In Studio 1A students accumulate a range of skills and knowledge, which enable an understanding of and participation in the process of landscape design. These include: research methodologies, idea making and testing, design development and representation. The framework for the outputs of this process are defined by the function and scale of different landscape topologies, represented through Garden, Park and Landscape.

In Studio 1B students are asked to “act as a Landscape Architect but take on the role of an urban designer”. Utilising the methodology of a “Townscape Appraisal” they first focus on identifying the complex relationships between space, function, built form and environment at the human scale, which characterise an historic but semi-derelict urban infrastructure, adjacent to Lancaster city centre. They then use this as a foundation to develop design proposals for the role of communal and public space in the development of a resilient, sustainable and liveable urban quarter.

Landscape Studies consists of two interconnected strands. Landscape Studies 1 aims to situate the subject within its historical and theoretical context, exploring themes and ideas in the complex and evolving relationship between human culture and its environment, as manifested in the landscape. Landscape Studies 2 introduces students to a range of fundamental processes and systems which are generators of landscape, and goes on to explore the materials of landscape, both living and inert, and their application in design. Knowledge is acquired through talks and presentations, collective and individual research, as well as dialogue and discussion. Most importantly, however, information and ideas are explored through project work, based on case studies and site investigations, helping to ground theoretical understanding in concrete landscapes.