MSc in Landscape Architecture

Overview

Landscape Architecture is sometimes described as ‘drawing in the topography’, but the profession encompasses much more. During the Master’s programme at the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture, you will acquire the knowledge, insight, and skills that make it possible to solve spatial problems through design and to shed light on new topographical situations. This will take place at different scale levels, from a garden to the region.

You will not only learn to reconcile new elements such as water, infrastructure, buildings or greenery with the existing qualities and possibilities of the natural and historical environment, but also how to set a process in motion which an increasing amount of parties will latch on to. Research is an important part of the work, as genuine understanding and innovation can arise from this. That also means gaining an understanding of other factors than the spatial one: the users, the creators and the managers. Above all, the landscape architect is explicitly aware of the influence that the time factor has on the quality of the environment, and can let this do its work. By introducing the right basic conditions, a high-quality outdoor environment is created.

Interdisciplinary and international

Architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture are independent disciplines but are inextricably linked with each other at the same time. The Amsterdam Academy of Architecture is the only Dutch design study programme that offers these three spatial disciplines in combination. By focusing on the essence and skills of your profession and, at the same time, partly working in interdisciplinary groups, you will be prepared for an integrated professional practice in the current field of work, where there is an increasing demand for your specific design skills within blurring boundaries. Working within an international context is also becoming increasingly important. The Academy also maintains an active network of foreign study programmes, through which students and lecturers are exchanged on a small scale, and is a member of the European Association of Architectural Education (EAAE).

Inspiring environment

The Amsterdam Academy of Architecture is a small-scale study programme in the center of the city. All the elements of the urban landscape that are studied and taught here can be recognized in the context that surrounds us. In this way, the city and the surrounding landscape become your laboratory, as a social structure, historical artwork, and enduring design assignment. At the same time, the work of the students is also valuable to the environment itself. Through the designs that the Academy places on the agenda and the designs that the students make, we create a parallel reality time and time again, which can hold its own in terms of the power of expression.

Graduates of the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture can register as a landscape architect with the Dutch Register of Architects immediately.