University of Technology Sydney

11199 Landscape Architecture Studio 6

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Design, Architecture and Building: Architecture
Credit points: 12 cp
Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 11188 Landscape Architecture Studio 5
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Description

The studio addresses the landscape of cities. it looks at how landscape can influence settlement, transport and infrastructure, and how landscape architecture can influence the process of urbanisation to make better urban places. The method entails deep analysis of the ecology, built form and human activity in a landscape; development of multi-scalar strategic aproaches to urbanisation; and speculative design approaches to form-making and landscape processes. All entail an appreciation of contemporary political, economic, social and environmental issues. Course content includes integrating urban and landscape design principles; the design of streets, parks, housing, commerce, transport; the ethics and values of planning for urbanism; the legislative context of planning; land management in New South Wales, and landscape led urban design.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. Create a critically informed position on landscape and cities based on understanding of the site, and the theory and practice of urbanism.
2. Produce and resolve designs that are spatially, materially and temporally precise across scales.
3. Communicate urban design schemes through an integrated and compelling set of representations, including drawings, physical models, verbal presentation and text

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

  • Apply an informed, ethical position towards social, technical and environmental issues and practices. (A.1)
  • Communicate ideas professionally. (C.2)
  • Create designs that respond to their context in formally or conceptually innovative ways. (I.1)
  • Advance ideas through an exploratory and iterative design process. (I.2)
  • Develop advanced skills for the production, presentation and documentation of work. (P.1)
  • Generate solutions to complex problems through an exploratory and iterative design process. (P.2)
  • Define and apply appropriate design research methods. (R.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject will operate as a design studio. A studio teaching environment is flexible and open-ended and includes: lectures and presentations of relevant material by instructors and invited guests; in-class exercises where students engage with an activity that will encourage them to understand a design-related task more deeply and with and through the support of teachers and peers; site visits; the analysis of precedents and case studies; one-on-one and group critiques and formal presentations of work in front of a design jury.

For site investigation and case study visits that are scheduled during studio hours, student will be required to travel to and from sites in their own time.

Studio involves both group and individual work. Students are required to bring ongoing work into the class for discussion.

The skills required for this subject will include physical model-making. All students are required to undertake a workshop induction in order to access the UTS DAB Fabrication Workshop.

What is design studio?

1. Design studio explores real-world problems

Students will engage with projects that are connected to the wider world, addressing concerns of relevance to the discipline and society, locally and globally.

2. Design studio is open ended, inquisitive and creative

There are no right or wrong answers, or ready-made fixes for a problem. Instead, creative solutions are sought. These are evaluated in terms of their imaginativeness, relevance to the brief, responsiveness to site and context, and degrees of resolution (technical, physical, programmatic).

3. Design studio simulates professional behaviour

Students will learn to be a landscape architect through acting like a landscape architect: practically, creatively and ethically.

4. Design studio emphasises learning through making and doing

Ideas are no good stuck in a student’s head. In studio students will learn how to take an idea and develop it into a design through drawing, model making and other visual communication techniques.

5. Design studio supports risk taking and ‘design-failures’

Design proposals are created through an iterative process of testing and evaluation. Every student will go through their own design journey and this will include, unavoidably, some ‘design-failures.’ These are welcomed as they serve as important learning experiences.

6. Design studio supports a culture of collaboration and public debate

Designing is an inherently social activity that relies on generosity, mutual respect and peer-support. Proposals are furthered through repeated discussion and critique involving students, staff and visitors.

7. Design studio expects students to be self-motivated, and generous in their interactions with others

The success of a studio depends to a large degree on the amount of time, energy and enthusiasm students bring to their work. It requires students to share their ideas as well as be open to the ideas of others.

Feedback: when, where and how:

Students will have several opportunities to receive feedback during the subject. The feedback provided will vary in form, purpose and in its degree of formality.

Formative feedback will be provided during the learning process, when an assessment item is in production. It will address the content of work and a student's approach to learning, both in general and more specific ‘assessment orientated’ terms. It is designed to help students improve their performance in time for the submission of an assessment item. For this to occur students need to respond constructively to the feedback provided. This involves critically reflecting on advice given and in response altering the approach taken to a given assessment.

Formative feedback will typically be provided verbally by the subject's teaching staff, but will also, on occasion, be provided by other students. It is delivered informally, either in conversation during a tutorial or in the course of discussion at the scale of the whole class. Students should keep a written record of the feedback they receive. If a student is confused about a point of feedback, they should seek clarification from the teaching team. Ideally this should be done when feedback is being delivered. Alternatively, clarification can be sought in person at the end of class or after class via email.

Summative feedback focuses on assessment outcomes. It is used to indicate how successfully a student has performed in terms of specific assessment criteria. It is provided in written form with all assessed work. It is published along with indicative grades online at UTS REVIEW. The content of summative feedback serves a number of purposes. It is intended to provide an explanation for the grade issued, reflecting on the quality of the work submitted and the student’s performance leading up to submission. Students are also provided with recommended strategies for improving aspects needing improvement, or worthy of advancement. Students should direct any queries about summative feedback to their subject co-ordinator. In the first instance this should be done by email.

Content (topics)

Topics covered throughout this course include:

  • landscape, settlement and infrastructure systems
  • urbanism, politics, social, environmental, planning issues
  • creative approaches to urban design
  • exploration and argumentation through drawings and models
  • designing across scale

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Precinct Analysis

Intent:

In groups, students undertake an appraisal of the project site and existing proposals using primary and secondary source materials.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1 and 3

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

A.1 and R.1

Type: Design/drawing/plan/sketch
Groupwork: Group, individually assessed
Weight: 20%
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Analyse: investigations draw critically on primary and secondary sources 30 1 R.1
Appraise: opportunities and constraints are identified with respect to theory and best practice 30 1 A.1
Represent: prescribed forms and techniques are employed iteratively as a means of inquiry 40 3 R.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Structure Plan

Intent:

Developing upon AT1, students produce a structure plan that addresses matters of urban design, the connectivity of landscape systems and the public realm.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 2 and 3

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

A.1, C.2 and I.2

Type: Design/drawing/plan/sketch
Groupwork: Group, group assessed
Weight: 20%
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Position: a compelling concept is well argued with the support of suitable evidence 40 1 A.1
Articulation: the plan engages with the site and wider precinct in ways that are contextually responsive, imaginative, and precise 30 2 I.2
Communicate: information is conveyed visually in an evocative, precise, and engaging manner 30 3 C.2
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: Design Proposal

Intent:

In the context of AT2, students generate a spatially and materially defined proposal that critically addresses the brief's agenda and the particularities of the project site.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

2 and 3

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

I.1, P.1 and P.2

Type: Design/drawing/plan/sketch
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 60%
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Position: in physical and conceptual terms the project’s intent is a distinct and informed response to the studio’s agenda 25 2 I.1
Resolution: the proposal is expressed with precision and consistency across multiple scales and design factors 50 2 P.2
Communication: drawings and models utilise disciplinary conventions in a manner that is precise, convincing, and compelling 25 3 P.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

Attendance

The Faculty of DAB expects students to attend at least 80% of the scheduled contact hours for each enrolled subject. Achievement of subject aims is difficult if classes are not attended. Where assessment tasks are to be presented personally in class, attendance is mandatory.

Pursuant to “UTS Rule 3.8.2”, students who do not satisfy attendance requirements, may be refused permission by the Responsible Academic Officer to be considered for assessment for this subject.

Late and Incomplete Assignments

Assignments submitted after the due time/date will incur the late penalties listed below. Late submissions will not incur the late penalties listed, only if a formal extension of time has been granted by the Subject Coordinator. This should be approved BEFORE the submission deadline where possible. Work submitted more than 5 working days after the stated submission date, will not be accepted for assessment unless a formal extension of time has been granted by the Subject Coordinator on receipt of a Special Consideration Form.

(Please refer to the “Exemptions and Absence” and “Special Consideration” sections of the DAB Subject Information Book).

Late Penalties

Work submitted up to 5 days* later than the deadline should have an “Extensions and Absence form” attached (with appropriate Doctor’s Certificate or equivalent documentation). Depending on the circumstances, the Subject Coordinator may apply the following penalties:

Up to 1 day late: 10% late reduction **(24 hours from the specified deadline)

Up to 2 days late: 20% late reduction

Up to 3 days late: 30% late reduction

Up to 4 days late: 40% late reduction

Up to 5 days late: 50% late reduction

Over 5 days late: NOT ACCEPTED

• The 10% per day penalty is applied to the mark that would have been received if the submission had been on time.

• Any work submitted after 5 working days late would need a ‘Special Consideration’ document to be accepted for assessment.

• Students cannot expect to receive verbal or written feedback for work submitted more than 5 days late.

* If equipment or software is not available for students to complete the late work, then the Subject Coordinator may decide to exclude weekends from the number of days late in calculating the penalty.

** Where no exact time is specified for a deadline it will be assumed that the deadline is 9am on the date specified.

Required texts

Refer to CANVAS.