Current Events

ISOLA EB Research Symposium 2023

ISOLA EB Research Symposium 2023

Friday, 17th and Saturday, 18th of February, 2023.
Time: (tentative) 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on February 17th and 18th

Greetings!

The Indian Society of Landscape Architects (ISOLA) is organising the ISOLA_EB ( Education Board) Research Symposium 2023.

The second symposium of ISOLA- ISOLA Resource Symposium lead by the ISOLA Resource centre & ISOLA EC is scheduled to be conducted at Chennai, Tamilnadu on February 17th & 18th (sessions will be tentatively from 9.30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m-detailed schedule will be shared shortly)

The theme of the symposium is ‘Data Collection and Data Analysis’ & the primary focus of the symposium is:

  • To demonstrate ways of creating/collecting data with case studies
  • To Discuss and demonstrate the application of data in the field of landscape architecture.

The Symposium also explores the varying processes and their needs in the broad landscape parameters (as sub themes) of:

  • Landforms
  • Vegetation
  • Water bodies and
  • Stakeholders.

The symposium is envisaged as a combination of Presentations by eminent speakers ( in the domain of both practice and academia ) along with Mentorship sessions.

The mentorship sessions will cover the Workshops on the subthemes and are a unique opportunity for those who are already engaged in or beginning active research providing an opportunity for one-on-one discussions on their current work with senior researchers and professionals.

The call for research abstracts is presently open and it ends on 18th January 2023.Please find attached with this mail the poster with details of the speakers and the broad topics which will be covered during the two-day symposium. The details for the abstract submissions can also be accessed on the ISOLA website.

The participants for the mentorship session will be selected after a peer review of the abstract of their current research work. Other participants will have the opportunity to participate in these mentorship sessions as observers.

We are sure that attending this symposium will be of great advantage to:

  • Students, teaching faculty, and Academicians
  • Research scholars
  • Practitioners with research inclination in pure/applied research, and
  • LA practices seeking mentorship in their research based projects.

For any queries or for connecting with the organizing team kindly refer to the following email id: isolasymposium@gmail.com

Register Here!!
https://isola.smebusinesssoftware.com/conference/application.html

 

 

 

 
 

Past Events

ISOLA EB Research Symposium 2021

CLICK HERE TO
VIEW DETAILS

ISOLA EB Research Symposium 2021

Friday, 26th and Saturday, 27th of November, 2021.
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on November 26th and
10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on November 27th.

Greetings!

The Indian Society of Landscape Architects (ISOLA) is organising the ISOLA_EB ( Education Board) Research Symposium 2021.

The details for the symposium with important dates and links are as follows:

Dates and Days:
This is scheduled to be held online on Friday and Saturday, the 26th and 27th of November, 2021.

Timings: 1:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on November 26th and
10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on November 27th.

For details about the symposium please log on to
www.isola.org.in/

Registrations -
Important Dates:
Early Bird registration date: extended till 15th Nov, 2021 Last Date for registration: 23rd Nov, 2021

 
 
Call For Abstracts: 22nd Oct, 2021 Friday
 
Deadline for Receiving Abstracts: 8th November,
2021
Monday
 
Announcement of the selected abstracts selected through email to the respective participants: 15th November,
2021
Monday
 
Submission of the abstract along with the presentation (Ms Power point –Max 10 slides- 16:9 template): 22nd November,
2021
Monday
 
Confirmation will be sent to the selected participants via an email, with respect to the time slot under each topic/ track for the mentorship sessions: 23rd November,
2021
Tuesday
 
 

Link for Abstract Guidelines :
CLICK HERE

Link for Abstract Template :
CLICK HERE

For submission of abstracts, any queries, or for connecting with the organizing team kindly refer the following email id: isolasymposium@gmail.com

For instagram updates pl check
https://www.instagram.com/isolaofficial/

Link to join the online symposium will be shared with the registered participants via email , one day prior to the symposium.

Please find attached the poster of the symposium with all details including session themes and speakers for your reference.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Organizing Team,
ISOLA EB Research Symposium 2021

 
 

LANDSCAPE LEGACIES

ISOLA LANDSCAPE LEGACIES

Saturday 25th September 2021
Time: 2:15 pm - 3:30 pm.

Following the AGM, ISOLA and LA Journal will co-host an in-depth conversation with the first generation of Indian Landscape Architects - Ram Sharma, Kishore Pradhan, Satish Khanna, and Mrs. Bhan (w/o Ravindra Bhan).

All four pre-eminent members of our profession are recipients of the ISOLA Gold Medal, subjects of the recently published Monographs ( by LA Journal and supported by ISOLA), practitioners, teachers, pioneers, and mentors.

Please find below the link for attending the Post AGM event: ISOLA Landscape Legacies

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85849518373?pwd=NnNwaHVNZCsyM1lqVS95OTBYLzlSdz09

Meeting ID: 858 4951 8373
Passcode: 615882

Kindly note this program is open to all.

 

ISOLA 16th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given for the 16th Annual General Meeting of all members of the Indian Society of Landscape Architects to be held on

Saturday, the 25th of September 2021
from 10.00 am to 1:30 pm.

If the required quorum is not available, the meeting would be held at the same place and same date at 10:15 am.

Considering the present situation due to Covid-19, the AGM will be held online. Meeting link will be sent prior to the AGM.

You are requested to kindly attend the meeting.

CLICK HERE FOR NOTICE & AGENDA.

Thanking you,

Yours truly,
Devayani Deshmukh Upasani
Honorary Secretary, ISOLA

 

ISOLA 87th Executive Council Meeting

ISOLA 87th Executive Council Meeting to be held on 13th February, 2020

The 87th Meeting of all Executive Council members of the Indian Society of Landscape Architects will be held on Saturday, the 13th of February 2021 online.

Date: Saturday, 13th February, 2021

Location : Online

Time
2.00pm- 5.00pm
with all EC members-Elected, Co-opted members and Chapter representatives

5.00pm-6.30pm
with all EC members-Elected, Co-opted members, Chapter representatives and WLAM organizing members

 

ISOLA 86th Executive Council Meeting

ISOLA 86th Executive Council Meeting to be held on 28th November, 2020

 

ISOLA 15th General Body Meeting

ISOLA 15th General Body Meeting to be held on 12th September, 2020

 

ISOLA 85th Executive Council Meeting

ISOLA 85th Executive Council Meeting to be held on 5th September, 2020

 

ISOLA 84th EC MEETING

ISOLA EC MEETING HELD ON JULY 4TH

The 84th Meeting of all Executive Council members of the Indian Society of Landscape Architects was held on Saturday, the 4th of July 2020 online from 2:30pm- 6:30pm. The meeting was attended by all EC members-Elected, Co-opted members and Chapter representatives

Venue : ONLINE CLOUD MEETING PLATFORM

 

ISOLA 14th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

ISOLA 14th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Isola conducts its Annual general meeting every year in the month of August/ September in Ahmedabad and a number of members attend the meeting to discuss and deliberate on the working of the Society with the Executive Council members. Key decisions that impact the consensus of all members present. The audited accounts and the annual report of the Society are also tabled for approval of the members.

The 14th AGM was held on the 10th of August 2019 at the GIDC Hall, CEPT University Ahmedabad.

Venue : GIDC Bhawan
Centre for Environment Planning & Technology
Kasturbhai Lalbhai Campus
University Road, Navrangpura
Ahmedabad, Gujarat - 380009

Annual General Meeting
Time: 10am - 12:30pm

Brain Storming Session

Session 1:
1:30 - 3:00pm
Practice of Landscape Architecture in India

  • Code of Conduct
  • Scale of Professional Charges
  • Regional Challenges

Session 2:
3:00 - 4:30pm
Challenges of Landscape Architecture in India & A Way Forward..

  • Greater Involvement of Landscape Architects in Public Projects
  • Issue Based Approach to Regional Events

Conclusions & Follow Up Actions
4:30 - 5:00pm

 

ISOLA 13th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

ISOLA 13th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Isola conducts its Annual general meeting every year in the month of August/ September in Ahmedabad and a number of members attend the meeting to discuss and deliberate on the working of the Society with the Executive Council members. Key decisions that impact the consensus of all members present. The audited accounts and the annual report of the Society are also tabled for approval of the members.

The 13th AGM was held on the 8th of September 2018 at the GIDC Hall, CEPT University Ahmedabad.

 

2017 ISOLA AWARDS CEREMONY

2017 ISOLA AWARDS CEREMONY

The AGM was followed by the ISOLA Awards Ceremony for the 2017 cycle of awards.

This was the first time the ISOLA Awards Ceremony was held at the AGM, and the afternoon was dedicated to the 7th cycle of ISOLA Honours and Awards. This was a public event, to felicitate the award winners.

ISOLA Medal Recipients Satish Khanna (2017) and Kishore Pradhan (2016) made presentation on ‘Narratives from the lives of landscape architects’. This was followed by the awards ceremony.

 

RECENT TRENDS IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

RECENT TRENDS IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

June 2nd, 218, JNAFAU, Hyderabad

The Indian Society of Landscape Architects Executive Committee Meeting was held in Hyderabad on Saturday, June 2, 2017 in Hyderabad. As a piggy back event, an ISOLA event entitled ‘Recent Trends in Landscape Architecture’ was organized by ISOLA Hyderabad members. The venue was the Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University.

The Event commenced with an address by the ISOLA President Ms. Sujata Kohli followed by that of the Vice Chancellor of JNAFAU Dr Prof. Kavita Rao Daryani and Registrar JNAFAU Dr. Prof. Phanisree (also an ISOLA member). Two invited speakers with their expertise in different plant groups added to the knowledge of the audience and presenters. The expert invited speakers were Dr. K.P. Vasuki and Pradeep Ganu. Introductions were by ISOLA Vice President Dr. Sridevi Rao and Mr. Narasimham Vadlamani.

The feature presentations were by landscape architects under 50 years of age. The Landscape architects who presented their selected works were Naveen Panuganti, Syed Zahid Ali Akhter, Sharath Rajeev, Gopal Bajaj, Harish Vangara and Ankit Kalantri. The six presentations showcased design methodologies that dealt with adapting to the context and natural features, different scales of projects, approaches to new ideas tools and technologies and quantification of materials to empower decision making in resource use in a project.

 

TTP (Teachers’ Training Program) on “Sustainable Campus Planning and Landscape Design”

TTP (Teachers’ Training Program) on “Sustainable Campus Planning and Landscape Design”

Council of Architecture Training & Research Centre (COA-TRC), Pune the academic wing of Council of Architecture, New Delhi, is holding Training Program, for architects and teachers in schools of architecture, as under:

“Sustainable Campus Planning and Landscape Design”

Coordinated by Prof. Swati Sahasrabudhe,
Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture for Women, Pune

In Collaboration with ISOLA ( Indian Society of Landscape Architects)

Hosted by BNCA ( Dr. B.N.College of Architecture for Women, MKSSS, Pune)

from 12th February to 16th February, 2018

Venue:
Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture for Women, Pune, Maharashtra

Last date for registration: 05th February, 2018

ISOLA Coordinator:
Dr. Abhijit Natu, Member, ISOLA- Education Board

Local Coordinator:
Prof. Neeraja Hingane; E-mail: neeraja.hingne@gmail.com; Mo: (+91) 9850156070

For more Information check out the links below..

Poster -- Sustainable Campus Planning & Landscape Design

TTP- A Brief Note

TTP Booklet - Intro

Program Schedule - Tentative

Application Form

 

SERIES 01: ISOLA PUBLIC LECTURE

SERIES 01: ISOLA PUBLIC LECTURE

on February 2nd, 2018 (Friday) from 5.30-8.30 pm

at BNCA, Pune

This is the first in a series of ISOLA Outreach lectures and professional interactions that will bring together ISOLA members, the landscape fraternity and allied professionals from across the region along with the ISOLA Executive Council.This event will include presentations by Maharashtra chapter members.

 

12th ISOLA Annual General Meeting

The Executive Council of ISOLA would like to remind all members that the 12th AGM of the Indian Society of Landscape Architects will be held on Saturday, the 19th of August 2017 at the Hall, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar – 382355 between 10.00am to 4.30pm.

The AGM will be followed by a short event ‘Greening Cities’.

‘Greening Cities’ brings together on one platform, a former Toyota automobile engineer, an architect and CEPT students of landscape architecture to showcase their individual contributions through creativity and experimentation.

The AGM includes an Open House Discussion on understanding how ISOLA participation can help its members, students and society at large. We look forward to all your suggestions, opinions, comments and contributions!

 

ISOLA Workshop with IGBC on Green Landscape Ratings

As a follow up to the IGBC Conference on Green Landscape Ratings held in November 2016, ISOLA, IGBC hosted a one day workshop with ISOLA members at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi to deliberate on its Green Landscape Rating systems. The session was an opportunity for IGBC and ISOLA members to discuss and deliberate on the process and requirement of the existing ratings and revise them accordingly. IGBC is in the process of compilation of all suggestions, views and approaches to enhance the rating system.

 

11th ISOLA Annual General Meeting

The 11th Annual General Meeting of ISOLA was held at GIDC Bhawan, CEPT University, Ahmedabad on the 27th of August 2016. The AGM gives an opportunity to the Executive Councilto share the working and events of the Society with all members and seek opinions on the ongoing endeavours and outline their future plans. Following were the salient points that formed a part of the meeting agenda:

  • The audited accounts of the Society for the financial year ended March 2016 were tabled and approved. The EC was happy to report that the financial health of the Society has considerably improved over the last 3 years.
  • The members were given a demonstration of the online membership registration, renewal, member database access and online voting for resolutions and elections provisions that have now been made. The newly designed website with a special member-only section and improved navigation was also shown to the members. The new website shall be operational by the end of September 2016.
  • The members were briefed about the sixth cycle of ISOLA Awards and the theme and format of the upcoming 12th annual conference in Goa
  • The general body welcomed the decision to name the ISOLA Students Award as the PRABHAKAR BHAGWAT STUDENT AWARD for BEST THESIS and the NASA ISOLA Landscape Trophy to be renamed as the MOHAMMED SHAHEER ISOLA TROPHY.
 

Natural Cities, Clean Water, Environment & Food Security

Guests of Honour:
Sh. Sharad Yadav, Hon’ble Member of Parliamnet
Sh. Kishore Chandra Deo, Fomer Union Minister, Tribal Affairs & Panchayati Raj

Natural City - Amaravati as a case study

The present proposal of the new capital of Andhra Pradesh at Amravati is proposed on the most fertile flood plain of the country with 5 crops and year and a per capita income of Rs. 10-20 lakhs per acre per annum for the farmer. However, ignoring the geology, hydrology and environment the present proposed seed capital is a completely unsustainable model and will cause an irreversible impact on farming, economy and environment. The proposal for the Amaravati Natural City - not only as the capital of Andhra Pradesh has been conceptualized as the first self-sustaining city of the future. It will become a model for India and the rest of Asia showing the future direction for urban living. Unlike other important In¬dian cities, Amaravati will be self sufficient in water , vegetables, milk and markedly reduce energy use and pollution . Located on the edge of the conserved Krish¬na floodplain, it will sustainably draw perennial quality water from the floodplain aquifer for its citizens.

ISOLA and Natural Heritage First have come together with the activists and farmers of the reason to raise a voice against the present proposal of the government called the Subarna Plan (conceptualized by a Singapore firm) and have offered indigenous solutions which are possible to implement and be a model for future.

There was a roundtable in Vijaywada on 5th July 2016, followed by the second roundtable in Delhi on 29th July 2016 where these issues were discussed and an attempt was made to present it to public, stakeholders and press. Former Honorary President ISOLA, Sachin Jain presided on behalf of ISOLA and was also represented by ISOLA treasurer Neelima Soni, ISOLA Delhi Chapter Chair Jasleen Waraich and Secretary Madhup Mazumder besides other members. There were presentations by Sachin Jain (on Urbanization Dilemmas) and by Prof. Vikram Soni & Mr. Romi Khosla (on Amravati Natural City).


Link for Book on Amravati

View 'Natural Cities Clean Water' Invite - PDF

 

Landscape Explorations in the Public Realm

Isola conducts its Annual general meeting every year in the month of August/ September in Ahmedabad and a number of members attend the meeting to discuss and deliberate on the working of the Society with the Executive Council members. Key decisions that impact the consensus of all members present. The audited accounts and the annual report of the Society are also tabled for approval of the members.

In the 10th AGM On the 22nd of August 2015, the meeting was followed by a small event- LANDSCAPE EXPLORATIONS IN THE PUBLIC REALM, wherein a series of presentations by our senior, young and student members on their individual/firm’s engagement on government or public projects were made. A mall description of the same is presented in next few pages.

 

Re-Centering Delhi

Originating from the Lower Himalayas, the Yamuna River, the largest tributary of the Ganges, is a vital resource for the rapidly growing capital city of New Delhi. The Yamuna supplies the city of New Delhi with much of its drinking water, channeled from the river by a network of pipes at the Wazirabad barrage. Within the space of a few kilometers, so much untreated sewage and other toxic effluent are dumped into the Yamuna that the water is rendered “dead,” posing serious health hazards to the citizenry of New Delhi. Teeming with a rapidly increasing population and a fraying network of urban infrastructure, New Delhi has severed all spatial links to the Yamuna.

RE-CENTERING DELHI is an ongoing research and design initiative at the University of Virginia School of Architecture. A collaboration between students and faculty, this exhibition presents the factors – ecological, social, and infrastructural – characterizing the Yamuna’s present state of neglect. Employing drawings, maps, and a photoessay, RE-CENTERING DELHI illustrates - in a series of urban design speculations - the potentials for vital re-connection between New Delhi and the Yamuna....

View 'Re-Centering Delhi' Invite - PDF

 

The Way Forward

At 9th Annual General Meeting, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad

Acquiring the status of a 'Recognized Profession' :
Talk by Sudhir Vohra, folllowed by interactive session with members

RECOGNISING COURSES :
CRITERIA FOR ISOLA MEMBERSHIP: Deliberations by members of ISOLA Education Board

NEXT IS WHAT???
Thoughts for the future of the profession in India
Dialogue with ISOLA members

View 'The Way Forwad'- PDF

 

Cities & Rivers: A Talk by Iñaki Alday

‘Cities and Rivers’ was organised by ISOLA, National body on 26th July 2014 at Sanskriti Kendra, a presentation by IñakiAlday, Quesada Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture, University of Virginia, Charlottesville. He spoke about the work of his firm Aldayjover Architect and Landscape, an internationally awarded firm based in Barcelona.

Set up by Iñaki Alday (Zaragoza, 1965) and Margarita Jover in 1996 in Barcelona, aldayjover faces works of public architecture, urban design and landscape with a common approach to the specific character of the place. Amongst a wide range of architectural and landscape pieces aldayjover has designed the most important recent public spaces in Barcelona (Sagrera), Zaragoza (water park, tramway), Pamplona (Aranzadi Park) or Ibiza (Vara de Rei).

The work is known for its new approach to the relation between cities and rivers in which natural dynamics as the flood become part of the public space, far from the idea of “catastrophe. The integration of rivers, nature and infrastructures in the city are faced as the contemporary space of opportunity to develop new urban models. Aldayjover has been awarded with a number of Spanish and international prizes, the last built work the Aranzadi Park, is finalist for the prize of International Landscape Architecture Biennale and was exhibited in the Rotterdam Biennale 2014, as the main reference of “Building with Nature”

 

Exploring and Recovering Chinese Landscape Culture

A Lecture by Prof. Liu Hui, Director of the Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Architecture, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology (XAUAT)- ‘Exploring and Recovering Chinese Landscape Culture’ in association with Aga Khan Trust for Culture (A KTC) was On 3 May 2014 at the India Habitat Centre.

Professor and director of the Department of Landscape Architecture in the College of Architecture, XAUAT. Bachelor degree in Architecture in 1988, Master degree of City Planning in 1991 and Doctor Degree of Architectural History and Theory in 2005, XAUAT. Study on Healthy Facility building design in Leuven University, Belgium, in 1996; study on Landscape Architecture in Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture et du Paysage de Bordeaux, France, 2000-2001. Three subjects in current research work: The urban green space system planning and design in North-western China, and the history of Chinese traditional landscape culture in the history of Han and Tang Dynasty.

View 'EXPLORING AND RECOVERING CHINESE LANDSCAPE CULTURE'- PDF

 

Doordarshan Episode of Hunarbaaz

In early March ISOLA Delhi Chapter participated in a Doordarshan episode of Hunarbaaz, a show centred upon showcasing skills in a real set up. Led by SiddharthKak and his team, the ISOLA fraternity in collaboration with the Department of Landscape Architecture, SPA Delhi, organised a competition of setting up a series of 4 themed gardens on the premises of Vis a vis, a leading lighting solutions studio. With students of M.L.A at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi with a live site at the Vis-à-vis farm. 1st year MLA students were inspired to create thematic gardens within a predetermined cost and time.

 

Be Loose Graphics Workshop by Mike Lin

The two-day Be Loose Graphics Workshop was conducted by Mr Mike Lin after the 2014 ISOLA Annual Conference held in New Delhi. Mr. Lin, has trained over 2,50,000 professionals and students the world over; this was the first workshop organised in India. The event was hosted by ISOLA Delhi NCR chapter with the assistance of Central ISOLA. It generated a lot of interest in the design community with professionals and students of Landscape Architecture and Architecture participating to make it a success with 85 registrants.

 

Sustainable Landscapes: Current Scenario and the Way Forward

The Indian Society of Landscape Architects (ISOLA) held a seminar titled SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES: Current Scenario and the Way Forward on the 31st of August 2013 at Ahmedabad. The event was preceded by the 8th Annual General Body Meeting of the Society at the same venue in a bid to facilitate ease of attendance for outstation members.

The focus of the Seminar, as stated in the title, was discussing what one would define as Sustainable Landscapes, their current scenario, their anticipated future and the role that Green Rating Systems play in these projects.

ISOLA Honorary President Sachin Jain welcomed the panel of distinguished speakers and audience and invited Dr.Sudhir K.Jain, Director of IIT Gandhinagar to deliver the keynote address.

Dr.Sudhir K.Jain welcomed the audience and introduced them to the genesis of IITs in the country. He spoke of his ideas and experiences in the development of the new campus for IIT Gandhinagar whose design brief was focused on creating a welcoming and attractive ambience, functional convenience toencourage mutual interaction and low energy consumption and low maintenance. He invited the delegates to visit the campus once it was operational next year.

Sachin Jain then took the stage to make a brief presentation on the issues and concerns that landscape architects manage in practice while designing, detailing and executing landscape works, including site development works for achieving credits for Green Rating systems. With the help of examples contributed by ISOLA members , he pointed out that while credits were achieved on paper, the real goals are compromised quite frequently. He strongly advocated that this could only be obviated with much stricter auditing and compliance checks, not just post achievement of credit but on completion and after 5 years of operation i.e. measuring the actual performance of a system and comparing it with the initial design statements.......

View 'SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES: Current Scenario and the Way Forward' Report- PDF

 

Teaching Of Landscape Architecture At UG Level In Architecture

Introduction

The workshop was broadly divided into three thematic sessions titled “Thrust areas in teaching Landscape Architecture”, “Teaching methods and techniques Landscape Architecture” and “Practical Concerns of teachers”. These sessions were presided by the session chairs viz.: Dr. Shishir Raval, Dr. Sridevi Rao and Mr. Samir Mathur respectively. Dr. Abhijit Natu was the convener of the workshop.

Prof. M. Shaheer delivered the introductory talk giving an overview of the workshop and his views on the subject. The papers of Prof. Shaheer and the session chairs and the abstracts of the presentations of the participating teachers are attached herewith.

Based upon the discussions in the workshop and also on the written feedback received from the participants in form of questionnaires following summary of the three sessions is prepared.

Practical Concerns of Teachers

Some of the architecture schools in the country have Landscape Architecture only as an elective subject and not a compulsory subject in the curriculum. This issue is of concern, as sensitivity to the site and the environmental setting are of prime importance, which need emphatic attention in architecture curriculum. Exposure to landscape architecture widens the scale of understanding of “space” and larger concerns beyond the site.

The amount of time and weightage in terms of marks allotted to the subject in the entire architectural curriculum is just 5% to 7% of the total time. Hence the perception of this subject tends to be a “peripheral” or “an ancillary” subject. But the time and marks allotment is inevitable considering the array of subjects in the architecture curriculum.

View 'Teaching of Landscape Architecture... ' Summary of Proceedings- PDF

 
 

Landscape Architecture Education Workshop, 2009

A Workshop Jointly Organised by SPA, New Delhi and ISOLA

Landscape architecture encompasses the analysis, planning, design, management, and stewardship of the natural and environments. Four decades of landscape architecture practice in India has seen much change in terms of scale and variety of projects. Landscape architecture education therefore also has to keep pace with changing times.

A workshop was organized by the school of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and the Indian Society of Landscape architects on 22-23 October at New Delhi on Landscape architecture Education with the objective of reviewing the strengths and weakness of current academic programmers in the face of changing realities of the profession. It was aimed to be a participatory exercise between faculty members of Landscape architecture across the country, students and other professionals and teachers, to review and look for further directions in academia. What follows is a summary of the proceeding, of the workshop, distilled from abstracts, paper presented, and discussions that followed.

Four decades of Landscape Architecture Education: A Review

A formal programme in landscape architecture at School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi was first recommended by Prof. T.K. Manickam at a seminar on Landscape Architecture held at the School in February 1958. After fourteen years, in 1972, the department was set up in consultation with Ford Foundation with Prof. Ravindra Bhan as the first Head of Department. The next programme opened in 1993 in the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad followed by another post graduate degree in the subject in Anna University, Chennai in 2002. In the coming decade, there is a need to increase programmes in landscape architecture by 5-6 new courses.

Who will study?

Aptitude, Eligibility and Motivation

Landscape design education should be able to develop students who transcend basic design skill to further engage with values and propositions. The success is judged by the values that the institute imparts and how these influence even average students. Aptitude and motivation are the byproducts of an atmosphere of learning that covers both education and practice.

At present in India, programmes in landscape architecture are being taught at the post graduate level only and are open to students only with architectural backgrounds. As the profession moves increasingly towards more ecologically responsible and sensitive design and with new and varied types of projects, it is desirable to have students from diverse backgrounds in post graduate programmes as used to happen earlier when the first programme was started as SPA. A landscape architecture programmed needs to bring new idea, different expertise and viewpoints in the classroom. Another recommendation may be to convince the education authorities to incorporate landscape architecture as a part of vocational subject in the high school curricula itself.

View 'Landscape Architecture Education Workshop ' - PDF

 

IFLA Eastern Region Conference 2005

Ecology, Culture, Landscape: Place and Image in the Global Village

Venue: The Resort, Madh Island, Mumbai

Speakers:

  • Ms. Suchandra Bardhan (Department of Architecture, Jadavpur University)
  • Mr. Neelkanth Chhaya (Director, School of Architecture, CEPT)
  • Mr. Nikhil Dhar (Landscape Architect)
  • Mr. Grant A. Donald (Associate Director, Atkins Global)
  • Prof. Balkrishna Doshi (Architect and academician)
  • Hazreena Hussain (Department of Architecture, University of Malaya, Malaysia)
  • Prof. Dani Karavan (Landscape Architect, Artist, and Sculptor, Israel)
  • Suneet Mohindru (Landscape Architect and Conservation Consultant)
  • Prof. Cecelia Paine, (SEDRD, University of Guelph, Canada)
  • Dr. Sridevi Rao (Landscape Architect)
  • Dr. Shishir R. Raval (Landscape Architect and academician)
  • Dr. Priyaleen Singh (Department of Architectural Conservation, SPA)
  • Prof. James Taylor (SEDRD, University of Guelph, Canada)
  • Prof. Romila Thapar (Emeritus Professor, Ancient Indian History, JNU)
  • Ms. Angela Yao (Landscape Architect, Atkins Global, China)