vision :
to be a centre of innovation in landscape & environmental planning & design for sustainable living
aims :
1 - to provide a professional Landscape Architecture course that focuses on the creation of landscapes for the health and wellbeing of both people and planet,
2 - to encourage personal development, critical judgement and self expression in students, whilst preparing them to be versatile, innovative and enterprising in response to the changing needs of society,
3 - to provide students the opportunity to undertake a Landscape Institute accredited four year intercalated programme in Landscape Architecture emphasising the development of both academic and vocational skills and knowledge.
strategic principles :
the strategic principles that underpin the course teaching, consultancy and research are;
PASSION - encouraging students to develop personal potential and awareness; to develop courage, conviction and confidence; to improve their ability to express themselves; and to develop their own philosophy and approach. This intellectual freedom and development of the student is seen as paramount and should inform a continuing debate about their future role in the profession.
INNOVATION - enabling students to use creativity and deep understanding to develop innovative solutions to problems and to apply them successfully; to introduce innovative teaching and learning strategies both overarching across the curriculum and integrated within individual course components.
ENGAGEMENT – promoting the active engagement of students with the full context of landscape architecture, acknowledging the holistic commitment expected of students in dealing with 21st century environmental issues. Active engagement focuses on learning through experience, such as involvement with professional practice, engagement with local community, studio-based design projects based on live scenarios, experiencing ecological systems, visiting built landscapes, entering competitions, undertaking research and publishing articles.
SUSTAINABILITY - supporting students in exploring and learning how to create landscapes for sustainable living, synthesising a scientific, technical and ecological understanding within an aesthetic and functional design. This relates to the symbiotic interaction between people and planet at both a detailed site scale and the strategic planning scale, incorporating the implications of climate change.
PROFESSIONALISM - introducing knowledge and critical skills appropriate to the education and training of a landscape architect; to maximise engagement with professional practice by using guest speakers, real projects and clients, and visiting landscape practices; to develop abilities and transferable skills in team work and project management; to develop an understanding of the potential role of the landscape architect, both present and future.
landscape architecture @ the university of gloucestershire