Studio Culture
The University of Oregon Landscape Architecture Department is more than just a department. We’re a collective: thriving and sharing with each other as we work to make our landscapes better places. This document defines our core values and guidelines as an academic community to foster an inclusive, creative, and collaborative environment for students, faculty, and staff.
Excerpts from https://archenvironment.uoregon.edu/landarch/about
The UOLA Studio Education
We focus on understanding landscapes across multiple scales and real-world projects that are carried through to completion. We emphasize thoughtful design and critical problem solving. The strength of our educational experience is offering design studios and courses with depth and variety intended to train the next generation of landscape architects as sophisticated and effective agents of change.
Excerpts from https://archenvironment.uoregon.edu/landarch/about
Sensitivity to Context
Landscapes are complex and layered, and emphasis should be placed on learning how to respond to a site’s comprehensive history and context through design. Studio projects should have relevance to pertinent world events in and outside of the field of landscape architecture. Sustainable ecological design is a crucial part of the practice and designs should be integrated into ecological systems. Studio projects should also address or acknowledge social inequities, historic injustices, and be grounded in community or historical context.
Comprehensive Processes
Studio is meant to prepare students for the wide range of processes they may encounter as a landscape architect. Studios should be holistic, well-rounded design processes that incorporate analog (hand drawing, model making) and digital workflows. Understandings of design or construction development standards should be inherent to the work as appropriate to the level of each course.
Diverse Perspectives, Exploration, and Collaboration
Our department values diverse approaches, perspectives, and ideas. Exploring new and unfamiliar possibilities is crucial to learning, as is learning to collaborate within that process. Students are encouraged to share approaches and learn from each other. This spirit should be modeled by faculty and consistently pursued by students in all aspects of studio.
Grading
All studios within the College of Design are graded Pass/No Pass to encourage collaboration between peers. Grading standards should be consistent and made clear to students at the start of each studio, with weight given to process, design thinking, and graphic presentation. Students should receive personal feedback on their progress informally through desk crits and reviews and formally through exit interviews and evaluation forms at the conclusion of each term.
Critique
Professionalism is expected of faculty, students, and guest reviewers. Feedback should be constructive and responded to by students with respect. Students are expected to attend all scheduled design reviews and actively participate in their own critique process and that of their peers. Timely and complete submissions are essential to maintain the integrity of the review process and to respect the time and effort of invited guests.
Studio Culture
Mutual Respect and Communication
Communication in studio should be productive, open exchanges of opinions and ideas, shared with kindness and respect. Assuming good intentions and giving the benefit of the doubt to all parties is best practice. Sensitivity for expressing diverse opinions and space for a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives is imperative. Multiple avenues should be explored when approaching situations that involve learning differences and neurodiversity; one style doesn’t fit all.
Creating a Safe Learning Environment
Being uncomfortable or challenged intellectually is a part of learning, but being unsafe is not. All students and faculty are responsible for cultivating a collaborative and respectful environment. If studio members feel unsafe, disrespected, or that their learning is being affected negatively, this should be addressed between peers, with faculty, or with administration if necessary. In the event of an issue, there should be consistent and ongoing cooperation between students, faculty, and administration, which can include both transparent lines of communication and formal accounts of incidents. Students and faculty should refer to investigations.uoregon.edu/reporting for resources on university reporting policies and processes.
Additionally, the Ombuds program (ombuds.uoregon.edu) provides advice on navigating these resources and maintains anonymity for those involved.
Respecting Shared Spaces
Studios are intimate spaces in which students spend a great deal of time. To create an environment that is accessible, comfortable, and safe for all students, students and faculty should act professionally by maintaining cleanliness, respecting others’ space and materials, and setting boundaries to what is shared and what is personal. Community building and discussion is encouraged, but should be kept to respectful levels.
Respecting Shared Time
Respecting each other’s time is crucial to a healthy working environment. Students and faculty are expected to be present in studio for the duration of the allotted time, unless other arrangements are mutually agreed upon. Equitable time allowance between students for desk crits, exit interviews, and other feedback opportunities should be respected by both students and faculty. Students needing extra individual time with instructors should seek office hours outside of studio.
Work-life Balance
Studios demand significant time and effort. Each student and instructor has commitments inside and outside the classroom. Instructors should work with each student to understand their individual needs. Expectations should be clear and reasonable to maximize both academic achievement and personal well-being.
Finances
To the extent they are able, the school and department should be transparent regarding the allocation of tuition and fees, and strive to make a foundational design education as affordable as possible. Faculty may have limited control over costs, but are requested to be mindful of the financial pressures students face and minimize required expenses associated with coursework. When possible, a reasonable estimation of required materials and costs, including site visits, should be provided to students in syllabi/ before class begins.
Document Review Process
This studio culture policy document and the effectiveness of its implementation should be reviewed every two years in a joint process between the DEI Committee, faculty, and administration, beginning Fall 2027. The DEI Committee should initiate this review and all parties should have a chance to pitch and approve changes. Additionally, while this document outlines how the department views a respectful and productive studio culture, if a conflict should ever arise between a studio syllabus or the student handbook and this document, it is important to note that both the syllabus and the handbook take priority as they are legally binding documents. The department will try to harmonize norms across all three documents, but this distinction is important to note.