LAR-26309 Design Studio 3: Urban Design

Course

Credits 9.00

Language of instruction:

Dutch

Assumed knowledge on:

LAR-12803 and LAR-25806

Contents:

Landscape architects are increasingly involved in the design of urban environments such as housing, commercial and inner city improvements. With their design knowledge including living materials, they can contribute to landscape and sustainability issues. They are able to enhance the unique contextual coherences within the landscape and are therefore able to create environments that adapt seamlessly within their environment. Often, in such projects, developers or municipalities define the building programme. The task for the landscape architect is to combine the programme with the various interactions in the landscape system. For example, agriculture, nature, recreation and cultural history must be integrated with the building programme in a spatial composition and as part of a living landscape.
In this design studio the students work on a scale level of 1:5000 to 1:100 and face the complexities related to urban design. Additionally to the new skills they acquire on urban design, they deepen the skills acquired in design studios 1 and 2. The students work on a given site with a given programme, that can be extended in relation to the concept chosen. The site is firstly analysed regarding its landscape features and system. Secondly, the implications of building programmes are explored. Both findings are brought together in an integrated urban design. Qualitative design questions that will be discussed are: How does the given program relate to the surroundings, the historical and (invisible) natural landscape? What existing or reinterpreted features can be integrated into the site design? How to construct a desired atmosphere and spatial urban composition?

Learning outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course the students are expected to:
- be able to carefully analyze built environments in terms of urban design composition and natural system;
- have a body of urban design reference knowledge at their disposal and know how to extend their reference knowledge;
- be able to use the references actively in their design;
- be able to criticize projects on well- founded argumentation;
- know building types, infrastructures and outdoor spaces with their scale and aptly combine them in a design - be acquainted with human perception of space and 'atmosphere' and know how to design for these aspects - have gained insight in the application of vegetation in terms of its functional aspects (e.g. microclimate adaptation). - be able to link landscape with its soil, water, climate and vegetation systems with urban programme and suitable urban design interventions;
- design for urban design interventions on different scale levels between masterplan level down to detail level - apply the skills in AutoCAD, GIS and SketchUp in the design process.

Activities:

To extend reference knowledge:
- lectures and excercises;
- reference studies;
- excursions;
- literature study. To practice urban design:
- design studio.

Examination:

- evaluation of excercises, reference analysis - assessment of the work submitted during the design studio (interim presentations and final presentation).

Literature:

Floet, W.W. et al. , 2001, Zakboek voor de woonomgeving, 010 uitgevers Rotterdam.
Heeling, J. , Meyer, H., Westrik, J. , Sauren, E. 2002, Het ontwerp van de stadsplattegrond, SUN, Amsterdam.
Meyer, H. de, Josselin de Jong, F., Hoekstra, M.J. (eds.). 2006 Het ontwerp van de openbare ruimte. SUN, Amsterdam,.
Meyer, H.,Westrik, J.,Hoekstra, M. ,Berghauser Pont, M. 2008, Stedebouwkundige regels voor het bouwen, SUN, Amsterdam.
Neufert, E. et al. 2000, Architects data, Blackwell Science, Oxford.
Watson, D., (ed.) 2003. Time-saver standards for urban design, Mc Graw Hill, New York.