Course Title: Landscape Architecture Masters Design Research Project A

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Landscape Architecture Masters Design Research Project A

Credit Points: 36.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
ARCH1365	City Campus	Postgraduate	315H Architecture & Design	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2011, Sem 1 2012, Sem 1 2013
ARCH1365	City Campus	Postgraduate	320H Architecture & Urban Design	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2018, Sem 2 2018, Sem 1 2019, Sem 2 2019, Sem 1 2020, Sem 2 2020, Sem 1 2021, Sem 2 2021, Sem 1 2022, Sem 2 2022, Sem 1 2023, Sem 2 2023, Sem 1 2024

Course Coordinator: Jen Lynch & Alice Lewis

Course Coordinator Phone: N/A

Course Coordinator Email: jen.lynch@rmit.edu.au & alice.lewis@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 100.8

Course Coordinator Availability: please email for appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Required Prior Study

You must have satisfactorily completed Landscape Architecture Design Research Studio 7 and Landscape Architecture Design Research Studio 8 before commencing this course.

Course Description

In the final year of the Master of Landscape Architecture, you are given the opportunity to develop and explore your own practice trajectory through an independently generated, rigorous and sustained design research enquiry. This enquiry, undertaken across a full year, is referred to as ‘a design research project. 

Design research projects are undertaken as a means of exploring, critiquing and expanding landscape architectural practice. You are asked to develop, experiment with and refine alternative ways of approaching and/or designing landscapes. Design research projects are ideas-led, innovative and generative, necessitating critical engagement with the expanded roles and responsibilities landscape architects might have in local and global contexts. The design research projects developed in the final year of the Master of Landscape Architecture at RMT equip you to be an advocate and agent of change, actively advancing the discipline and profession of landscape architecture to meet the unique challenges of the 21st century.  

In this significant capstone course of the MLA program, you will synthesize the capabilities that you have developed throughout the program including analysis, critical thinking, communication techniques, formal techniques, and positioning within the discipline. You will develop skills to articulate, position and develop your design approach to prepare for entry into the profession. 

This course, Design Research Project A, begins with the articulation of an individual position. It utilises and experiments with the conventions of site analysis, observation, construction, and form production to define and then develop an individual design research enquiry. You will be supported to situate your practice trajectory and related design research project within the field of landscape architecture and a community of practice and will speculate on and communicate the potential outcomes and impacts of your design research enquiry in both local and global contexts.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Program Learning Outcomes 

In course you will develop the following program learning outcomes:  

• Initiate, execute and situate substantial Landscape Architectural design research projects which demonstrate an engagement with urban and global complexities and an applied critical knowledge of the ecological, cultural, political, economic and ethical issues of Landscape Architecture 

• Generate innovative outcomes for Landscape Architecture design projects at a range of scales through a mastery of practice which synthesizes creative, critical, analytical, reflective and theoretical thinking skills 

• Effectively and fluently disseminate design research across disciplines to specialist and non-specialist audiences through a mastery of communication skills in a range of forms and media which shows a sophisticated understanding of the technical and theoretical frameworks of landscape architecture 

• Express a high level of personal responsibility within independent design research projects combining an ability to employ a range of design processes for the generation and evaluation of design research projects 

• Interrogate, question, engage and act in a broad range of social and cultural situations, and demonstrate effective teamwork and collaborative practices including an openness to others from different disciplines and cultural backgrounds 

• Evidence the capacity to be an agent for change and innovation in the profession of Landscape Architecture in local and global contexts and in wider society as a whole 

Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: 

1. position a design research project ambition within a particular field of enquiry in landscape architecture and a broader thematic. 

2. collect, analyse and connect information (projects, drawings, precendents) from related fields of enquiry to inform your mode of enquiry and its expected outcomes. 

3. develop and refine design techniques for analysis, site forming and form making related to a disciplinary field of enquiry in landscape architecture. 

4.  formulate particular conclusions with specific reference to the design enquiry position and disciplinary field of landscape architecture. 

5. communicate the design research project within three distinct modes of presentation; a curated reflective design project exhibition of work in progress, and synthesised verbal presentation, and an in-process design research compendium document

Overview of Learning Activities

You will be actively engaged in a range of learning activities such as lectures, tutorials, seminars, project work, class discussion, individual and group activities. Delivery may be face to face, online or a mix of both. 

Research through design is conducted through a variety of modes associated to each individual’s body of work. This includes group and individual activities, workshops, intensive field trips, seminars, lectures, discussions and demonstrations as well as reviews and exhibitions. 

You will develop and pursue your own lines of independent research as well as complete a range of design exercises throughout the semester. These design exercises may require multiple site visits and the practice of manifold techniques of site analysis and documentation, design concept generation, design development, design refinement and resolution, and design communication. 

You are expected to engage with the wider cultural discourses of creative practice. These include your peers, the community of practice in the program and School and the broader discourses of Landscape Architecture, Urbanism and Architecture. 

 

 

 

Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. 

There are services and resources available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student website. 

Additional learning resources are available through the course Canvas page. 

Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. 

The assessment for this course is design project-based and comprises of a set of key milestone presentations culminating in a presentation, exhibition,and design document. At those milestones, you will be given formal feedback by your supervisor and/or an external critic to guide the development of your work. You will also receive informal formative feedback and guidance on a weekly basis from your project supervisor. 

Assessment Task: Final Project A Submission 

Inclusive of 3 parts: verbal presentation, exhibition layout (drawings and models) and in-progress design research document the submission is viewed as holistic project, 100% weighting. The final grade is based on a holistic assessment of how well you meet all the course learning outcomes (CLO1, CLO2, CLO3, CLO4 and CLO5). 

Your work will be assessed by a review panel consisting of a Chair (your supervisor), an LA staff member and at least one external critic assess holistically across the three components. A moderation panel review the grades to ensure consistency across review panels - usually consisting of the course coordinator, program manager, associate dean, and a representative from another discipline in the school. 

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more. 

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.