Landscape

Teacher(s)

Dujardin Denis;

Language

French

Main themes

Following the structure of the history of the garden, landscape and the environment, this teaching unit is designed to demonstrate our relationship to the world.
Overall, the approach is made up of 4 stages :

• geographical context of Eurasia at the Neolithic Revolution
• Language, Reason and Religion
• XVIIth century and dissociation of values
• XXth century and proposed reassociation of values.

Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	Specific learning outcomes: By the end of the course, students will be able to show the interrelationship between the development of thinking and social organisation with development of the Landscape. In other words, to provide a basis for our relationship with the world which has come into being over the course of time. Contribution to the learning outcomes reference framework: Build knowledge of architecture Be familiar with and analyse the basic references Be able to use given references which, by analogy, can lead to other interpretations of the context Place the action Recognise, observe and describe the targeted environments and contexts Analyse the environments and contexts according to various given methods and starting from various identified points of view Make use of other subjects Seek out other approaches, exchanges of views and ways of enhancing thinking about architecture Express an architectural procedure Convey the experience of spatiality by observing it and posing questions Make committed choices Develop awareness of the political meaning of the work of an architect and his/her responsibility towards society

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.

Content

The Learning Unit aims at teaching the students how to read the polysemic nature of the fundamental notion of the landscape.
Architecture always interacts with the environment, close by or far away, and functions on different scales in a landscaped context. The entire history of landscape architecture revolves around the intrinsic and evolving relationships between buildings and their environment.
After having completed their studies, the students will have mastered basic knowledge of a large number of essential aspects of the notion "landscape": historical, technical, artistic, social and philosophical.
The historical aspect is very important, as history shows us that a society's political-social circumstance induces quite diverse interactions between building and environment.
This gives architects the possibility to put their point of view into perspective in their daily practice.
The technical aspect is not to be undervalued, as an architect needs basic knowledge of the botanical and geological aspects of plants. Rooftop gardens are of a particular interest.
The artistic aspect also plays its part, as landscape architecture can be considered as the visual stage setting of landscape interventions and is therefore closely linked with the artistic expression of the moment.
The social aspect of durability has taken up a central space on the ecological market, as well as within the conception of the "landscape".
And finally philosophical, because glancing at the landscape is glancing at infinity, an essential act and object of metaphysical contemplation.
The course takes on different subjects, using Powerpoint presentations containing a large number of images and structured texts.

Teaching methods

Présentation of the lessons / discussions and questioning

Evaluation methods

Written exam

Other information

A range of slideshows is distributed amongst the students.

Bibliography

Georg Simmel (1858-1918), Philosophie du paysage (1912)
Simon Schama, Le paysage et la mémoire (1999)
Wouter Reh & Clemens Steenbergen, Architectuur en Landschap (2005)

Faculty or entity

LOCI