BA (HONS) GARDEN ART & DESIGN

This course, closely related to our BA (Hons) Landscape Architecture, offers a creative and artistic approach to garden design including smaller private gardens and public spaces. Through hands-on practical experience you will learn how to survey and analyse a site, taking account of natural and cultural processes and how people respond to the site. You will explore the artistic use of a variety of plants and hard materials to design inspiring garden spaces. This professional course is accredited by the Landscape Institute.

This module aims to introduce you to design processes and the basic design elements such as; colour, line, form and texture. By exploring these concepts and building on knowledge and skills gained in ED101, you will create a 3D solution in response to a brief. This provides an introduction to the history and theory of landscape and garden design. This project-based module is primarily concerned with the study, interpretation and communication of the philosophy and practice of landscape and garden design from its origins to the twentieth century. This module aims to introduce you to the characteristics which give outdoor spaces their unique character. A basic understanding is gained through recording diverse landscapes through graphic techniques and photography. You will work individually and in groups and begin to develop the study skills necessary for higher education. This module introduces and explores the fabric of the human-made environment, the materials which are used to create places and artefacts and an appreciation of technical considerations involved in the creation of well crafted, sustainable detail. You will study the components and processes of the natural landscape through use of a study guide, workshops, research into secondary sources and a field survey. This module will examine the role of plants in the man-made world and investigate the horticultural and design factors influencing the use, selection, establishment and growth of plant associations and communities. This is a double module which takes the student through the full design process from survey and analysis through concept development, site design and resolution. The project is based on small-scale urban public gardens and allows students to explore a variety of graphic communication techniques in both 2D and 3D. This module helps you to identify and understand the significance of major developments in the designed environment from C1900 to the present. Aspects of art and design and architecture as well as garden and landscape design are embraced. This provides an introduction to, and investigation of, the philosophy and practice of art in the landscape and the study of landscape and garden design as forms of art. This module will develop further your knowledge of soft materials and explore in detail the specification and implementation of plants and planting for a site. This provides an opportunity to negotiate learning activities appropriate to your individual student needs, interests and course level learning outcomes, through a personal development plan. This module takes forward a design concept brief for a particular site to detailed design resolution with appropriate use of hard and soft materials, applicable to a garden setting. This module focuses on the exploration and development of a design concept for a particular site by using an appropriate design language, based on the qualities and characteristics of the site. It also further develops abilities in designing with a palette of plants and hard materials, presentation techniques and communication skills appropriate to garden design. This module focuses on the theory and practice of urban design and urban landscapes, contemporary `place? theory and the critical analysis of a neighbourhood. This is a design module that concentrates on the detailed understanding and subsequent resolution of a small, public, urban open-space. This module provides the opportunity for you to demonstrate competence in detailed design resolution and specification, including landscape engineering and construction detailing, where possible, through a practical site-based project.

This module provides an opportunity to negotiate learning activities appropriate to your individual student needs, interests and course level learning outcomes, through a personal development plan. This module explores critical and contextual trends and issues relevant to garden design from an international perspective. It also provides an opportunity to develop further research skills. Presentation enables practice in use of written report communication. This module provides the opportunity for you to experience and explore the processes involved in the realisation of small scale garden or landscape design ideas, either through `live' projects or through appropriate work experience. It provides students with experience of client/designer interactions and the regulatory and financial context within which a garden design business operates.

In this double module, you can select from a choice of themes to undertake a comprehensive garden design project. Each project provides opportunity for creativity and personal focus, starting from a brief, designing at a range of scales, to achieve a resolved site design.

The course develops individual design creativity through studio-based projects and specialist workshops. Regular field trips are provided to give you hands-on practical experience. There are also opportunities to enter prestigious competitions, for example the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and to work on live projects with external clients through the Managing Garden Design project. We have external practitioner links, and a diverse range of resources. These include the unique opportunity to work at the Landscape Resource Centre & Experimental Gardens at our Headingley Campus.

Many of our graduates pursue careers in garden design or closely related areas such as the horticultural industries, these include working in plant nurseries, garden centres, garden management, landscape contracting and maintenance. A number of students have gone on to start their own design and build businesses in garden design and landscape construction. Others prefer to continue to develop their design skills and join our Postgraduate Diploma in Landscape Architecture to become Landscape Architects.

Applicants to this course are expected to attend an interview as part of the selection process.