Landscape architecture program to launch at Dals Bible Hill campus

Dalhousie Universitys agricultural campus in Bible Hill is changing the academic landscape for Atlantic Canadian post-secondary schools.

Well known for its architecture program at the main campus in Halifax, Dalhousie is launching an undergraduate program in landscape architecture in its faculty of agriculture.

This program is about making connections between the landscape contracting industry and landscape architecture, Tracey MacKenzie, an environmental sciences professor, said in a news release.

It will focus on designing functional spaces, using an interdisciplinary approach that includes horticultural and engineering skills and applying environmental knowledge to create site solutions, MacKenzie said.

This program will encourage students to be in tune with natural ecosystems and apply a creative mindset to tackle various environmental and design challenges.

The program will be the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada and only the third in the entire country.

The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects explains that the field combines art and science in the creation and preservation of built environments, taking a holistic approach that recognizes that the needs and activities of people can be complementary parts of larger environmental services.

The new Dalhousie program will include areas of study that explore site and ecosystem analysis, engage in collaborative design exercises, apply concepts of sustainability and efficiency, create construction details and specifications, and enhance the environment both esthetically and ecologically. Students will receive training to develop technical skills in design, communication, installation and management.

The program is a direct response to the need for skills and techniques to support a growing profession.

As we face increasingly urgent issues such as climate change, habitat loss, pressures on agricultural land, the necessity of creating better urban environments and other similar concerns, landscape architects are the professionals that are trained to create sensitive science-based solutions through the planning and design of our built and natural environments, said Gordon Smith of the Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects.

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Landscape architecture program to launch at Dals Bible Hill campus