Teaching
Case Studies in Landscape Architecture
Site Planning and Design (LandStudio 2)
Designing Conserved Natural Landscapes
Traveling Design Studio to Chile
Case Studies in Landscape Architecture
This subject introduces students to the range of contemporary landscape architectural project types and how to relate them to landscape architectural theory. Students are introduced to the range of project types through international and Australian examples, for example botanical gardens, therapeutic landscapes, coastal and waterfront developments, suburban planned residential communities, etc. etc.. Students also gain an understanding of the case study research method, which they willuse to analyze a selected project for their final assignment.
Advanced Planting Design
This is a studio-based elective subject that explores planting design as an integral component of landscape architectural practice. The focus is on the use of plants as design elements with consideration for their aesthetic, functional and ecological qualities as well as the psychology responses they engender in people who encounter them in the landscape. Through a series of lectures, fieldtrips and design exercises students develop advanced skills and theoretical understanding in the use of plants as a living design material. Topics covered the:
- Visual and spatial properties of plants in the landscape
- Wetland planting design
- Psychological responses to plants in the landscape
- Human evolutionary and cultural theories of preferences for vegetation in the landscape
- Use of plants in imagined landscapes as seen through the fine arts, e.g. painting
- Spatial and design attributes of naturally occurring plant associations
- Graphic representation of plants
- Greenwalls and roof gardens
- Display of plants in botanical gardens
- Development of plant palettes
The primary aim of this subject is to learn how to creatively use plants in design and apply this knowledge in formulating a series of planting designs within the context of various environment types. The design exercises explored the:
- Visual properties of plants - e.g. textures, forms, colours and forms
- Wetland planting design for urban settings
- Visionary, fantastical and/or extreme planting schemes within the context of botanical gardens
The aim of the fantastical/visionaryplanting design exercise was to create a display garden within the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens and to encourage the students to think creatively in formulating innovative design proposals from concept through to documentation. Specifically, their design proposals had to, in some manner, be:
Fantastical, something that is strange, unusual, unexpected, fanciful, eccentric or imaginary
Extreme, such as used in the statement “The design was visually striking in the extreme.”
Visionary, a mental image of something that might be in the future or that denotes the act of indulging in fanciful theories or concepts.
Site Planning and Design (LandStudio 2)
This second-year undergraduate design studio provides an introduction to the techniques of site planning and design. Put simply, ‘Site planning is the art of arranging buildings and other structures on the land in harmony with each other’ (Lynch, 1962; Preface), ideally arranging such elements in ways
In this subject students are involved in the planning and design of a coastal site of high ecological, aesthetic and cultural value that is being threatened by inappropriate development. They are asked to explore a site in both spatial and temporal dimensions and balance various, and often conflicting, demands placed on the landscape in developing planning and design proposals. In 2009, the first year this subject was taught, the studio focused on redevelopment of the harbour area at Apollo Bay, a town located three hours west of Melbourne on the Great Ocean Road. The students had a choice of development programs - to desgin a small regional campus for the University of Melbourne or an eco-tourism resort complex. Currently, the harbour site is used as a golf course and some harbour related uses associated with fishing and boating are sited along the foreshore. The campus design option is supposed to be devoted to either a single or a few academic or professional disciplines that would benefit by the site’s setting and its proximity to the sea and the Great Otway National Park - landscape ecology, fine arts, oceanagraphy, tourism studies, etc. While fishing and timber production are still important economic activities of the area, tourism is now an important aspect of the local economy, and more tourism related development is slated for this designated “growth area” town, hence, there was an option for the students to design a eco-tourism resort complex.
The stundets first investigated similar university campuses and eco-tourism developments from around the world to use as examples and from those examples they had to formulate a program for either a campus or eco-toursim complex that they would like to see developed at this site. This investigation required them to conduct an Internet search for examples of what they felt were successful campus or eco-toruism developments. Next, they had to conduct a systematic and in-depth analysis of the site and its surrounds with respect to environmental, cultural and local social attributes and the values associated with these attributes. They had to then use this information to guide development of a site plan for the proposed campus or eco-tourism development, including concepts for all buildings, circulation systems, natural landscape treatments, etc. Finally, they had to prepare an illustrative site plan and design presentation package that effectively communicated their design concepts for the site.
The design studio work was supplemented by a series of lectures, covering a range of topics including:
- Site analysis through identification and assessment of significant social, cultural and ecological attributes
- Principles of sustainable environmental design
- The notions of place character and sense of place
- Program development
- Principles of three-dimensional spatial design
- Circulation systems
- Methods for stimulating creativity in design concept generation
- Coastal area design
- Techniques for communicating design proposals, including manual and digital graphic and photographic techniques
- Land art
Designing Conserved Natural Landscapes
This is a studio-based subject that aims to develop conceptual thinking and technical skills through the preparation of environmental planning proposals and site plans for environments in which conservation issues are of paramount concern. Students must balance various, and often conflicting, demands placed on landscapes that are of high conservation value, particularly with regard to significant ecological and cultural attributes of these sites, with community needs and expectations. This design studio focuses specifically on landscapes where natural environments intersect with the built environment making issues of landscape conservation, both cultural and ecological, salient concerns.
Recent projects done as part of the Designing Conserved Natural Landscapes subject:
This project was focused on redevelopment of the harbour area at Apollo Bay. While Apollo Bay, located on the Great Ocean Road, was originally established as a centre for the fishing and timber industries, tourism is now seen as an important aspect of the local economy and more tourism related development is proposed for this designated “growth area” location. The project focused on redevelopment of this area as it possesses high ecological and aesthetic value and is also slated by the Colac Otway Shire Council for future redevelopment. Students had to propose sustainable alternative options for re-development of the harbour and surrounding that would consider not only environmental and social/cultural concerns but also address economic concerns by enhancing appropriate commercial recreational and tourism opportunities. Initially, students had to identify examples of successful coastal developments from other places around the world via the World Wide Web, with successful being understood as development that is sympathetic to local environmental, cultural and social values. Next, they had to undertake an in-depth, multi-layered resource analysis of the site and its surrounds. They had to then prepare a masterplan for re-development of the area and finally prepare detailed design proposals for specific areas within their overall masterplan. While emphasis of this subject was on studio-based work this was supplemented with a series of supporting lectures in which students were introduced to various theoretical concepts for understanding the often-problematic interface between natural and built environments, particularly in coastal settings. The students also learned how to graphically communicate their design proposals in a convincing and professional manner to a wide range of audiences.
Pelican Park and the Truganini Coastal Parklands - 2004/2005
The aim of this project was to produce a masterplan to extend Altona's existing public open space network by designing a new park for the community - Pelican Park. The intent of the masterplan was to integrate disparate open space sites to provide an enjoyable and continuous experience for human users as well as enhancing the habitat values of the parklands for local and migratory wildlife. Students had to first analyse the park site within the context of the overall Truganina Coastal Parklands setting. Next, they had to propose how an existing 23-acre sewerage treatment oxygenation pond could be converted into a wetland to provide habitat for various wetland bird species. The task was to integrate the new park with surrounding public lands and with an adjoining environmental sculpture designed by the internationally acclaimed land artist Agnes Denes. The wetland component of the park had a particular emphasis on catering to the habitat requirements of Pelicans, as they have used the oxygenation pond as a roosting site for many years. However, the needs of some 60 other avian species were also catered for in the students' design proposals. In addition to the wetland, a display garden to exhibit plants indigenous to the Victorian Volcanic Plains was also proposed as an integral component of the park design. Students were also required to design landscape elements such as park furniture, boardwalks, interpretative signage, bird blinds, paths, etc. and to develop detailed planting plans for the wetland and indigenous garden areas. This project successfully brought together members of the local community, government, industry and the University with the objective of extending the existing open space network of Altona to better cater to the needs of both its human and its more than human inhabitants.
Altona Explosives Reserve Coastal Park and Eco-Centre - 2000 - 2002
The objective of this project was to develop landscape design plans for an outdoor eco-park and interpretative centre on the site of the Altona Explosives Reserve - a 16-hectare site that has been fenced off and abandoned sine 1962. The students first had to identify important aspects of the site and its contextual setting that had relevance to the conservation and interpretation of the area's natural and cultural landscapes and integrate these features into innovative designs for the park. The final designs reflected a range of educational, recreational, ecological and cultural/social values associated with the site and its context. The eco-centre and park focused on meeting tourism, recreation and environmental enhancement objectives within the context of the larger regional setting and the local community. The aim of the park and eco-centre is to provide a place for interpretation of the area's unique ecological and cultural heritage. This site represents an important link in the network of open-spaces between Williamstown and Werribee linking with the Port Philip Bay Bicycle Trail. The eco-centre and park represent eco-tourism facilities that will attract both domestic and international tourists.
Westgate Bridge Memorial Park - 2001
This project involved students preparing plans for a memorial park to commemorate the tragic loss of 35 construction workers who died in the 1970 collapse of a section of the Westgate Bridge while it was under construction. As the site of Australia is largest industrial accident, this site was particularly fitting as a place of memorial to honour those who died in this accident and to remind us of all the others who have perished in industrial accidents nationwide. The aim of the park is to remind people of the need to remain vigilant in maintaining workplace safety and is intended to be an emotionally provocative place for visitors to remember those who died so that their deaths, and all those people who have lost their lives to provide society with necessary infrastructure.
Discovery, Recovery & Community: A Traveling Design Studio to Patagonia, Chile
In May, 2008 the coastal town of Chaitén in the Patagonian region of Chile had to be evacuated when a nearby volcano erupted. Ash and debris blanketed the town clogging the nearby river (Río Blanco), diverting its course and flooding the once thriving settlement. While the town suffered extensive damage no lives were lost, however, many houses and much of the public infrastructure were destroyed. The Chilean government has determined that the risk of further eruptions is high and the ash that now covers the town is unhealthy to breathe. In response, they are proposing to construct a new town to re-settle the displaced residents of Chaiten at a place known as Santa Barbara, eight kilometers north of Chaiten. This site is located within a spectacular coastal landscape surrounded by the Andes Mountains and in close proximity to Chile’s remote Palena Province and Pumalín National Park with its rugged mountains, lakes and rainforests. The focus of this studio was on designing this new settlement at Santa Barbara.
Twelve landscape architecture and architecture students from the Melbourne School of Design worked together with students from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC) in Santiago. A highlight of the studio was when the entire group, both students and staff from both universities, flew to northern Patagonia and then traveled by boat to experience the destruction of Chaiten and investigate the new site. The students lived and worked on this ‘floating studio’ while developing design concepts for the new settlement, ideas that were further developed back at PUC university’s studios in Santiago.
This was a very real project in that there is an urgent need to build a new town to provide homes to residents of Chaiten that had been displaced. The very nature of this project required that it be approached from a multi-disciplinary perspective with input from a range of disciplines, including architecture, landscape architecture and urban design, engineering, ecology and social sciences. As a consequence of the eruption established place attachments that people of Chaiten had formed over many years with features of the town’s landscape were suddenly disrupted. Therefore, one of the aims of the design for the new town was to try to ease the residents’ readjustment to their new home by providing a framework of familiar place features reflective of old Chaiten. Designing an entirely new town in this way also provided opportunities for incorporating innovative new features into its design. For example, it is proposed that the new town’s future energy needs will be met as much as possible through alternative energy sources, principally from geothermal. Conserving the distinctive place features of the proposed site and its surrounds, for example by emphasizing the biodiversity and ecosystems of the area, and incorporating them into green corridors within the new town’s layout, is another feature of the design for the new town.
Designing for Sustainable Coastal Tourism: An Intensive Environmental Design Studio in Thailand
In 2000, Ray ran an overseas design studio this evolved out of his research on the island of Koh Samui, Thailand. That research looked at the way people conceptualise environmental change in coastal areas that are being impacted by tourism and rapid development (see research section for details). That research addressed the question of how local residents of the island's most intensively developed towns - Ban Chaweng - felt about the "suitability" of a range of both built and natural local features. The results of that study provided a wealth of information with respect to local perceptions and attitudes in reference to various forms of tourism development. This experience inspired Ray to then involve students and staff from the University of Melbourne and Kasetsart and Silpakorn universities in Bangkok in a design studio addressing the issue of coastal resort development on the island. Students from all three universities, studying various environmental design disciplines - landscape architecture, architecture, urban design - were given an opportunity to work within a team framework to address a critical design issue facing many developing countries in South East Asia - the impact of tourism on fragile environments such as coastal areas. In all, there were a total of 34 students and eight faculty members who participated in the studio project. The educational aims of the studio were to involve a select group of postgraduate design students in producing plans for resort developments on the island that would embody principles of environmental sustainability in their design. Educationally the studio focused on:
- the nexus between architecture, planning and landscape architecture
- sustainable environmental design with an emphasis on ecotourism in coastal areas
- the cultural and biophysical characteristics of Thailand and the project site
- issues related to tourism with a focus on coastal tourism in Thailand
- theoretical issues related to the notion of place and the link between environmental values and societal values.
The aim of the studio was to produce designs for various types of resorts that might be more environmentally and socially sustainable to that which is occurring on the island at present. Sustainable tourism is being defined here as tourism that is concerned with balancing care of the environment with both the needs and wants of local communities and tourists over time. In an effort to help stem the rising tide of environmental degradation that is becoming all too apparent on the island, the studio demonstrated how principles of sustainable environmental design and sustainable tourism could be integrated into the design of future resort developments. The idea was that student design proposals might serve as models for future resort development both on the island and in other coastal areas in Thailand that are being impacted by poorly planned, designed and/or managed tourism development.
This design studio attracted significant media attention in Thailand and internationally. For example the following is an excerpt from a January 21st, 2001 article that appeared in the Bangkok Post discussing both Ray's prior Koh Samui community perceptions research and this design studio:
"The three-university collaborative project led by Dr. Green attempted to undertake a seemingly impossible-to-devise model of tourism harmoniously coexisting with the local environment. "The 'sustainable tourism' project attempts to create tourist resorts that don't disrupt the pre-existing environment or community", explained Dr. Green. "Actually this project grew out of my research on the level of sustainability of recent developments in Samui" said Dr. Green ... If the vision of Dr. Green and his students is taken seriously, perhaps the notion of sustainable resorts - vacation sites that don't pollute, destroy, or disrupt either the natural environment or local community - will no longer seem an oxymoron."
Research Methods
This subject introduces students in the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning to skills necessary to conduct rigorous and original research, and to effectively communicate their research findings in a clear and systematic manner. The subject concentrates on how to select and refine a research topic, formulate appropriate research questions/hypotheses and select and use appropriate methods for data collection and analysis. The subject incorporates formal instructional lectures, examples of research projects and seminar discussions of research literature. Three general areas of knowledge are addressed including relevant research approaches, commonly used data collection and analysis methods and thesis writing skills. Research methodologies used by various staff members in the Faculty are also presented and discussed.