For the ecological sphere of my certificate, I took a course called design and the environment. This class focused on how to construct a built space that works in harmony with the existing natural environment. Furthermore, the topics that we covered included land use policies and patterns, development and resource management, issues surrounding community design, and strategies for improving environmental integrity and quality of life.
One of the first projects we did in this class was a step-by-step design process for formulating and implementing a project plan onto a site. As a landscape architecture major, this was my first class that gave me a realistic approach to the design process and what I would potentially be doing in my future career. A landscape architect first does a site inventory of the area of design and the surrounding areas, as well as a site analysis which monitors and reflects on the natural process of the site, such as sun, water flow, and topography.
This course taught me the importance of the research and planning stage in a project. We need to take the time to understand and analyze how a certain implementation of a design could impact our desired results. Furthermore, the understanding of natural sciences is crucial to have an understanding of a site as a whole. Ideally, when implementing sustainable designs we would like to see a balance between environmental health, economic prosperity, and human health, which allows the landscape to provide ecosystem services such as supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural services.