STUDIO Work
A key part of the first semester is a studio project with a focus on a different topic each year in different areas of landscape architecture and environmental planning (see below). The studio project focuses on group project work on complex practical issues and assignments.
Practice-oriented and cooperative
To ensure that the studio project is practice-oriented, the assignments are developed by practitioners from an academic or scientific point of view based on current challenges. The practitioners include university partners from relevant industries as well as other stakeholders (e.g. cities and municipalities, non-profit institutions etc.). Working on the studio assignments will also include site visits and any necessary consultations with project sponsors and stakeholders. Furthermore, the practitioners will be invited to colloquia where students will present and discuss the intermediate and final results of their studio assignment.
Skills-oriented, generalist and profile-forming
When working on the studio assignment:
- we will assist you in solving current problems related to the discipline of landscape architecture and environmental planning including problems that will shape its future,
- we will train you in a generalist approach to enable you to solve complex problems,
- we will support you in expanding your subject knowledge and methodological skills based on your individual profile and
- we will help you develop your soft skills (teamwork, leadership/management skills, self-competence, presentation techniques etc.).
Future-proof
With the different topics for studio tasks each year, we react to current developments and trends in landscape architecture and environmental planning to offer you a degree program that is practice-oriented and ensures that your academic degree is fit for the future. In accordance with the changing subject-specific or planning focus of the studio assignment, student supervision is provided by co-teaching, i.e. by 1-2 mentors and – if needed – by additional subject mentors with specific scientific expertise pertaining to the focus of the studio assignment.
Further information about the studio
They can apply application-oriented scientific methods for analysis, evaluation, consideration, etc. in the context of processing complex practical planning issues at different scales, further develop or adapt the methods as required and combine them in a targeted manner to form a consistent approach in order to develop planning results or design concepts in a comprehensible and step-by-step manner based on corresponding partial or interim results.
Students will be able to justify the approach taken to solve a planning task or develop a design concept, the methods used and the use of certain resources (e.g. software) in a comprehensible manner and will be able to defend these in discussions. In this context, you will demonstrate the following skills:
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Creation of high-quality graphic media for the presentation of planning results and design concepts, including the targeted use of appropriate software,
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Appropriate and efficient handling of data, including the targeted use of software to process it,
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Carrying out well-founded source research and analysis,
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Correct scientific handling of sources (citation etc.) and
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Preparation of application-oriented scientific texts including the formally correct use of tables, figures and the creation of the corresponding index.
In the course of working on the studio task in a team, you will demonstrate that you are able to plan the responsibilities for completing specific subtasks and necessary work steps with regard to a goal-oriented, timely completion of the task, taking into account your existing skills and with regard to desired deepening of skills for personal scientific profile development, as well as to coordinate the processing process and, if necessary, to react flexibly to changes.
You show that you have the necessary social skills and self-competence when working on tasks in a group in order to responsibly take on leadership or management tasks on the one hand and to respect the perception of this role by others on the other. In this context, they are therefore able to deal confidently with any conflicts, react professionally to criticism and negotiate consensus with the aim of leading the task to a jointly developed result.
The annually changing thematic focus with regard to the questions and tasks to be worked on in the studio reacts to current developments and relevant trends in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning in order to ensure a practice-oriented course of study and a future-proof academic degree. In accordance with the changing scientific or planning focus of the studio assignment, students are supervised by co-teaching, i.e. by 1-2 main mentors and, as required, by other specialist mentors with special scientific expertise in the focus of the studio assignment.
On the basis of the skills acquired, you will be able to carry out independent application-oriented scientific work, solve complex planning problems and create integrated design concepts within a team.
Scientific focus
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Independent, application-oriented and scientific processing of a complex, practice-oriented planning question or task with a changing scientific focus at different scales within the field of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning - accompanied by main and specialist mentors (co-teaching),
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Appropriate and efficient use of software in planning and design processes, including project-related information management (determination of data and information requirements as well as data procurement, structuring and processing, etc.),
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Creation of high-quality media for the presentation of planning results and design concepts (posters, maps, presentation software, 3D visualization if necessary, etc.),
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Writing structured, application-oriented scientific texts to explain planning and design results, as well as partial results in the various phases of planning and design processes,
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Confident verbal presentation of planning and design results, as well as partial results in the various phases of planning and design processes,
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Critically examining and discussing the plans, design concepts etc. of others (evaluation) and
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Critical examination of own plans, design concepts, etc. (reflection)
Overarching focal points
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Developing skills in the area of project management,
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Development of leadership and management skills as well as the ability to work in a team (ability to accept criticism and consensus, willingness to deal with conflict, etc.),
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Further development of the self-competence required for successful teamwork in general and by taking advantage of opportunities to deepen academic skills and profile in particular
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Ability to work on an interdisciplinary basis - also in an international environment
