Studiengangsinitiative: Curriculum MSc ETH in Landscape Architecture

The aim of the project was to develop a Masters Programme in Landscape Architecture (MSc LArch), which within four semesters will enable students to solve complex and aesthetic environmental tasks in cities and landscapes and to act at the interface to other spatial planning disciplines at a high conceptual, creative and technical level. Thus, landscape architecture assumes in design, teaching and research an important bridge function between object planning and urban planning in the D-ARCH and the departments of spatial planning and environmental engineering in the D-BAUG.

New forms of teaching and learning have been developed, which are project-related and application-oriented. Integrated learning is specifically promoted. The courses build on each other. The focus of the programme is on design studios, which integrate the teaching of basic knowledge and application-oriented in-depth knowledge. Basic specialist, methodological, creative and cultural skills as well as communication skills are to be taught in lectures, seminars, impromptu drafts and workshops and others. Design tasks are selected on a semester-by-semester basis (with regard to topic, scale, complexity, etc.). In addition, interdisciplinary competences are promoted.

Three factors were of particular importance for the learning success: 1.) The application of the acquired theoretical knowledge in the context of concrete applications (design tasks). 2) The close cooperation of different disciplines (e.g. in joint workshops or supervision of the design work). 3) Teaching on the concrete object (on site, in the field) within the framework of field trips or inspections. The goal of enabling students to recognise, describe and solve complex problems at the interface of different disciplines could thus be achieved. The role of the landscape architect as a mediating and coordinating authority is at the centre of the considerations. Except for the field trips, where the group size is limited (what can be shown, what can be understood acoustically?), the methods can be applied to larger groups without any problems.