LAWI301436 Landscape design project

Type
Project course
Semester hours
5
Lecturer (assistant)
Fauster, Jennifer , Furlan, Cecilia , Tusch, Roland
Organisation
Landscape Architecture
Offered in
Wintersemester 2025/26
Languages of instruction
Deutsch
Content

Tusch Group

Transformation landscape Mürzzuschlag - International teaching cooperation with Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.

The landscape in the Mürzzuschlag/Semmering region is undergoing major transformations. Deindustrialization was accompanied by depopulation. The historic Semmering Railway (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998) is currently being supplemented by a base tunnel, bringing the region much closer to Vienna and opening up new opportunities. We will follow in the traces of this landscape and work out the potential of this transformation in projects.

Excursions: Vienna urban development, historic Semmering railway, Semmering Base Tunnel Design Advisory Board, farewell evening at the SÜDBAHN Museum.

20-24 October 2025 Workshop week in Mürzzuschlag, then individual appointments in Vienna, final critique December 2025. For exact dates see BOKUonline.
Costs: approx. 200 euros for accommodation, admission and guided tours (after deduction of funding from the ÖH)




Gruppe Fauster / Furlan

Repositioning Landscape

This is a time of radical transformations. We live in an era of global economic growth and rapid urbanisation. Our climate is breaking down. Our resources, fertile land, water, soil, and raw materials are being depleted. However, could we imagine alternative growth based on a landscape as a value system?

The design studio focuses on the agency of landscape as a guiding element for future urban and territorial transformation. Specifically, it focuses on the territory of the Upper Traun Valley, around Wels in Upper Austria.

Emphasizing a holistic approach, the studio aims to address the ecological, climatic, economic, and social pressures unique to the Traun Valley region by thinking and acting through the landscape. Our goal is to investigate how landscape can drive alternative designs for the territory's socio-ecological transition, with a particular focus on land sealing and the interplay between productivity and the landscape's elements of ground and water. To strengthen the analysis, we will conduct a field trip on the 14th of October to Wels and it’s surrounding neighbourhoods at the Traun Valley, gaining valuable insights from local community members and the municipality. These insights will enrich our strategies and designs, which will be developed at various scales, using map, video and section tools in a studio setting in Vienna.

The studio will have a strong and crucial focus on mapping and design. It will be conducted in English and German.

Previous knowledge of GIS and design programs such as Adobe Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign), Affinity, Vectorworks, AutoCAD or willingness to learn is recommended.
Previous knowledge expected

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Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)

The objective of the course “Landscape Design Project” is to deepen the knowledge of the landscape architectural design process. This includes the implementation of the landscape architectural design, which is carried out in an exemplary and project-related manner. The knowledge acquired includes the theoretical examination of landscape architectural issues and the design process based on this.
After completing the course, students will be able to understand and conceptualize the entire landscape architectural design process and carry it out independently. The competencies include the presentation of the problem, the qualitative merging of the current state and the target state, with the resulting written and planned implementation of the design proposals in the context of the respective location.
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.