Application period: 1 January–31 May 2014
Institute of Landscape Architecture
Pia Fricker, Director of Studies MAS LA
HIL H 57.2, Stefano-Franscini-Platz 5
CH – 8093 Zürich-Hoenggerberg
T +41 44 633 29 87
[email protected]
girot.arch.ethz.ch/masla
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MAS program—Landscape Architecture Design Simulation
The focus of the Master of Advanced Studies in Landscape Architecture (MAS LA) of Professor Girot’s Chair of Landscape Architecture at ETH Zürich is the development of landscape design using the latest design modeling and visualization possibilities as well as the 3D animation of landscape architecture. Through intensive work with these techniques, students will be able to achieve complex design tasks and develop new forms of landscape design. They will be able to handle current issues more efficiently and in a more experimental manner.
The chosen CAD programs (i.e. Rhino 3D, Grasshopper, Q/SAGA GIS, Processing, Final Cut Pro) are particularly appropriate for the visualization of both detailed and large-scale landscape designs and offer the possibility for export to computer-steered milling machines capable of producing 3D physical models. In addition, competences will be enhanced in the area of 3D GIS, as well as the use of photography as a design tool and video as a tool for illustration and design.
The course of studies is intended to be completed as a part-time program over two semesters and is divided into seven themed modules and one concluding synthesis module. The modules focus on the practice-oriented use of current CAAD/CAAM technologies in the area of landscape architecture. The main focus of the program is not the acquisition of new software skills but rather the integration of cutting-edge modeling and visualization technologies as design tools within the field of landscape architecture.
Each module begins with a phase where new techniques are learned. In this phase, individual exercises are connected to current issues in landscape architecture. In the second part of the module, participants grapple with complex problems, which will be discussed during a concluding presentation within the framework of a panel discussion with a group of experts. Each module starts on a Friday, and lectures are held only on Fridays (full day) and Mondays (half day). We offer office hours for individual questions on Wednesday afternoons. Please note that final presentations and/or additional workshops may also be scheduled on Wednesdays. The module sequence ends with an synthesis seminar. This seminar allows the participants to go more in-depth in an area of their choice among the completed modules. The students are challenged to go beyond the boundaries of conventional domains and test the tools in analysis, design, and visualization.
The programs and different CAAD/CAAM techniques, which they have become acquainted with in the different modules, complement each other and should be applied and recombined to explore new design methodologies in the final synthesis project.
The program is geared towards university graduates in the areas of architecture and landscape architecture who have professional experience and are already familiar with various visualization and modeling techniques. The number of participants is limited to 16. Our Master of Advanced Studies in Landscape Architecture (MAS LA) has been offered for ten years and boasts over 100 graduates. All our graduates have moved onto jobs in important landscape architecture offices in Switzerland, Europe and beyond.
Diploma
Graduates who successfully conclude their studies will receive a postgraduate diploma entitling them to the title of “Master of Advanced Studies in Landscape Architecture” (MAS LA, ETH).
Registration
Registration materials, including portfolio and reference letters, can be submitted between 1 January and 31 May. The program starts at the end of September 2014.
Details on course structure and schedule can be found here.
Further registration information can be found here.
