Our rivers are in crisis. Pollution, over-extraction, extremes of drought and flood driven by climate change: there is no single stretch of England’s rivers in good ecological health. Attempting to address these issues, an old-new idea is gathering momentum around the world: reengaging with rivers as living beings.
This presents an urgent new agenda for landscape architects. If rivers are living beings with their own distinct identities, what questions should we ask? How do we listen? How can we learn to design with the river, towards co-created futures? The Studio started by de-centering a singular human perspective, finding the multiple protagonists who make up the identity of the Thames. From North Greenwich to Thamesmead, students worked along the south bank of the Thames at scales from 1:2500 to 1:500. Designs focused on redefining community relationships with the Thames, strengthening ecological corridors, and reimagining transitional landscapes between river, industry, infrastructure, and community.
The Resolution Studio focused on deepening a single intervention zone along the riverfront through ecological narrative mapping at 1:1000 and site-specific design resolution at 1:500. Students iteratively advanced landscape proposals through critical reflection, narrative research and the development of sophisticated drawings, models, and prototypes.
Mohamad Al sadi, Roo Angell, Alexis Liu
Iva Aleksandrova, Anushka Athique, Sean Bradley, Imogen Dunn, Daniel Eastwell, Duncan Goodwin, Amund Hugin, Dilip Lakhani, Graham Lee, Alfie Oliver, Sydney Olszewski, Carlos Pinto, Peter Wilder
Welcome to the creative and climate-conscious world of BA Landscape Architecture, where design meets environmental responsibility. The undergraduate programme progressively introduces students to a set of innovative tools and methods, that allow exploration into how spaces can be reimagined for both people and natural communities and be beautifully integrated into the environment. See further details on our prospectus page.
