LDAR 021G

Charlie Cannon

INNOVATION 21 GRADUATE STUDIO

This studio is offered jointly by landscape architecture, industrial design, interior architecture, and architecture. The focus is on issues currently facing society and the environment that demand reframed questions about societal needs and their implications, a sharing of disciplinary expertise, and innovative approaches to old and new technologies and materials and their application. Throughout the course, thinking beyond the limits of one’s own discipline will be stressed. Studio instructors and guest lecturers will be drawn from RISD, other technology, business and design institutes; and from industry. Students must be in good academic standing to be considered for this course.

Required for majors; Pre-registration by Department

Credits:6.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2201

Silvia Acosta, Nathan Bishop, Kyna Leski, Leonard Newcomb

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

This course, the first in a two-semester sequence, explores design principles common to architecture, interior architecture and landscape architecture. Projects are selected to provide a basis for discerning and investigating both the differences of focus suggested by the three disciplines and their common concerns. Two interrelated aspects of design are pursued: 1) the elements of composition and their formal, spatial, and tectonic manipulation; and 2) meanings conveyed by formal choices and transformations.

Required for majors; Pre-registration through Department; Permission of department required
Fee: $130.00

Credits:6.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2203

Colgate Searle

ECOLOGY, SITE, AND DESIGN STUDIO

As a painting, over time, may reveal an early image laid on canvas before the surface was reworked and covered with subsequent layers of paint (pentimento), so do landscapes reveal to the knowing eye traces of their own history – the biophysical and cultural forces which in combination have shaped them over time. In this studio design principles presented in the first semester are developed through a series of projects involving a site rich in plant communities, wetlands and geological, archaeological and intact cultural layers.

Required for majors; Pre-registration by Department; Permission of department required

Credits:6.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR 2204

David DeCelis, Emily Mueller

CONSTRUCTED LANDSCAPES STUDIO

This core studio stresses small scale landscape architectural design. A series of studio problems will explore the “garden” and small urban public places. Students will attempt to represent contemporary, cultural, and ecological ideas in land form. There will be an emphasis on construction of designs, the use of plants in design, and methods of representation.

Prerequisite: LDAR 2203
Required for majors; Pre-registration by Department
Estimated material cost: $350.00

Credits:6.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2205

Leonard Newcomb, Elizabeth Dean Hermann

URBAN SYSTEMS STUDIO

This final core studio stresses large-scale design and planning issues, complex sites, and urban conditions. The city is a living organism that evolves in a particular locale with a particular form due to a combination of environmental and cultural factors. These factors, the forces they represent and the material results of their interaction form, in their interrelated state, what can be called “urban systems.” The many forces at play within cities – social, cultural, economic, ideological, ecological, infrastructural, morphological and visual – combine in various ways to created both an identifiable urban realm and the many subzones within this. Yet, none of these factors is static and unchanging; and, as a result, urban systems, urban dynamics, and urban identity are likewise in a continuous state of flux. This studio will explore these systems and the complex issues at play in our urban areas and the potential for positive change.

Required for majors; Pre-registration by Department

Credits:6.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR 2207

Leonard Newcomb

GRADUATE SEMINAR:
CONTEXT/MAPPING

This course examines the evolving art of geographical representation – the points, symbols, boundaries and colors that a cartographer draws on a map, and that we believe help us make our universe more understandable. Maps have tremendous importance as models of reality. Early mapmakers showed great ingenuity in representing areas of the world then unknown. Their technical innovations, the maps they produced – and used mostly as a tool for territorial expansion – shed light on the changing social, cultural, economic and environmental context of their time. In the 20th century, aerial photography and computer mapping signaled a cartographic revolution. Today, what we represent on a map is still a choice of what we decide to include or to omit. Maps designed by land preservationists, developers, planners, economists and politicians, stake out a territory of contentious zones. Maps still mislead us into thinking that they are simple reflections of the truth, and are sometimes used to manipulate reality and bolster the authority of those who make them. Maps will be studied in this course as dynamic expressions that lead us to deepen our understanding of geography and place.

Course Level: Junior, Senior, Graduate

Credits:3.0

Semester:Winter

LDAR 2210

Nadine Gerdts

BOSTON SCHOOLYARDS INITIATIVE:
OUTDOOR CLASSROOM DESIGN PROJECT

Many urban public school schoolyards are sad environments of cracked concrete and outdated play equipment. However, through the work of the Boston Schoolyard Initiative, a nonprofit private/public consortium, 60 Boston public school schoolyards have been renovated over the past nine years. This Wintersession, RISD students have been invited to participate in a pilot program organized by the Boston Schoolyard Initiative to develop designs for an urban outdoor classroom for the Rafael Hernandez Elementary and Middle School. During this course, we will examine questions regarding environmental education and urban landscape design. The course will address how school children experience the natural world and develop an ecological awareness in their immediate urban environs. The design problem will address public school curriculum while exploring design opportunities present within the urban site. Students will study precedents in environmental design and environmental education for children, examining the historical role of play and gardening in public schoolyards and will stretch the boundaries regarding the potential functions of these critical spaces as outdoor laboratories for developing environmental literacy. Design opportunities and constraints will be addressed in individual conceptual schemes for the site. After a preliminary review, ideas that meet the agreed upon design criteria and construction budget, will be further developed as a prototype outdoor classroom or field station. The opportunity exists to construct one of the studio schemes as part of a volunteer design-build project scheduled for construction at the Boston school in June.

Credits:3.0

Semester:Winter

LDAR 223G

Nadine Gerdts

ISSUES IN PLANNING &
CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

Through spatial and cultural analysis this course explores the history and meaning of various geographical realities in the Western and non-Western world. A critical examination of urban, suburban and rural land-use patterns; utopian and applied planning practices; models of urban and suburban change; the role of conservation and preservation advocacy and their interface with development, settlement and ecology, allows for an evaluation of new ideas and recent experiments seen against a historical and cultural background.

Required for majors; Open to nonmajors
Brown University students are encouraged to participate

Credits:3.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR 224G

Mikyoung Kim, Visiting Lecturers

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

Ethics and landscape refer to the principles of human duty as they apply to the design of the built environment and its impact on both humans and the non-human world. In this course issues of stewardship and sustainability will be discussed, as will the need to address simultaneously the political, economic and social implications of our actions and our responsibility as artists to challenge and transcend convention, assumptions and duty.

Course Level: Graduate; Elective

Credits:3.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR 22ST

TBA

VISITING CRITIC ELECTIVE STUDIO

These studios, which are required for graduation, are offered by individual instructors to students who have successfully completed the core curriculum. They are assigned by lottery on the first day of classes.

Prerequisites: LDAR 2201 to LDAR 2204
Required for majors; Pre-registration by Department

Credits:6.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2251

Timothy Lee

TECHNOLOGY & MATERIALS I
(MATERIALS AND GRADING)

This course addresses the fundamental characteristics of materials that constitute a landscape: soil, plants, water, wood, concrete, asphalt, etc., and their use in complex assemblies as structures, enclosures and land forms. The last half of the semester will focus on the integration of materials into the landscape primarily through an understanding of topography, contours, and grading.

Pre-registration by department

Credits:3.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2266

Sharon Wilson

TECHNOLOGY & MATERIALS II
(SITE ENGINEERING)

This course is a continuation of Technology & Materials I with emphasis on grading, drainage, construction details and layout. Other topics include surveying, road alignment, and storm water management strategies.

Pre-registration by department
Prerequisite: LDAR 2251

Credits:6.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2254

Colgate Searle

TECHNOLOGY & MATERIALS III
(ADVANCED CONSTRUCTION)

This course deals with advanced problems in construction, materials, and site engineering. Students will bring issues raised by their designs in studio to a group discussion with classmates, instructors and visiting specialists. The course will include site visits to work under construction and visiting lectures.

Prerequisite: LDAR 2266
Pre-registration by department

Credits:3.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2264

Nathan Bishop

REPRESENTATION I

This introductory course develops the different levels of dexterity and control in the construction of architectural drawing. The pedagogy allows for students to build a basic understanding of orthographic drawing typologies and traditional drawing materials. A parallel segment of the course introduces students to freehand representation, developing observation and translation skills in the act of drawing. Through these two levels of investigation, drawing is focused upon as a tool to transform conceptual ideas into tangible form.

Permission of instructor required for nonmajors

Credits:3.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2265

Scott Carman

REPRESENTATION II

The advanced course studies multimedia drawing through the use of freehand and computer drawing. It explores the possibilities with the material and content of two-dimensional expression. The class encourages greater connections with the design studios by testing and reevaluating design work through the lens of phenomenology and seriality. Scale and composition are emphasized in the detailed and constructed drawings that are required in class. Individual investigations are developed throughout this advanced course to encourage a way of making marks that connect with the various modes of exploration in their studio work.

Prerequisite: LDAR 2264
Permission of instructor required for nonmajors

Credits:3.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR 231G

Mikyoung Kim

TOPICS IN REPRESENTATION

This seminar focuses on the material representation of filed conditions. The class will explore operational tools for drawing focusing on carving, burning, melting, and accreditation of different materials. Investigations will be through freehand drawing, photo montage, photoshop, painting and orthographic drawing.

Prerequisite: LDAR 2265
Course Level: Elective; Permission of instructor required

Credits:3.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR 0232

Scott Carman

Digital Modeling and Animation

In this course, students will learn basic digital modeling and animation and will be encouraged to explore innovative uses for the software, enhancing their technical skills while developing creative methodology. SketchUp 5 and Autodesk VIZ 2006 will be used to learn both conceptualstage digital modeling and rendering and advanced digital modeling and animation. Through this course, students will be given a more advanced and robust understanding of the possibilities of digital representation, building upon the foundations of Representation II.

Credits:3.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2252

Cecilia Searle, Martha Moore

PLANT MATERIALS

Botanical topics relating to a general understanding of plant growth, classification, and horticultural and arboricultural practices. Course work will include a further understanding of plant communities, plant identifications, and an introduction to planting design.

Prerequisite: LDAR 2251
Pre-registration by department

Credits:3.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2253

Cecilia Searle, Martha Moore

PLANTS AND DESIGN

This course will explore the use of plants as a design medium while balancing the horticultural considerations. There will be analyses of existing gardens, field trips, and the creation of schematic and detailed planting plans for different types of sites. Topics such as seasonality, texture, color and form will be discussed.

Prerequisite: LDAR 2252 or commensurate experience
Permission of instructor required

Credits:3.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR 2257

Nicholas Pouder

ECOLOGICAL PLANNING AND DESIGN

This course instructs architects and landscape architects in collecting, interpreting and mapping data on site characteristics, both natural and cultural, in order to program and design new uses. Employing diverse projects, from specific sites to municipal and regional contexts, it offers experience in site analysis, mapping, air photo interpretation, planning report preparation, programming for site development, and an introduction to GIS.

Required for three-year program; Open to nonmajors
Brown University students are encouraged to participate.

Credits:3.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR 225G

Karen Nelson

THEORY I

Landscape is a term that can refer to a specific locale, design or even a collection of ideas, and political or ideological landscape. The term almost always implies a visual order, involving both cultural forces and natural forces. We are concerned with ideological aspects in terms of representational structure, especially the connection between visual and verbal representations of landscape, including texts, pictures, films, current media and built landscape case studies. Writing assignments will be based upon fundamental, critical texts and words and images from current media.

Course Level: Graduate; Open to qualified undergraduates
Permission of instructor required for nonmajors

Credits:3.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 226G

Elizabeth Hermann

THEORY II

This seminar explores how theory and design can be mutually informing through discussions of built work in relationship to theoretical writings. Students will identify the works and issues to be covered and lead class discussions. This seminar initiates the thesis process by asking students to formulate their own proposals for research through design.

Course Level: Graduate; Permission of instructor required for nonmajors

Credits:3.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR 2256

Department Faculty, Visiting Lecturers

DESIGN FOUNDATIONS/
FIELD ECOLOGY

All entering Landscape Architecture students are required to participate in the department’s four-week preparatory summer program in design fundamentals and field ecology. This course parallels similar ones being held for new students in other departments within the Architectural Division. The design fundamentals component of the program is intended to prepare the student for the upcoming first-year studio sequence. The fall studio, Design Principles, taken with students in architecture, is both rigorous and fast-paced. It provides the methodological and theoretical framework for RISD’s architecture and landscape programs and initiates a fundamental discussion of design making and criticism necessary for the more specialized studio work that follows. The summer course, in preparation for this, builds a basic design language, familiarity with tools and materials, and 2- and 3-dimensional skills that will be needed immediately upon entering the studio sequence.

The field ecology component of the summer program places basic design discussions within the context of landscape-based practice. It is intended to build awareness of ecological issues (using southern New England as a case study), facilitate the ability to interpret the landscape and the nonhuman and cultural forces that have shaped it over time, and foster an environmental ethic. This segment of the program is critical for building a knowledge base and for adding to a philosophical framework within which future design efforts may be evaluated.

The summer program offers a unique opportunity to engage classmates and faculty in a focused discussion of design-related issues which can be sustained over the course of one’s studies. The course meets five days a week (including some weekends). The cost of instruction is paid for by the department, while a $400 fee to cover trips and other expenses will be required of all students. For those entering the program, pre-registration for this course is done through the Landscape Architecture department.

Fee: $500.00

Credits:6.0

Semester:Summer

LDAR 228G

Charlie Cannon, Mikyoung Kim,
Leonard Newcomb

GRADUATE THESIS

Development of individually determined projects in response to defined objectives, critical commentary of advisory panels and periodic formal reviews. Three forms of presentation occur: final review, Museum presentation and exhibition, and project book.

Course Level: Graduate; Landscape Architecture majors only

Credits:6.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR LE20

Gina Crandell

ISSUES IN LANDSCAPE HISTORY

This course examines current issues raised by the design of built environments and explores the cultures, conditions, events, attitudes and design works of the past that form the ideological, physical and practical background against which today’s landscapes are made, interpreted and valued. It examines the profound changes in the design, perception and use of the physical environment that have resulted from the shift from ruler-dominated socio-political structures and from agrarian to industrialized society; the rise of the middle class in widespread urbanization; the shift of interest away from private land holdings to public space; periods of imperialism, isolationism and nationalism; changing conceptions of space and time related to new modes of travel and landscape representation; new theories in art, design and science; issues surrounding commemoration; and more recently, growing environmental concerns, the struggle between local traditions and globalization, and the rise of the consumer society.

LDAR majors only
Also offered as LAEL LE20 for nonmajors and undergrads

Credits:3.0

Semester:Spring

LDAR LE44

Gina Crandell

HISTORY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

This survey course focuses on the history of landscapes in the pre-industrialized world. Landscapes will be considered as an evolving condition, even when their defining characteristics were conceived and built at a specific point in time. Critical to this course will be the establishment of frameworks for historical inquiry, the refinement of research methodologies, in the development of multiple perspectives through which to question and understand the design environment.

LDAR majors only
Also offered as LAEL LE44 for nonmajors and undergrads

Credits:3.0

Semester:Fall

LDAR W203

Derek Bradford

EDINBURGH STUDIO

RISD, in association with the Department of Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art, Heriot-Watt University offers a joint landscape architecture/architecture design studio, taking place in both Edinburgh and Providence. The focus of the studio in each city is a similar urban subject, such as housing, a public building or a public landscape. Studio work will be supplemented with courses on the history and urban form of each city, complemented by visits to critical buildings and landscapes in the local area and surrounding region. The course is open to a maximum of ten qualified students from each institution. 3-6 credits

Credits:3.0

Semester:Winter

LDAR W207

Mikyoung Kim

GRADUATE STUDIO: MAKING/MEANING

The studio focus is on abstract development of a program through exploration of material and form, and its transformation and development in response to a real site.

Course Level: Graduate; Permission of instructor required for nonmajors

Credits:3.0

Semester:Winter

LDAR W213

Graduate Assistant

TOPICS IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

When available, this course is offered during Wintersession and is usually taught by a Landscape Architecture graduate student. For the current topic and a course description see the yearly Wintersession catalog, published each October.

Credits:3.0

Semester:Winter

LDAR 2291

James Barnes

PRINCIPLES OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

This is a course about becoming a licensed designer, a business professional and a citizen. It is intended to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of life as a professional designer. The course will contain lectures organized around three major themes: the designer as a trained and certified “professional” in traditional practice, and alternative roles; the designer as an operative in the world of business and commerce; and the designer as a provider of a particular set of professional skills using traditional and emerging methods for the delivery of professional services. Invited guests as panel members will present an outside professional perspective. Panels will be composed of many RISD grads, coming from a wide spectrum of years of experience and professional roles. All will be asked to discuss their world as professionals, and business people. All issues presented are common to the disciplines of architecture, landscape, and interiors.

Also offered as ARCH 2191. Register in the course for which credit is desired.

Credits:3.0

Semester:Spring