VIRTUAL New Schools of Thought

Abstract

Landscape architecture shares representation conventions from various fields. The conventions of drawing (plan, section and detail) from the discipline of architecture and mapping with from geography. This dual influence has a shaped contemporary disciplinary discourse which posits mapping as a creative and critical practice. In this context, learning how to map is a fundamental part of landscape architectural education. From a learning perspective mapping is an active formation of site and place. Maps aim to not only represent the landscape, but are also processes of making, of constructing the possible grounds for new conceptions of place. This paper will explore mapping as a learning activity in a design studio that explicitly asked students to employ mapping as a process of constructing an argument – positioning themselves and their ideas. Putting forward an argument is often understood to occur through writing or verbal presentations, in this case, constructing an argument through drawing was a key aim of the studio. Critical processes of mapping such as selecting scale, designing graphic notations and highlighting key landscape elements were engaged towards developing individual capacities to develop project briefs and establish key frameworks for design action. Maps will be shown to trace student learning trajectories and the development of the project ideas and arguments. The paper will expand on this dual role of mapping as able to frame the existing and present a previously unseen ground for design as an outward projection towards imagined audiences.