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Case Studies in Landscape Design | Instructor: Walter Hood

This studio stresses the shaping and coordination of ideas from initial concept to complete design product. A product of intermediate scale and complexity (such as a garden, small park, plaza, or campus courtyard) is developed in detail including the selection of planting, selection of construction materials, and topographic design. Lecture modules on selected professional topics are integrated into this course.

The Case Study Project

The review of built work has always been a method for environmental designers to understand their craft and tradition. From the measured drawings of antiquity to contemporary exhibitions, precedent studies are a way to understand ideas that have had a meaningful impact on design thinking and the direction within a particular milieu. Within the context of the garden, three projects have been reviewed to help define a particular paradigm within the study of landscape architecture. Of importance to this study is the relationship between structure and landscape. The three projects are mid-20th century gardens that articulate three models for the open-free plan. It is here that the landscape and building become a simultaneous experience and expression.

Brazil Museum of Sculpture

Oakland Museum

San Cristobal