Landscape Construction: Techniques, Materials and Structures

Where earlier studio courses focused on conceptual site design, this one drops you into the physical reality of how landscapes actually get built — the paving underfoot, the retaining walls holding a slope, the curbs, steps, fences, benches, and water features that turn a drawing into a place people can use. You'll work through a midterm and final alongside a sketch problem and term essay, with field trips anchoring the lectures so material choices and construction details connect to things you've actually walked on. As a third-year autumn requirement, it bridges design intent and buildable detail, giving you the technical vocabulary you'll lean on in later studios and in professional practice when contractors ask how, exactly, your idea is supposed to be built.