Design research is critical to the disciplines of architecture and landscape architecture but often overlooked as a generative method of site investigation. Design research incorporates the empirical and the perceptual, seeking a balance that can be levied through space-based analysis.
This course will investigate the role of fieldwork in design thinking. What information should we be collecting to effectively conduct design research; research that makes room for both qualitative and quantitative information? How do we collect dynamic information from a landscape and the built environment? What are effective strategies for incorporating this information into the design process once we return to the studio?
This course will explore methods of documentation, hypothesis formulation and design testing. Work will be comprised of reading-based discussions and a site-based research project.
Research will be focused on the communities of Lower Lafourche Parish. Collected research will be included in a curated public exhibition supported by the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the NOAA Coastal Services Center.
Between Land and Water 