Bannister Rd Canningvale. Students must wear appropriate clothing when visiting building sites;
open toed shoes and sand shoes will not be accepted and students will not gain entry to site with these shoes. The sites also require
steel capped boots to be worn this is a condition of accessing these sites. These can be bought from Army Surplus stores or
borrowed, they are a worthy investment as will be required on future building sites of your own.

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