11189 Practice: Research Cultures

Description

This subject is designed to help students develop an approach to landscape architecture identifiable as 'design research'. Using a range of contemporary cases, students are shown how design research benefits the following:

• the quality of design outcomes
• their own design aptitude
• the discipline's continued advancement

To achieve this, the subject introduces a way of thinking about and doing design that is informed by an appreciation of what is considered 'good' and 'rigorous' research. This is centred around ideas of:

• novelty
• reflexivity
• criticality
• methodological rigour
• progressiveness
• scalability
• impact

The subject draws a distinction between design per se and the practice of design research. As such, it becomes apparent that not all approaches to design are created equal, with impacts good and bad. Moreover, rather than re-shaping design in the image of conventional research, it is argued that the properties widely understood to characterise research have their equivalence in design culture generally and landscape architecture in particular.

Taught in parallel with student design activities at honours or masters level, the subject’s instruction draws on and complements their emerging design practice. This subject serves as a vehicle for critically defining and positioning their concurrent work in studio. Drawing on different types of knowledge about design and designing, including design theory and design critique, students learn to position their research and themselves as design researchers. Further to which students learn to articulate their work's novel contribution, addressing its impacts for both a specific place, equivalent landscape conditions, and the discipline of landscape architecture more widely.

Typical availability

Autumn session, City campus