Parke, D., Costa, S., 2023.

The Vertical Ecology Studio: Accelerating Learning towards Systems Thinking Competencies in Landscape Architecture Design Education

In the Birmingham School of Architecture and Design, the concept of a vertical studio was applied to two core design modules within the undergraduate and postgraduate landscape architecture programmes to embed an accelerated learning process that supports learners to meet systems thinking competencies. The studio draws on pedagogical approaches from a Landscape Systems Perspective, Systems Thinking Theory, and the core competencies of Education for Sustainable Development, to develop a framework of structured sequential tasks. The tasks were carefully scaffolded and began with learners developing an understanding of ecological planning principles and progressively developing design strategies to engage with the landscape as a multi-scalar adaptive system. The approach is underpinned by social constructivist theory, where the individual's learning is shaped by interaction with peers, tutors, and experts. This is achieved through embedding collaboration and social interaction across the learning process.