thesis topics for landscape architecture

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50 Best Thesis Topics for Landscape Architecture

• February 8, 2023
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• Landscape architecture , landscape urbanism , Urban design thesis , urban research

Landscape architecture is a multi-disciplinary field that focuses on the design, planning, and management of the built and natural environments. Landscape architects work to create functional and aesthetically pleasing outdoor spaces that are sustainable and improve the quality of life for people. This field encompasses a wide range of projects, from designing residential gardens to planning public parks and green spaces, creating urban plazas and promenades, and developing environmental restoration projects.

Landscape architects collaborate with other professionals, including architects, engineers, planners, and urban designers, to ensure that their designs are functional, sustainable, and integrate well with the surrounding environment. They also work closely with clients and stakeholders to understand their needs and desires, and to ensure that the final design meets their goals and expectations.

Masters of Landscape Architecture:

A Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) is a graduate degree program in landscape architecture. It is designed for students who have a strong interest in the design, planning, and management of outdoor spaces and the built environment. The program provides advanced training in design, ecology, planning, history, and theory, as well as hands-on experience working on real-world design projects.

The MLA curriculum typically covers a wide range of topics, including landscape design and analysis, urban design, site planning, ecology, construction and materials, and sustainable design. Students also have the opportunity to specialize in areas such as urban design, park planning, or environmental restoration.

Graduates of an MLA program are prepared to work in a variety of settings, including private design firms, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions. They may also pursue careers as independent consultants, providing design and planning services to clients in both the public and private sectors.

The MLA degree typically takes two years of full-time study to complete, although some programs may offer part-time or online options for working professionals.

Masters of Landscape Architecture Thesis:

The Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) thesis is a final project required for graduation from a MLA program. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in landscape architecture, as well as to pursue a topic of personal interest in greater depth. The MLA thesis is usually completed in the final year of study and is a requirement for graduation.

The MLA thesis typically involves a substantial research and design project, which can take many forms, including a design proposal for a real-world site, an analysis of a landscape architecture issue, or a theoretical investigation of a design-related topic. The project should demonstrate the student’s mastery of the knowledge and skills acquired during the MLA program, as well as their ability to conduct independent research and design work.

UDL Thesis Publication 2024

Curating the best thesis Globally !

Landscape Architecture Thesis Topics List:

• An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting sustainability and green infrastructure.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in mitigating the impacts of climate change.
• The impact of landscape design on water management and conservation.
• An analysis of the integration of landscape design with building design and architecture.
• The role of landscape design in promoting social equity and access to public spaces.
• Evaluating the impact of landscape design on urban biodiversity and wildlife habitats.
• The integration of landscape design in transportation planning and infrastructure development.
• An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting public health and well-being.
• The impact of landscape design on local food systems and agriculture.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy.
• The integration of landscape design in coastal and waterfront management and planning.
• An analysis of the role of landscape design in supporting sustainable tourism and recreation.
• The impact of landscape design on air quality and environmental health.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in promoting cultural and historic preservation.
• The integration of landscape design in brownfield and contaminated site remediation.
• An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting community engagement and participation.
• The impact of landscape design on economic development and job creation.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in promoting walkability and livability.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in promoting natural resource conservation and stewardship.
• The integration of landscape design in sustainable land use planning and management.
• An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting community health and wellness.
• An analysis of the integration of landscape urbanism principles in urban design and development.
• Evaluating the impact of landscape urbanism on sustainable urbanism and green infrastructure.
• The role of landscape urbanism in promoting social equity and access to green spaces in urban areas.
• An examination of the integration of landscape urbanism in transportation planning and infrastructure development.
• The impact of landscape urbanism on biodiversity and wildlife habitat conservation in urban areas.
• An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting accessibility and universal design.
• The impact of landscape design on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in promoting biodiversity and ecosystem health.
• The integration of landscape design in urban agriculture and local food systems.
• An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting green roofs and living walls.
• The impact of landscape design on reducing urban runoff and water pollution.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in promoting social and cultural diversity.
• The integration of landscape design in wetlands and riparian management and conservation.
• An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting community green spaces and urban forests.
• The impact of landscape design on reducing energy consumption and reducing energy costs.

The integration of landscape design in stormwater management and flood control.

An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting renewable energy and alternative fuels.

The impact of landscape design on crime reduction and public safety.

Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in promoting social interaction and community building.

The integration of landscape design in parks and open space planning and management.

An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting wildlife habitat connectivity.

The impact of landscape design on natural resource conservation and management.

Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in promoting water conservation and reuse.

The integration of landscape design in green infrastructure and low impact development.

An analysis of the role of landscape design in promoting cultural and historic awareness.

The impact of landscape design on reducing urban heat island effects.

Evaluating the effectiveness of landscape design in promoting sustainable transportation and mobility.

The integration of landscape design in emergency management and disaster resilience.

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MLA Student Thesis Projects

Mla thesis projects.

Ever wonder what kind of thesis projects our students worked on while here in our program? Check out the topics our students, now alumni, explored!

Quicklinks: 2018-2019 |   2017-2018 |  2016-2017 |  2015-2016 | 2014-2015 | 2013-2014 | 2012-2013 | 2011-2012 | 2010-2011

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Jennifer Ren

Choreographing a Greenway: Exploring Experiential Diversity Through Choreographic Dance Principles

Successful parks provide a rich assortment of experiences that stimulate the body, senses, and emotions. Another way to describe this quality is the term experiential diversity. While experiential diversity is rarely addressed explicitly in typical greenway designs, its implementation is vitally important in order to increase engagement and activate space. The Anacostia riverfront in Washington, D.C. suffers from a severe lack of experiential diversity and is redesigned in this thesis to explore how experiential diversity can enhance greenway design using choreographic dance principles. Many dance principles can be applied to design. By approaching park design as a choreographer of dance, a designer can focus on the human experiences –how materiality and the environment influence movement, senses, and emotions. This thesis demonstrates how dance can be successfully translated into the landscape, and how choreographic dance principles are helpful tools for creating a diverse and engaging landscape composition.

Matthew Zerfas

REGENERATIVE STORMWATER CONVEYANCE: TECHNIQUES TO WATERSHED STEWARDSHIP & TURNING STORMWATER LIABILITIES INTO AMENITIES

Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance (RSC) is a moderately new best management practice primarily implemented in the mid-Atlantic region. This thesis documents the proposed design of an RSC at Parkdale High School in the Washington D.C. metropolitan region. A degraded channel with incised banks between 9 to 12 feet in height was found on site. This stormwater channel runs for 160 feet and has a contributing catchment of 17.2 acres. The proposed RSC was designed to stabilize the channel banks, and create a stable channel profile. The runoff storage volume was calculated to be 4523.1 ft3 total which would treat a runoff volume of 0.24”. This equates to 32% TN, 37% TP and 40% TSS removal. The design provides a viewing area with a photo point and bank pin that would provide an opportunity for students and teachers to assist in visually documenting sediment deposition and geomorphological changes that may occur.

Joshua Franklin

TRANSFORMING ECOLOGICALLY DEFICIENT ROADSIDE GREENSPACE INTO QUALITY POLLINATOR HABITAT

This paper discusses preeminent ecological issues attributable to human development which negatively affect pollinator population sizes and diversity, and suggests design solutions to mitigate them. Under particular scrutiny is the perpetuation of monoculture landscapes. The problems with this ubiquitous practice include increased pesticide and herbicide use, lack of habitat and forage for pollinators, and reduced soil quality. In an effort to attenuate these threats, this thesis proposes two redesigns of University of Maryland campus lawn spaces into designed native plant communities. In these designs, native plants have been arranged in ways that reduce maintenance and provide ecological benefits by considering the unique roles each of them fill in their natural environment. Other strategies, such as defining borders around the habitat and placing smaller plants near the edges, were also implemented in order to positively influence the public’s view of these more naturalized designed systems and encourage adoption.

Avantika Dalal

DESIGNING NEIGHBORHOODS FOR ACTIVE LIVING: THROUGH TRAIL AND TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

Trail and Transit Oriented Development is a new neighborhood planning and design concept. Trail and transit-oriented developments are high-density, mixed-use communities around public transit stations connected by trails (off-road shared use paths) and a dense network of pedestrian-friendly streets. This concept addresses the lack of pedestrian and bike-friendly design often characterized by suburban sprawl and the resultant lack of physical activity characterized by Americans. Car dependent suburban development promotes sedentary lifestyles. On the other hand, walkable and bike-friendly communities provide opportunities for active living. Neighborhoods designed with the concept of Trail and Transit Oriented Development have a network of trails connecting public amenities, major destinations, new development, and existing neighborhoods. This research project focuses on applying trail and transit-oriented design and planning principles to the Long Branch Sector Plan. There are two proposed Purple Line light rail stops within the boundary of Long Branch Sector. The proposed design provides an increase in trail length and connectivity. It creates a built environment for active living by creating opportunities for walking and bicycling in everyday life.

Laura Robinson

THE SURVIVORS’ MONUMENT: AN EMPOWERING AND HEALING LANDSCAPE FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND THEIR SUPPORTERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

This design investigation explores the duality of landscape architecture to be both a tool for healing survivors of sexual violence and a mechanism for spreading awareness to the general population at the University of Maryland. To design the site, a literature review of healing gardens and case studies were undertaken to uncover the parameters for successfully designing with the restorative properties of nature and healing garden techniques. To understand how to apply this research to redesign the site, Morrill Quad was inventoried and analyzed. The result is a space where awareness and restorative elements are merged to promote the healing of individuals and the community. By utilizing the restorative qualities of nature with healing garden design techniques, the space creates opportunities for stress reduction and mental restoration for all users. The concept of a monument is re-imagined from one object symbolizing an event or person to an entire space representing a movement and those that support it. This monument space serves as an educational piece, a place to embody survivors’ voices, and a restorative environment for survivors and students.

Jorah Reinstein

Toward Conservation of Magnolia Bogs on Utility Rights-Of-Way: Increasing Imageability

Magnolia Bogs are a rare wetland type known only to the gravelly sands of the inner Chesapeake Bay watershed. Scattered across upland landscapes just east of the fall-line, these habitats occur where lenses of clay intersect the rolling terrain and groundwater seeps along the faces of hillsides. Most Magnolia Bogs have been lost to development, but remnant habitats have in several cases been inadvertently preserved on lands managed to support that very development – utility rights-of-way. Magnolia Bogs have become the focus of targeted conservation efforts, but despite intentions, bog remnants on rights-of-way often go unrecognized by maintenance crews and are unintentionally damaged during management procedures, particularly mowing. By adopting the perspective of a mower in the field, the patterns and forms of that experience are investigated. Cognitive mapping concepts are then applied to create suggestions for increasing the apparency of magnolia bogs to maintenance crews.

Reza Mabadi

THE CREATION, EVOLUTION , AND DEGRADATION OF THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPE DURING THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES IN THE UNITED STATES

During the 18th and 19th centuries, planners, and medical reformists emphasized the restorative effects of natural settings in healthcare facilities. Then, in the 19th and 20th centuries, many hospitals campuses across the United States extensively applied therapeutic landscapes in their designs. While the architectural history of hospitals has been studied thoroughly, the gardens of healthcare institutions have not been independently investigated. In the 20th century, socio-cultural changes and modern technologies caused a degradation of therapeutic landscapes in hospitals. Today, new approaches to medicine and health necessitate a reexamination and reinvention of hospital landscapes in order to better align hospital atmospheres with modern healthcare goals. The goal of this dissertation research is to understand the transformation of hospital landscapes, their evolution and degradation within their socio-cultural context during the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States. This study will also addresses the broad concept of therapeutic landscapes and holistic approaches to using hospital gardens for restorative purposes. Therefore, this research aims to redefine the therapeutic landscape in healthcare facilities by proposing ideas to expand their socio – cultural capacities and extend their therapeutic properties beyond conventional practice. This research hypothesizes that throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States, the therapeutic landscape in hospitals was degraded, and that the reemergence of conventional landscape practices is insufficient to address the whole healing properties of hospital sites. To achieve the stated goal, this research applied a qualitative approach through a case study method. Data collection was conducted via a triangulation strategy, and included semi- structural interviews, content analysis, and an extensive literature review. In analyzing the collected data, I used thick description, spatial-comparative analysis, and content analysis integrated into a holistic framework, in order to examine both historical and modern practices. Analysis of results concluded that throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the therapeutic hospital landscapes in the United States became degraded due to the introduction of new technologies. In addition, the reemergence of conventional landscape practices, such as small healing gardens, does not fully address the restorative potential of hospital sites. Therefore, many new possibilities need to be explored and implemented.

2016-2017 [ top ]

Renee LaGue

Wild to Wildscape: Designing the Urban Wild

Urban wasteland, terrain vague, postindustrial site, urban wild and wildscape: these are but a few of the terms describing sites which have been disturbed by humans and contain novel or spontaneous vegetation. In this thesis, I investigate the literature for examples of how designers can act upon these sites such that they provide the social, environmental, and artistic benefits of being ‘designed’ without destroying existing vegetative wildness and historical traces. I organize 35 terms into three categories describing the spaces as either negative, empty, or by vegetation type. I find that most design suggestions lie along three axes: history, vegetation, and access/interactivity, along with a general principle of ‘minimal intervention.’ Finally, I synthesize the literature review and precedents and apply what I have found to a test design site, a portion of a former railroad right of way in Alexandria, Virginia.

Charles Dylan Reilly

Walk Along the River: Community Design Process for the Norton Riverwalk

The City of Norton, nestled in Southwest Virginia’s coal country, has a proposed 2-mile Riverwalk running along the Guest River and connecting to an existing Safe Routes to School sidewalk. The designer employed informal interviews, a design charrette, and formal presentations during the summer of 2016 to better understand the challenges and opportunities for the Riverwalk. Design ideas from the community engagement process were triangulated and compared against the site analysis, to better understand which ideas had the most support and were feasible. The resulting design from this process focused on improving pedestrian connectivity; improving quality of life for residents and attracting visitors; and telling Norton’s history, from towering chestnuts to coal mining. The community engagement process reached about 145 people and produced media buzz for the project with four front-page articles in local and regional newspapers. The charrette brought residents from diverse perspectives to the design table.

Transforming Vacant Land: A Green Infrastructure Master Plan for the Neighborhood of Druid Heights, Baltimore

Vacant properties often become an invitation for crime, dumping, and other unwanted activities and are associated with lower property values; increased municipal costs; and poorer health outcomes. However, vacancy can be viewed as an asset for the community and an opportunity for productive reuse. Well-maintained urban green spaces can reduce crime, strengthen social ties, and improve physical and mental health. The green infrastructure master plan for the neighborhood of Druid Heights is a response to findings from the site inventory and analysis and the community and stakeholder engagement process, which indicate a lack of recreational and natural amenities, poor public health outcomes, and high crime rates. By improving access to recreational and natural amenities and creating a connected series of green spaces, the design of this thesis addresses the high vacancy rate of Druid Heights and promotes recreation and social interaction to improve the public health outcomes of neighborhood residents.

Katelin Posthuma

Kintsugi: A New Framework For Post-Industrial Transformation

This thesis uses the Morse Chain factory in Ithaca, New York as a testing ground for the development and exploration of the kintsugi framework as a method for transformation of large-scale postindustrial sites. Deindustrialization has had a profoundly destabilizing effect on many communities that were depended on industry. Abandoned industrial facilities are one of the primary visual markers of deindustrialization. Landscape architects employ two strategies for reclaiming these spaces - the conceal/camouflage approach or the reveal/reinterpret approach. These two approaches are typically presented in opposition to each other, which limits the design potential of these sites The kintsugi framework blends these two operating modes, creating an exciting and interesting operating field for the transformation of post-industrial sites. Based on the traditional Japanese method of repairing broken pottery with gold inlay. This technique incorporates damage as the central element for metamorphosis and change.

2015-2016 [ top ]

Nathan Allen

Mowing To Growing: Transforming A Municipal Golf Course to Urban Agriculture In Baltimore City

This thesis demonstrates how landscape architects can transform underused golf course facilities located within cities for urban agriculture (UA). In the last decade more than 1000 golf courses have closed in the United States. Municipal golf courses represent some of the largest pieces of open space in cities and because of their inherent infrastructure they can provide the ideal location to support large-scale UA. In Southwest Baltimore large food deserts are a serious health concern and represent a lack of access to healthy food options for residents. Carroll Urban Agriculture Park is a design response resulting from a detailed analysis of the existing Carroll Park Golf Course and the surrounding community of Southwest Baltimore. The design will create an urban farm in a park-like setting to provide readily accessible healthy food options and various educational opportunities, and to support current and future urban agriculture related businesses in Baltimore.

Kathleen Hayes

Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance: Design Implications Of An Urban Case Demonstration in Baltimore, Maryland

This research-design thesis explores the implementation of Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance (RSC) as a retrofit of an existing impervious drainage system in a small catchment in the degraded Jones Falls watershed in Baltimore City. An introduction to RSC is provided, placing its development within a theoretical context of novel ecosystems, biomimicry and Nassauer and Opdam’s (2008) model of landscape innovation. The case site is in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood on City-owned land adjacent to rowhomes, open space and an access point to a popular wooded trail along a local stream. The design proposal employs RSC to retrofit an ill-performing stormwater system, simultaneously providing a range of ecological, social and economic services; water quantity, water quality and economic performance of the proposed RSC are quantified. While the proposed design is site-specific the model is adaptable for retrofitting other small-scale impervious drainage systems, providing a strategic tool in addressing Baltimore City’s stormwater challenges.

A More Complete Street A Street For Everyone To Enjoy, North East Street, Frederick, Maryland - A Design Investigation Of Different Street Design Theories

This design-research thesis suggests that the improvement of North East Street performances by using Complete Streets, Green Street, Place Making and Context Sensitive Solution principles and practices. Heavily used by a variety of users, often conflicting with one another, University of Maryland Campus Drive would benefit from a major planning and design amelioration to meet the increasing demands of serving as a city main street. The goal of this thesis project is to prioritize the benefits for pedestrians in the right-of-way and improve the pedestrian experience. This goal also responds to the recent North East Street Extension Phrase I of economic renaissances. The goal of this design-research thesis will be achieved focusing on four aspects. First, the plans and designs will suggest to building mixed use blocks, increase the diversity of street economic types and convenience of people’s living. Second, design and plans will propose bike lanes, separate driving lanes from sidewalks and bike lanes by street tree planters, and narrow driving lanes to reduce vehicular traffic volume and speed in order to reduce pedestrian and vehicle conflicts. Third, plans and designs will introduce bioswales, living walls and raingardens to treat and reuse rain water. Finally, the plans and designs will seek to preserve local culture and history by adding murals and farmers market. The outcome of the design-research thesis project is expected to serve as an example of implementing Complete Streets, Green Street, Place Making and Context Sensitive Solution principles and practices in urban landscape, where transportation, environment and social needs interact with each other.

Amina Mohamed

Shifting Scales, Adjusting Lenses: A Framework For Investigating Baltimore's Urban Vacancy

This thesis addresses contemporary gaps of vacancy within literature by using qualitative and quantitative methods and tools to determine the quantity, location, and interspatial relationships of vacant buildings and lots located in Baltimore Maryland. Spatial analyses were conducted to answer three questions of vacancy: 1) how many vacant lots and buildings exist, 2) whether there are spatial patterns of vacancy, such as clustering around geographic locations or within watersheds, and 3) how to prioritize intervention opportunities that respond to the city's larger issues? Using the city’s vacant lot and building data-sets, two concepts emerged from these investigations. First, Utilized Landscapes as a classification system that identifies lands that serve a function but have un-traditional qualities that make them susceptible to being labeled “vacant.” Second, the development of Transitional Zones, geographical areas with a high density of vacant buildings or lots that should be prioritized.

George Sorvalis

Maximizing Landscape Performance At Advetist Hospital: Healing The People, Healing Sligo Creek

This paper answers the question of whether a design intervention on Washington Adventist Hospital’s Takoma Park campus can combine stormwater Best Management Practices with outdoor healing spaces, to improve the health of the local creek (Sligo Creek) while creating a restorative environment for the hospital community. To improve the health of Sligo Creek, a campus-wide stormwater analysis was undertaken, in addition to an intervention-site-specific stormwater analysis, and a literature review of stormwater best management practices. To create a restorative environment, a literature review of healing gardens was undertaken, in addition to a campus-wide site analysis, to uncover the most ideally suited site to create a restorative environment.

Nicholas Yoder

Changing Course: Repurposing Golf Ladrum ndscapes for Wildlife Habitat and Recreation

2014-2015 [ top ].

Robyn Edwards

Choice Experiments and Design Decision-Making

Jonathan Gemmell

Rethinking Playgrounds: A Design Investigation of Playscape Theory

This thesis studies how playscapes and nature play offer alternatives to traditional playground designs by encouraging multiple facets of childhood development. Playscapes promote play spaces that integrate physical, mental, and educational features. Harnessing the malleability of the natural landscape provides clear developmental advantages that surpass traditional structure-based playground design and provide opportunities for building environmental literacy. After combining research with feedback taken from site users, a design will be proposed for the exterior of Riverdale Elementary School, in Riverdale Maryland. Anacostia Watershed Society has received a grant for implementing stormwater controls and improving the quality of the nearby Wells Run stream. The design of this project will show how it will be possible to combine playscape, nature play, and environmental literacy goals with stormwater storage and treatment to transform the school's environment.

Harris Trobman

ENGAGING CHILDREN IN HAITI: UTILIZING FOUND MATERIALS AND PROVEN TECHNIQUES TO GROW FOOD AND FILTER WATER

The focus of this thesis is the design and implementation of a community health project at a new school campus for 600 students in St. Louis Du Norde, Haiti. The design harvests and filters rainwater to drinking water standards, grows nutritional vegetable crops on secure rooftops, creates social space, and recycles old tires, plastic bottles and rice sacks that otherwise pose a massive solid waste problem in Haiti. The processes are also taught to the students so they can take and use the planters at home. The materials for building the growing containers and the growing media are all free and made from local wastes (tires, plastic bottles, rice sacks, manure, soil etc.). They are easy to build and free to construct making them accessible to even to the poorest and neediest families in Haiti. The idea is to develop easily replicable and desirable solutions to the basic health needs.

2013-2014 [ top ]

Nancy Britt

Greenway as the Framework for Community Design on the Patapsco River Valley

By the nature of their shared locality, greenway corridors and the communities along them share a unique set of socio-cultural and ecological resources that are rooted in the greenway's landscape form and character. When unified, greenways and surrounding communities foster a sense place that is deeply site specific. This thesis explores the unique characteristics of greenway landscapes, using them as a basis for formulating cohesive design criteria for creating vibrant greenway-adjacent communities. These criteria offer solutions for balancing growth and conservation strategies to guide community design within the framework of the greenway, achieve community and greenway sustainability, and support the integrity of the landscape. Using a site along Maryland's Patapsco River Valley, this thesis demonstrates how these criteria can work towards achieving an ideal community form where design highlights unique site features to create awareness of and support for the greenway context.

Shoshanah Haberman

The Micro -Landscape Modular Urban Apartment Gardens

Paul Jester

Shifting Gears: Exploring Parametric Design to Renovate an Urban Waterfront

A powerful tool currently being used by architects and planners, parametric design has yet to be embraced by landscape architects. Through research and design, this thesis seeks to answer two questions: what is parametric design and how can it benefit the field of landscape architecture? Looking at historical and present-day sources, the evolution of computer aided design has been drawn out leading to the emergence of parametric design. An explanation and analysis of parametric tools, including a series of case studies, has been conducted to show how these tools are presently being utilized by designers. Utilizing parametric methods and tools, a design proposal was created to renovate a waterfront site in Baltimore, MD that focused on highlighting the city history and promoting health for the local residents and inner harbor.

Operation Market Garden: Establishing a Sustainable Food System in West Baltimore's Poppleton Neighborhood

Food deserts and food insecurity are public health concerns, associated with negative health outcomes for children and adults and connected to poverty, racial disparities, and other social inequalities. Urban agriculture offers one solution to the food accessibility issues in West Baltimore. Besides the initial purpose of food production, urban agriculture can play an important role in contributing at varying scales to the social interactions and economic viability of communities. These multifunctional landscapes can be used as design solutions for challenges posed by urban development. This thesis explores the roles that landscape architecture and urban agriculture can play in improving food environments for schools, families, and communities located in urban food deserts. This investigation examines urban agricultural planning strategies that address food accessibility issues and yield fresh produce, while also providing valuable public open space for community members. This project applies these strategies to the West Baltimore neighborhood of Poppleton to offer a critique of proposed urban agriculture solutions.

Adriana Mendoza

Anacostia: Community As Form

The essence of this thesis is to explore what form public art takes on in order to visualize Anacostia's community identity during the urban revitalization of the neighborhood. The current small and large-scale revitalization efforts by the City (Washington D.C.) are showing change in both the physical and social fabric of the community and neighborhood. As a predominantly African American community that has faced disinvestment and injustices--socially, economically, and politically--many residents are concerned that these City efforts will physically displace them, as well as the collective memory of the community. This thesis seeks to transform a vacant lot, slated for development, into a temporary, transient, multi-functional public art design for engaging the community in the process of exploration and expression of their community identity. Public art is used as a strategy to provide a platform for residents to effectively become present, visible and audible at a time when many residents feel as though they are not part of Anacostia's future.

Joshua Silverstein

Parchment to Touchscreen: Landscape Journey and Experience for 21st Century Learning

Experiences of landscape journey are informed and mitigated by modalities of place-based practices. Historically, documentation and transmission of landscape knowledge was limited to narratives of those with power and influence. Today, the democratization of power and decentralization of knowledge, particularly as affected by technology, are projected to affect powerful changes for our future. This project creates innovation in place-based learning through an interdisciplinary approach combining landscape design for outdoor learning environments with collaborative curriculum development. Educators from Gesher Jewish Day School in Fairfax, VA were involved in this collaboration that has yielded an exciting, fresh approach to engaging student relationships to landscape. Students connect to narratives of landscape journey and experience in Jewish tradition while engaging in guided personal explorations of place. In the process, new wisdom, the "Torah of Place," is generated, documented and transmitted through both traditional sense-of-place activities and pedagogies integrating modern mobile technology such as smartphones and tablets.

Elisabeth Walker

Exploring Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Sustainability. How Cultural and Social Factors Inform a Sustainable Redesign of Whitmore Park (Annapolis, MD).

Even though sustainability is defined by four parameters - ecological, economic, social and cultural, sustainable design is essentially reduced to ecological and economic aspects (Nadenicek et al., 2000). That narrowed focus ignores those, on whom sustainable development depends on: people and their physical manifestation, culture. Sustainable design depends on both economic and ecological health, cultural vitality (Lister, 2007) and stewardship. When sustainable development does not encourage stewardship, it is prone to fail in the long term (Nassauer, 2011). This design-research thesis focuses on the socio-cultural aspects of sustainable design and the role of participatory engagement in identifying the social and cultural layers of Whitmore Park. It explores how cultural and social factors can inform a sustainable redesign of the neglected 0.7-acre Whitmore Park in Annapolis, MD. The project also helps the community to save the park´s existence through creating a common, sustainable long-term vision for it. In order to create that vision, the designer used various community engagement methods to reconnect the communities to their plaza, and to explore socio-cultural sustainable design approaches. The park´s new aesthetics, functions and programming are driven by the results of the community engagements, as well as the SITEs (Sustainable Sites Initiative) design recommendations. The citizens´ involvement, as well as the socio-culturally sensitive and aesthetically pleasing design will foster a sense of community, and pride, which are important conditions for stewardship and therefore, sustainable development.

Travis Wierengo

REVIVAL THROUGH RESILIENCE: Small Craft Harbor Design within a Coastal Urban Community

Coastal communities along the Mid-Atlantic shoreline are facing difficult decisions moving forward into the 21st Century. The Rockaway Peninsula exemplifies many issues urban coastlines are facing. Environmental degradation, historic urban infill and development, a stagnant economy, and aging infrastructure, are only a few dilemmas communities along the Rockaway Peninsula are dealing with in the wake of the most current natural disaster that has left many questioning the future development of the area. This thesis explores what roles a Small Craft Harbor (SCH) could function as within an urban setting along the Atlantic coastline. The project will offer suggestions as to how programmatic elements within SCH development along the back bay shoreline of the Rockaway Peninsula, could serve to protect and enhance not only the human communities residing on the peninsula, but ecological systems fighting for survival within the back bay waters of the Jamaica Bay.

2012-2013 [ top ]

Risa Abraham

Revealing Risk & Redefining Development: Exploring Hurricane Impact on St. Croix, USVI

This thesis explores the direct and indirect role of landscape architecture in disaster risk reduction specifically focusing on designing and managing natural resources such as sun, wind and water as well as allocating infrastructure to improve the power and transportation system on the public, private and regulatory levels that can prove to endure the impact of a hurricane and promote a "culture of prevention." Every year a significant amount of damage is cause by natural disasters throughout the whole world. This highlighted the importance of mitigating the adverse impacts of disasters through the process of disaster risk reduction. The architecture, landscape architecture and urban design disciplines and the construction industry have a strong relationship with disaster management and therefore provide a high need in identifying how landscape architecture can contribute towards disaster risk reduction. This thesis focuses on the role of the design and construction industry, specifically the landscape architecture profession, in disaster risk reduction. A two-step approach was formalized to develop an understanding and to produce a design proposal based on the practice and theories of landscape architecture. The first step explores the definition of disasters and risk and provides a comprehensive literature review on disaster mitigation. The second step includes the systematic development and application of these policies, strategies and practices to limit or avoid the effects of hazards in the form of a three-tiered detailed design and mitigation plan. The findings from both steps will be applied to re-design the town of Christiansted, St. Croix, in the United States Virgin Islands.

Sarah Capps Ashmun

Healing Invisible Wounds: Landscapes for Wounded Warriors Suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Characterized by pervasive symptoms of intrusion, numbing, and hyperarousal, coping with PTSD can be a tenacious and lifelong challenge for sufferers (Cahill and Foa 2010). Given the recent surge of war veterans resulting from Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom with a high prevalence of PTSD, landscapes may provide a free and accessible means for veterans to successfully cope with their PTSD symptoms and seek treatment. The intention of this project is to merge holistic therapies for PTSD with successful landscapes for trauma patients into the creation of adaptable design principles. Guiding Principles for PTSD will be incorporated into the design of a Healing Woodland for wounded warriors at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, while also providing potential solutions for other sites aiming to incorporate holistic therapies for PTSD into the landscape.

Matthew Busa

Designing for the Shrinking City: Re-imagining Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, OH

Like many post-industrial cities in the Midwestern United States, Cleveland is shrinking. A decline in its manufacturing-based economy in the late 20th century has led to unemployment and outmigration, eroding the quality of life and economic stability of inner city neighborhoods. Traditional planning strategies that rely heavily on growth as a means of addressing shrinking city problems have proven to be somewhat ineffective. This thesis explores an alternative planning approach suggesting that Cleveland might successfully shrink into an archipelago of small, sustainable neighborhood islands while failed neighborhoods would be converted to productive "green belts". This project applies this approach to the site of an under-utilized municipal airport, proposing a new design that enhances the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of Downtown Cleveland. Specifically, the design solution promotes transit-oriented development, connects existing neighborhoods to the waterfront, cleans polluted water, and re-uses dredge material to create a recreational and ecological landscape.

Emilie Carroll Carter

Designing for Interpretive Signage: Best Practices for Increasing Attraction Power

Interpretive signage, murals, and art installations are an important element of passive outdoor education for those who do not have formal education or knowledge about how landscapes work. The inclusion of passive education in projects has become increasingly necessary as new types of green infrastructures such as rain gardens, bioswales, and floating wetlands, are introduced to the landscape. Landscape architects can contribute to educational efforts by including interpretive signage on a site. While this practice is being implemented among many sites around the United States, it is unclear how effective these installations are in educating the public - specifically adults. This thesis project takes an in-depth look at the effectiveness of interpretive signage located around low-impact design elements and proposes a set of best practices for designing sites with interpretive signage. To support the best practices, data is being collected at two sites with methods that include surveying site occupants, field observation of occupant interactions with signage, and interviews with project designers. Initial data analysis from the pilot study shows that interpretive signage does positively affect people's views on environmentally sensitive design, but a variety of factors such as signage location and visibility of installation can affect the percentage of people who read signage.

COMPLETE STREETS CODE FOR ROADWAY FACILITY IMPROVEMENT IN COLLEGE PARK CAMPUS, THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND - A CONTEXT-SENSITIVE APPROACH

This design-research thesis suggests that the improvement of campus roadway facilities using Complete Streets principle and practices can enhance the overall pedestrian experience. Campus Drive, one of the main arterials in the College Park campus of the University of Maryland, will be used as a case study. Heavily used by a variety of users, often conflicting with one another, University of Maryland Campus Drive would benefit from a major planning and design amelioration to meet the increasing demands of serving as a university main street. The goal of this thesis project is to prioritize the benefits for pedestrians in the right-of-way and improve the pedestrian experience on campus. This goal also responds to the recent Facilities Master Plan vision of building a more walkable campus. The goal of this design-research thesis will be achieved focusing on four aspects. First, design and plans will discourage cut-through driving to reduce vehicular traffic volume on Campus Drive in order to reduce pedestrian and vehicle conflicts. Second, plans and designs will clarify cyclists' use of the right-of-way and create a built environment that will reduce and hopefully eliminate current riding on pedestrian sidewalk. Third, the case study seeks to improve public transit facilities on Campus Drive to better serve users of which the majorities travel as pedestrians on campus. Finally, the case study seeks to improve pedestrian facilities to enhance pedestrian connectivity, accessibility, and overall experience on University of Maryland Campus Drive. Campus Drive roadway facilities will be inventoried. Roadway segments typologies will be identified and classified. A toolkit, road improvement design interventions, will be developed based on this classification. An improved master plan will be developed utilizing the toolkit while considering the specific site context around specific segments and the overall functions carried by Campus Drive as a campus main street. Detailed plans and designs will be developed for focus areas that demonstrate the goals and objectives. The outcome of the design-research thesis project is expected to serve as an example of implementing Complete Streets principles and practices in urban commuter university campuses, where transportation needs and institutional functions interact with each other.

Laura Kendrick

The Purposeful Edge: Designing for Wildlife Along the Anacostia River

As urbanization increases, many cities will reassess their land use policies and practices to establish a balance between densification and ecological sustainability. Creating and improving urban wildlife habitat can increase biodiversity and provide places for people to experience native vegetation and animals. Among the inspiring collection of culturally significant places, Washington, DC has many small reserve parks. For wildlife habitat to be sufficient, larger tracts are often needed. This thesis project capitalizes on one such expanse along the Anacostia River by proposing the area surrounding Robert F. Kennedy stadium and its parking lots become places where habitat is integrated into the urban fabric. Integration means creating spaces where humans and wildlife coexist, each enhancing the lives of the other by their interactions. Healthy ecosystems are a piece of the sustainability puzzle, and the future of the world's cities must include the application of ecological knowledge in designing urban spaces.

A SCENARIO PLANNING APPROACH FOR SCHOOL GREEN ROOFS TO ACHIEVE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT BENEFITS: A CASE STUDY OF BRIER'S MILL RUN SUBWATERSHED

In 2010, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), a "pollution diet", for the Chesapeake Bay watershed for six states (New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia) and the District of Columbia. The EPA required responsible agencies to develop statewide Phase I Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) to support the implementation for TMDLs. Previous planning efforts included the development of Subwatershed Action Plans (SWAPs), which provided a baseline of conditions, proposed tools for achieving TMDL reductions and visions for the subwatersheds. In 2012, the Phase II WIP process was developed to refine Phase I plans at the county level, including more local details about a variety of green infrastructure interventions to optimize nutrient and sediment load reductions. While green roofs were considered an important tool in the SWAP plans, they were not included in Prince George's County's Phase II WIP plans. Recently, Prince George's County has implemented a new green roof incentive policy. In light of this new policy, this research explores how green roofs might contribute to reducing TMDLs. The research uses Brier's Mill Run Subwatershed as a case study to demonstrate the benefits of both the incentives and the green roof as a tool in the SWAP plan. The objective of this research is first to document the specific role of green roofs in stormwater management in Brier's Mill Run Subwatershed. Secondly, the thesis provides three metrics to measure and compare the stormwater management benefits of each proposed institutional green roof in the research site. The third goal is to use a scenario approach to achieve school green roofs benefits that contribute to the stormwater management goals of the subwatershed.

Nicholas Patrick

Experiencing Temporary Artscapes

The focus of this thesis is on temporary artscapes - public installations that are originally-creative and intentionally-temporary in some way. A temporary art installation has the ability to quickly and clearly transform a place, increase our understanding and awareness of a particular site, and redefine and highlight the importance of public space. This design-research thesis proposes that temporary artscapes have the capacity to significantly alter the experience of a landscape. Through the investigation and evaluation of the theories, intentions and working methods of the artists, landscape architects, and architects involved in recent projects, this thesis explores the value of temporary artscapes in landscape-design. Two key research investigations assist this investigation. Designing the Experience explores the artistic process of designing a temporary installation, through the collaborative designing and building of a temporary art installation with a sixth-grade class at the British School of Washington. Experiencing the Design explores the experience of a temporary art installation from the perspective of the public audience, through the surveying of people during a temporary art installation in a prominent public space at the University of Maryland. The outcomes of the investigation and two research investigations determine my strategy in choosing a site within the University of Maryland campus in which to design and test a conceptual temporary artscape.

Light in the Landscape

This design-research thesis proposes the redesign of Tide Lock Park in Alexandria, Virginia as an exploration of light. By researching the cultural history of artificial lighting as well as the sculptural use of light as art, this thesis seeks to distinguish lighting design that goes beyond functional and safety concerns to include design that honors the human relationship to darkness, as well as the artistic and emotive qualities of lighting. To accomplish these goals, this thesis proposes a landscape design for Tide Lock Park which meets the City of Alexandria's objectives as described in the Waterfront Small Area Plan. The design includes three distinctive areas of light, providing visitors the opportunity to engage the night in multiple ways.

Sarah Watling

WHAT DOES THE MINE HAVE TO TELL US? ART AS A RECLAMATION STREATEGY IN THE POST-MINED LANDSCAPE OF THE OLDEST KNOWN MINE IN THE WORLD, NGWENYA MINE SWAZILAND

Swaziland's Ngwenya Mines, the oldest known mine in the world, has been a source of ochre for cultural use for over 43,000 years. Until the 20th Century, extraction at Ngwenya Mine left an imperceptible mark on the landscape until industrial technology enabled new mining practices that have dramatically and irrevocably altered this landscape. The intent of this thesis is to further the development of mine reclamation models and ultimately benefit similar sites around the world. By building on current mine reclamation strategies where Land Art is a mediator between ecology and industry, this thesis focuses on the important story Ngwenya Mine can tell. With no intervention, the conclusion will be an untreated landscape with limited potential. With creative design responses, a story of cultural and ecological integrity can persist into the future.

2011-2012 [ top ]

Michael Boeck

Reimagining the Cambridge Shoreline: Encouraging Implementation of Sustainable Shoreline Erosion Controls in Cambridge, MD

Erosion in the Chesapeake Bay area occurs naturally and unnaturally. It is a concern for property owners, environmentalists, and communities. New legislation in Maryland specifies "living shoreline" as the preferred type of erosion control. Long-term success of the legislation depends on public support. Choosing to restore degraded or structural shorelines is an expensive undertaking and arguments that rely on environmental benefits alone are insufficient. The key is to develop, design, and promote erosion control devices that meet property owner and community goals. This research-design thesis asks the following question: As `living shorelines' become the preferred method of shoreline erosion control in the Chesapeake Bay, how can these shorelines be designed to meet the goals of property owners and residents, while being environmentally sensitive? The author argues that shoreline designers must integrate human dimensions research as well as scientific research into their designs in order to encourage widespread implementation.

Zoe Clarkwest

COMMUNITY BASED APPROACHES TO STORMWATER DESIGN IN A BALTIMORE NEIGHBORHOOD

This interdisciplinary research-design thesis explores the role of resident engagement in developing a design criteria for urban stormwater runoff design solutions, urban greening, and activating public spaces in the urbanized McElderry Park neighborhood of Baltimore. Drawing upon stakeholder and resident interviews, community workshops, resident working groups, and site observations and analysis the designer developed design criteria for site interventions as well as neighborhood-wide programming elements. Residents identify jobs, safety and health as primary concerns. Beyond harvesting stormwater, site interventions must provide safety, education, entrepreneurial opportunities, exercise, etc. Building on community input, the design interventions proposed by the designer are site specific, but the intervention types are readily adaptable. The overall design process and programming strategies apply to a variety of urban sites. Given the amount of stormwater managed by the interventions, the potential jobs created by the interventions, and other benefits provided to residents, the model merits field testing at the neighborhood scale.

Allison Jensen

GREEN AND BLUE SCHOOLS: THE USE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE RAINWATER DESIGN AT GEORGETOWN VISITATION PREPARATORY SCHOOL IN GEORGETOWN, WASHINGTON DC.

The artful management of stormwater has a capability to create educational arenas by combining environmentally sensitive rainwater design with education. School settings provide great opportunities for integrating on-site stormwater treatment into many aspects of the curriculum from the sciences to the arts. Presently, urban settings have new initiatives for creating green schools, which covers all levels of sustainability for the campus. This research project focuses on the development of stormwater and water-related designs for Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Georgetown, Washington DC. The main research is an assessment of the school's existing stormwater usage and runoff and also evaluating possibilities for new stormwater management techniques to be a supplement to curriculum.

Joyce Kelley

Redefining the ORILLA: community awareness at the water's edge in Baltimore

This thesis proposes a redesign of a waterfront park in South Baltimore, Maryland. Middle Branch Park, located one mile south of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, offers a unique opportunity to restore a degraded shoreline in the context of watershed stewardship. This thesis strives to reestablish Middle Branch as a functional critical buffer within the urban fabric of Baltimore city by utilizing shoreline restoration techniques, stormwater management and floating wetlands. The issues of water quality within the Middle Branch and the surrounding area are reflected in the design decisions. The design focuses on visualizing the hydrology of water in the landscape and creates opportunities for people to be within the water-landscape. Moreover, within this design the dynamic overlap of water and land is used as design tool to interconnect education, health and community within the new park design.

Kory Kreiseder

Addressing New Stormwater Policies in the Redesign of the National Grove of State Trees at the United States National Arboretum

The National Grove of State Trees at the United States National Arboretum is in need of redesign to meet ecological and social needs. The Grove serves as a scientific and cultural landscape and can be repurposed to serve the public as an ecological demonstration for contemporary environmental issues. In an intensive effort to clean up the local rivers of the District of Columbia and the Chesapeake Bay, the two agencies of the District Department of the Environment and DC Water have enacted stormwater runoff fees, based on impervious surface fees, on all property owners located in the District of Columbia. The redesign of the Grove is compounded by the Arboretum's need to add more parking to the area where the Grove is currently located. The objective of this thesis is to reimagine the design and interpretation of the Grove as well as address the impervious area charge assessments.

Rosamaria Mora Montenegro

"PUERTAS": THE MEANING OF GATEWAYS AND A DESIGN PROPOSAL FOR THEIR INTERPRETATION IN CASCO ANTIGUO, PANAMA

"Puertas", translated as portals or gateways, give residents and visitors the first visual images of the city. Their importance depends in the way they connect two areas, as well as in the way they give identity to the city as a whole. With the expansion of the city, the Historic District of Panama (Casco Antiguo) lost part of its defensive wall and its two original city entrances: Puerta de Tierra (Land Gateway) and Puerta de Mar (Water Gateway).When these elements were destroyed, the city lost part of its physical boundaries and part of its identity as a fortified colonial settlement. This thesis is a historical and design investigation into the role of city entrances and how their interpretation in Casco Antiguo can improve the visitor's experience. The reinterpretation of these entrances will also mark the boundaries of the Historic District that function as meaningful links between Casco Antiguo and its surrounding areas.

Kimberly Moyer

Wildness as Infrastructure

An interesting line of tension happens when wildness is physically juxtaposed with order. This tension is an emblematic feature of the urban wildscape. This research/design thesis explores ways to inject qualities of wildness into the urban environment where order, functionality, and safety are a necessary part of the landscape. The exploration is primarily focused on aesthetics; the full engagement of the senses in the perception of the environment. Nevertheless, the sustainability of urban wildscapes has important implications for its survivability. With appropriate research and design, a degraded urban landscape can be transformed into a minimal maintenance wildscape. The goal of this project is to identify design parameters and apply them to a specific place: Baltimore's "Highway to Nowhere" with designed acts of intervention and a restrained approach to maintenance. The intent of these interventions is to encourage a predictable succession of urban wildlife habitats with varying levels of human presence.

Chris Myers

DESIGNING FOR BIODIVERSITY TO INFLUENCE HABITAT ON A GREEN ROOF IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

This paper will discuss design elements to enhance pollinator and avian diversity on a green roof in the District of Columbia. Biodiversity trends on green roofs in Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United States are discussed. Focusing on North America, reconciliation ecology is explored through the use of case studies. The design process for designing a green roof is divided into three parts: identifying program goals, site analysis, and design concept. Design guidelines are extrapolated from conservation literature for the creation of green roofs that support pollinator and avian habitat. These "bioroofs" will be draped over the United States Coast Guard Headquarters building which will serve as a template for creating a green roof to target the least tern, the killdeer, the butterfly and the bee, in the District of Columbia.

Matthew Sickle

Nomadic Memorial: Dynamic Landscapes of Commemoration for the Civilian Public Service

This design-research thesis suggests the creation of a memorial commemorating the Civilian Public Service (CPS), a World War II era program of alternative service for conscientious objectors. Through an exploration of memorial culture, the thesis seeks to distinguish the commemoration of nonviolence from the commemoration of war and to propose a memorial that inspires its visitors to consider nonviolence and conscientious objection as positive aspects of American culture. To accomplish these goals, a memorial composed of modular commemorative elements was designed. Rearranging this kit of parts in combination with a new group of locally appropriate trees, the memorial will relocate to a different American city each year and return to Washington, D.C. every four years. With the growth of a new grove of trees and its donation to the neighborhood the memorial inhabits, the latter will draw attention to the history and the variety of services performed by the CPS.

2010-2011 [ top ]

Kameron Aroom

Riverpark: Adaptive Reuse of South Capitol Street Bridge

This thesis proposes the adaptive reuse of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, located in Washington, D.C. into an urban park dedicated to the pedestrian experience. Also named the South Capitol Street Bridge, the bridge currently serves as the vital connection between the north and south quadrants of the District of Columbia. With plans to replace the existing bridge, and by utilizing the existing infrastructure, Riverpark will serve as the green link enhancing the pedestrian and cycling experiences between the Capitol Riverfront and Poplar Point across the Anacostia River in southeast Washington.

REINFORCING COMMUNITY: THE MEANING OF PLACE ATTACHMENT AND ITS APPLICATION IN THE REDESIGN OF LANGLEY PARK

This thesis is a design study of a residential community in Langley Park, Maryland with a diverse international population, a mix of mid-twentieth century housing stock, and a car-oriented commercial center. Langley Park will experience dramatic changes over the next ten years as the proposed transit center and light rail line is realized. The study proposes a new way for landscape architects to approach community design. It suggests that by consulting the scholarship of place attachment, designers can develop design strategies and apply them in design practice. Five strategies are proposed. Following a site analysis which identified assets and problems, the author established design objectives that would enhance the community's character and repair damage caused by a lack of connectivity. This thesis suggests designers can incorporate the concepts found in the literature of place attachment and thereby develop strategies to successfully achieve the design objectives.

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Landscape Architecture Masters Theses

Fully accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects, RISD’s MLA program is unique in that it gives students access to a wide range of fine art and design courses on campus, along with classes at Brown University, study abroad options and a six-week Wintersession that allows for focused study on campus or off. In addition, the program revolves around environmental and global issues, with recent involvement in projects in Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Ghana and beyond.

In the final year, students complete the course of study by developing a thesis and a methodology for testing their conceptual premise through a committed design project. This final requirement differs from most programs, and allows students to spend the time they need to develop a visual and written language that articulates their interests and future direction. All MLA candidates also participate in the RISD Graduate Thesis Exhibition, a large-scale public show held annually.

These works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License .

Theses from 2024 2024

Detroit Jazz Geographies: Marronage and Speculative Urban Futures , Denzel Amoah

Folding (and Unfolding): A Site-Responsive Strategy for Reusing Construction and Demolition Waste , Jennifer Ansley

DEFINING SELF IN THE URBAN FRONTIER , YIMENG AN

Tethered by Nourishment - Exploring Sovereignty within an Urban Food Apartheid , Benjamin Bailey

Landing: body, site, material , Renata Berta

Trans-species Communication, Fueled by Efforts of Remediation , Naomi Canino

Discovering The Lightness of Being , Yuemeng Dai

Beach Autonomous Zone , Carl Garvey

Thickness of Place: Urban Stratigraphy and Rammed Earth Construction in Cambridge, Massachusetts , Alexandra Goodenough

Bilateral Vertical Urbanization , Yifan Huang

Migrating with the Salt Marsh , Yiming Lei

Conspicuous Repair: Drawing Attention to Brokenness in Public Landscapes , Ashley Pedersen

Spirit of Place: examining chinese principles of place-making in a contemporary urban context , Junyi Shi

TIMELESS TEACHINGS & UNBRIDLED POSSIBILITIES , Ruijie TAI

Revitalizing Public Spaces: Integrating Mental Exercise into Contemporary Landscape Architecture Design , Silin Wang

Empathetic Reverberations , Tianyue Wang

A New Grounding , Corey Watanabe

Fluid Futures: The Revitalization of Yangzhou Through Its Historical Waterways , Feiyang Wu

Memory and Experiential Lab , Yufan XU

Small Islands Commons: Retrieving Territory, Identity and Rights in The Bahamas , Fangzhou Zhao

EquiVision Habitat: The Collective Dreamworks , Shixuan Zhou

Theses from 2023 2023

Starting From Ecotone Reconnecting Fragmented Mission Hill , Xinyi Cai

Arctic Resilience: Adaptive Networks of Self-Sufficiency , Jingjing Cui

Beyond the Lines , Miranda-Max de Beer

Abundance within Scarcity: Food Security in the Favelas of Brazil , Menglin Ding

Cities of Tomorrow Future Urban Planning Strategies , Jingyu Ge

Landscape De/Re-Construction through Art , Manuel Gonzalez

Liquid Border , YINGFAN JIA

FLOWS OF SOUND “Harnessing Sound As Critical Urban Resources” , Zuan Lin

Temporary urbanism-spatial democracy in the temporary city , Shijie Li

MODERN NOMADISM ——A network of reciprocal moorings , Jinting Liu

Enhancing Wellbeing In Public Landscape Through Light , Ruiqing Miao

CRACKS OF THE CITY: Crack as an invitation for informality , Yusha Miao

The Root of Culture: Human Ritual and the Soils of West Virginia , Aleece Mount

Celebrate Scarcity: Water Harvesting as Cultural Keystone , Jiajun Ni

Orchestration of Experience , Jingyi Shen

SENSIBLE NATURE: To “See” As We Once Did , Yuhan Su

Vanishing Ice , Zhehao Tang

Rebuild Relationships Between City, Agriculture and Ecosystem in the World of the Drought , Ninghao Wang

Moving In, Moving Up, Moving On : The adaptation and preservation of Chinese diasporas through food , Jieqi Yao

Watering the Soul: Reintroduction of Water to the Urban Space , Danfei Zhang

Healing the Haunted: Rituals of Mourning and Suture , Pian Zhang

City as Cemetery , Siqiao Zhao

Theses from 2022 2022

X-Era: adaptation to the future uncertainty with sustainable Indigenous wisdom , Ruoyuan Chen

Systemic design: Experiments to trigger pedestrian empathy in the urban system , Yu Chen

City of intelligent soil: systematic approach towards urban soil mutualism , Yuting Chen

To mine or not to mine? Epistemological development of the Pebble Mine landscape in Lake Iliamna area as a resilient commons system , Chenfang (Vincent) Gang

Urban vine: reimagine the scaffolding as a repair opportunity to transform the ecosystem , Shuyi Guan

Arriving in the city: reimagining the urban footholds for rural workers , Xinlei Gu

Scalability system: A tool for bioregional navigation , Lulu Hou

We walk, we live: reclaiming the rights of female and other gender minorities to the urban commons , Wenxi (Hillary) Huang

Darkness matters: understanding the ecological effects and human sensory perception of night lighting , Zitong (Shirley) Hui

Field guide to gendered public life : balancing the preservation of the existing vibrant public life with the improvement of the female experience , Christina Koutsoukou

Regenerating the ground: Using regenerative agricultural practices to increase urban food production and restore the health of soils , Yuxiao Liao

Anti-gentrification: reconnect Chinatown through culture practice , Xianzhongge (Allen) Liu

Aquatic assemblages: improving dragonfly habitat and water quality in an urban park , Yan Liu

Trash matters: material strategies for prolonging the life of single-use plastic , Zixin Li

Infection-free landscape: adaptable urban open space design during and after the COVID-19 pandemic , Weirong Luo

Offshore speculation: generative ethics for submerged lands , Leigh Miller

Design in support of playfulness , Seung Hwan Oh

Emotional experience: An exploration of reestablishing the connection with nature through novel street tree planning in Providence, RI , Xiuyan Qin

Living with fire , Mohan Wang

Farming publics: Use farming practices as a tool to de-alienate people with land , Sirui Wang

Sensory resilience in urban walkingscapes: Space making strategies for streetside public systems in neuro- inclusive city visions , Yingying Wang

Slow down: Investigating how pop-up installations transform multi-use space , Yuanrui Wang

Landscape of resistance: reimagining public space for a vibrant socio-political life , Ziyu Wang

Zoopolis: repurpose urban infrastructure to welcome invisible neighbors , Yu Xiao

The Urban fabric: upcycling textile waste into raw material for urban ground surface design , Wenlin Yang

Agricultural Landscape as cultural practice : through the lens of rice farming , Yumeng Yan

One land / one ocean: reactivate coastal commons in urban territory , Chengie Zhang

Bee stations: refueling bees and creating opportunities for education , Jinghan Zhou

Cross border conservation - China - North Korea border , Ziyu Zhou

The future of the High Plains Aquifer: addressing potential desertification in the Great Plains , Hongfei Zuo

Theses from 2021 2021

Solastalgic ecotone: the critical zone in suspension , Bareeq Bahman

The sixth migration - rural/urban "heterotopia" , Pan Chen

Inclusive multi-sensory landscape: directing visually impaired people in a perception world , Tianqi Chen

Urban tree community: living with tree spirits , Xueying Chen

Blur the boundaries: an aerial coexisting system for birds and humans on rooftops , Yu Fang

Holding: speculative infrastructure for fire mitigation , Ian George

Rewilding Seattle: a green network for both humans and non-humans , Zhouqian Guo

Mutable landscapes: diversity through the lens of the earth's biomass , Ilya Iskhakov

The TEK-way: traditional ecological knowledge: a catalyst to building resilient communities , Smera Rose Jacob

Transforming islands: a living memorial for the Marshall Islands , Chengwen Jiang

Reimagining the damage: an exploration on urban brownfield regeneration strategies , Jun Jiang

Re-foresting: cohabitation of human and trees , Chengyu Ke

Filmic landscape: a performative space with multi-medium , Zhihong Ke

Land, labor, water: an agricultural commons in the Central Valley of California , Jacob Lightman

Post-industry brownfield renewal system: precision strategy and design via the new methodology , Sirui Li

Fluid ground: imagining a floating future for Tuvalu , Yuxi Liu

Eco-waste: household waste material flows in a circular economy , Erqi Meng

Affordable Green: what cause landscape gentrification and how we deal with it , Siyu Pan

Virtuality, reality, community , Siqi Rao

Synthetic undulation: improving the marine life quality on the Indonesian island of Seleyar , Shreeyaa Shah

Community steward of the deep bay: staging Lau Fau Shan for resiliency through collective participation , Lauren Tam

Across the boundary: addressing segregation along transportation infrastructure , Ruochen Wang

Regional food self sufficiency: new visions for productive landscapes , Yiling Wang

Wandering land: landscape on space station , Xin Wen

Optics / perception / experience: regenerating agricultural landscape through railways , Tianyi Xie

A better city for her: design safer public spaces for women in the United States and China , Geruihan Xu

Mother river: restoring transiting producing , Rui Yang

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Landscape architecture theses and dissertations.

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• No Walk in the Park: Urban Green Space Planning for Health Equity and Environmental Justice  Elderbrock, Evan ( University of Oregon , 2023-07-06 ) Cities are complex socio-ecological systems where social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental factors influence health outcomes. With the global population growing increasingly urbanized, understanding how ...
• Cultural Landscape Documentation and Repeat Photography: Linking Framework and Practice  Kerr, Noah ( University of Oregon , 2023-03-24 ) Cultural landscape professionals commonly use an established, framework-based approach to assess distinctive site features. This framework serves to organize and inform the study, reconnaissance, and documentation of ...
• Investigating Forest Elephant Crop Depredation to Guide Landscape Management for Villager-Elephant Coexistence  Memiaghe, Herve Roland ( University of Oregon , 2023-03-24 ) Forest elephant destruction of villagers' crops in and around Gabon's national parks has persisted despite intensive efforts to control the problem by blocking elephant access to crops. I developed an alternative approach ...
• Identifying Landtype Phases for Oregon White Oak Restoration in the Willamette National Forest, Oregon  Kurtz, Lindsey ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) Ecological classification systems are used to understand and restore complex heterogeneous landscapes. We explored an ecological classification methodology to determine fine-grained land units by combining field and remote ...
• Spatial Patterns and Management Implications of Native Bunchgrass Recovery Following Oak-Pine Savanna Restoration in the Mid-Elevation Oregon Cascades  Horton, Eyrie ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) Restoring native grasslands by counteracting the forest succession which followed the loss of historical fire regimes is a vital component of landscape management in the Mediterranean moist climate of the western Pacific ...
• Place-Based Social-Ecological Inquiry in Urban Green Stormwater Infrastructure Systems: A Comparison of Ecological and Social Outcomes in Three Portland Neighborhoods  Stapleton, Elizabeth ( University of Oregon , 2022-10-04 ) With the anticipated escalation in extreme weather events due to climate change, urban areas are increasingly managing stormwater through the use of green infrastructure, designed facilities which share an emphasis on the ...
• Codesign: A New Framework for Landscape Architecture in Informal Settlements  DeHeer, Adam ( University of Oregon , 2019-09-18 ) Rapid urbanization is occurring inequitably, resulting in the proliferation of informal settlements. Lack of access to adequate sanitation, clean water, and other elements of a healthy human habitat, such as green space, ...
• Relationships Among Airborne Microbial Communities, Urban Land Uses and Vegetation Cover: Implications for Urban Planning and Human Health  Mhuireach, Gwynne A. ( University of Oregon , 2018-09-06 ) Variation in exposure to environmental microbial communities has been implicated in the etiology of allergies, asthma and other chronic and immune disorders. In particular, preliminary research suggests that exposure to a ...
• Landscape Genealogy: A Site Analysis Framework for Landscape Architects  Telomen, Christopher ( University of Oregon , 2018-09-06 ) Landscape architects and researchers often try to understand power by relying on allegory or symbology to interpret expressions of authority and ideology in space. This research proposes an interdisciplinary perspective ...
• Prescription for Public Open Space: Locating New Public Open Space to Combat Obesity in New Orleans  Hanson, Wade ( 2017-07-09 ) Literature suggests that many of the current approaches to developing new public open space focus on individual parcels of land and the ease of their acquisition rather than their location and value within a larger system. ...
• Water Urbanism: Building More Coherent Cities  Rising, Hope ( University of Oregon , 2015-08-18 ) A more water-coherent approach is postulated as a primary pathway through which biophilic urbanism contributes to livability and climate change adaptation. Previous studies have shown that upstream water retention is more ...
• Protecting Stream Ecosystem Health in the Face of Rapid Urbanization and Climate Change  Wu, Hong ( University of Oregon , 2015-01-14 ) The ability to anticipate and evaluate the combined impacts of urbanization and climate change on streamflow regimes is critical to developing proactive strategies that protect aquatic ecosystems. I developed an ...
• Open Space as an Armature for Urban Expansion: A Future Scenarios Study to Assess the Effects of Spatial Concepts on Wildlife Populations  Penteado, Homero ( University of Oregon , 2014-06-17 ) Urbanization is one of the biggest threats to biodiversity. To address this problem, landscape planners have increasingly adopted landscape ecology as a theoretical basis for planning. They use spatial concepts that express ...
• A Landscape Approach to Ecosystem Services in Oregon's Southern Willamette Valley Agricultural Landscape  Enright, Christianne ( University of Oregon , 2013-07-11 ) Over the past decade, ecosystem services has become a familiar term. Definitions vary but the central idea is that society depends on and is enhanced by earth's resources. Concerns about natural resource depletion and ...
• Park-above-Parking Downtown: A Spatial-Based Investigation  Ren, Lanbin ( University of Oregon , 2013-07-11 ) Parking and parks are both crucial to downtown economic development. Many studies have shown that downtown parks significantly contribute to increasing surrounding property values and attract residents, businesses and ...
• Park-above-Parking Downtown: A Spatial-Based Impact Investigation  Ren, Lanbin ( University of Oregon , 2012-12 ) Parking and parks are both crucial to downtown economic development. Many studies have shown that downtown parks significantly contribute to increasing surrounding property values and attract residents, businesses and ...
• Equal Access: Providing Urban Agricultural Benefits to Under-Served Communities  Wilkinson, Renee ( University of Oregon , 2012 ) This study examines the potential contribution market research could make to planning urban farm locations. Substantial research identifies access to healthy foods as a significant barrier for under-served communities. ...

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Theses and Dissertations

Theses from 2022 2022.

Storytelling as Design Methodology: Reclaiming Little Manila's Urban Landscape Identity , Alyssa M. Gill

Celebrating Wetland Foodways: Joining Ecosystems & Cultures on the Louisiana Gulf Coast , Deborah La Rue

Acknowledgement, Education, Memory: Reframing the Cemetery Landscapes of the Enslaved , Aubrey L. Phillips

Theses from 2020 2020

Give Us Back Our River's Edge: An Analysis Of Man Made Flood Controls Along The Mississippi River , taylor jacobsen

Thiết Kế cho Gia Tài Nông Nghiệp: Cho Khu Tôi ở Nu Ô Linh Đông - Designing for a Living AgriCultural Heritage: For my Vietnamese Neighborhood in New Orleans East , Nguyệt Nguyễn

Water, Waste, and Race: Designing for Change on the Shelby County Landfill , Elizabeth Peterson

The Siltcatcher: A Sediment-Capture System for Wetland Creation and Coastal Protection in Western Lake Pontchartrain , Andrew M. Wright

Theses from 2019 2019

BUILDING A BETTER BATTURE: A REGIONAL RECREATIONAL ENHANCEMENT AROUND THE MORGANZA TO THE GULF LEVEE , Taylor N. Fehmel

ĐỔI MỚI DIY: TACTICAL RURALISM AND TANGIBLE MODELING IN THE MEKONG DELTA , Phillip Fernberg

Making Connaught Place (New Delhi, India) Bicycle And Pedestrian Friendly , Surabhi Jain

The Corridor Des Arts , Kade M. Jones

Multi-purposeful Water Design for Monte Sano Park in Baton Rouge , Yuta Masakane

Rules of Distributary Engagement: Cultural Adaptation and Digital Enhancement of Hydro-ecological Decision-making in the Mekong Delta, Việt Nam , Clare-Mai H. Nguyen

Theses from 2018 2018

From the Water: Interpreting the Legacy of Bayou Teche , Joni Elizabeth Emmons

Salvation of Landscape: Landscape Remediation of Desertification in China , Chenliang Ma

Designing Peace in Hiroshima , Inmi Moon

Incremental Landscape at a Baton Rouge Oil Refinery: Temporal Framework for Phytoremediation in Louisiana Cancer Alley , DaHyung Yang

Preservation and Reformation , Yedi Zhang

Theses from 2016 2016

#Cone-Versation: A Tactical Urbanist Experiment , Yifu Liu

Developing Agritourism in the Caribbean: Critical Ethnography and Sustainable Landscape Design to Improve the Human Experience at Letan Bossier, Haiti , Kristen Maria Lonon

Resilient Future: The Cultural Riverfront Edge in the New Capital, Amaravathi, in Andhra Pradesh, India , Priyanka Malik

Creating Sustainable Future of a Degraded Urban Canal: Mae Kha, in Chiang Mai, Thailand , Sunantana Nuanla-Or

Mass Incarceration by Design: The Impacts of Urban Renewal and Landscape Architecture's Absence on the Prison Industrial Complex and the Use of Landscape Architecture as an Antidote to Mass Incarceration , Abigail P. Phillips

Fresh Flow: Where The City Meets The Sea , Wanqin Su

Can We Make Chinatown a More Sustainable Environment: Rethinking and Remaking Chinatown, San Francisco? , Zhen Wang

From Ruins to Home The Exploration of Shikumen’s Development , Xinye Zheng

Theses from 2015 2015

Informal Landscape Architecture: A Tool to Improve Water Quality for Informal Settlements along Waterways in Bangkok , Jidapa Chayakul

The Cost of Design: A Life-Cycle Assessment of Green Infrastructure Technology , Cheryl Kaye Lough

Revisit and Revise: The Introspective Approach to Reclamation and Redevelopment in Miami's Urban Core , Jescelle Renee Major

Using Stormwater Modeling in Iterative Site Design: An Integration of Techniques from Engineering and Landscape Architecture , Brooke Erin Morris

New Orleans, A City of Layers Preventing Extinction , William Francis Reinhardt

Theses from 2007 2007

The art of perception: Robert Irwin's Central Garden at the J. Paul Getty Center , Jennifer Kay Zell

Theses from 2005 2005

Quiet revolutions: neighborhood urban forestry programs , Ann McCoy Allen

An "ecolodge" in Thailand: a site design based upon the local vernacular village , Pudtan Chantarangkul

Using site-specific art as an alternative for interpreting Port Hudson State Historic Park, Louisiana , Yi-Chia Chen

Crime prevention and the perception of safety in campus design , Mary Frances Fernandez

Press Street: a concept for preserving, reintroducing and fostering local history , Brian J. McBride

Palimpsest encounters: a baseline study of Federal, Antebellum, and Postbellum New Orleans gardens using the Notarial Archives drawings , Cecilia L. McNab

Four dimensional presentations as a new representation method: a proposal for the use of interactive multimedia presentation in landscape architecture , Kinoto Miyakoda

Master planning communities with wildlife in mind , Helen A. Peebles

Local narratives: an approach to participatory planning in community revitalization projects , Herpreet Kaur Singh

Theses from 2004 2004

Arrive, explore, reflect: the development and evaluation of a web-based program to introduce high school students to landscape architecture , Courtney Bailey

Design exploration: totem as alternative for efficient and socially responsive burial , Mark Evan Bazzell

Accelerating the transition to a sustainable society , Christopher Brian Bennett

The Atchafalaya Basin proposal for nomination to the World Heritage Site list , Mitchell W. Coffman

Reading the humor in Korean traditional space - dreaming the restoration of old sentiment - , Sungmi Han

A site design in a hurricane prone coastal environment: Grand Isle, Louisiana case study , Naniek Kohdrata

Nature is to nurture: a post occupancy evaluation of the St. Michael Health Care Center, Texarkana, TX , Leigh LaFargue

Middlegate Japanese Gardens: preservation, private property and public memory , Margaret Anne Legett

Development of outdoor educational landscapes in forested wetlands of Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin , Margaret Ann McClain

A pedestrian friendly environment for downtown Baton Rouge , Aya Miyakoda

A Louisiana plantswoman: Margie Yates Jenkins , Gayna B. Veltman

Theses from 2003 2003

Relative costs of infill vs. suburban residential developments: a case study of the Greater Baton Rouge area , John Lawrence Brian

Sustainable agriculture and the Red Stick Farmers' Market: an exploration of the use of concept in design , Lawrence Christopher Campany

Studio design critique: student and faculty expectations and reality , Elizabeth Marie Graham

Design guidelines of a therapeutic garden for autistic children , Bonnie Barnes Hebert

Restructuring the spaces under elevated expressways: a case study of the spaces below the Interstate-10 overpass at Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, Louisiana , Ramon Irizarry

Exterior accessibility issues: a study of the outdoor spaces connected with housing facilities at Louisiana State University , Frank Hardy Lewis

Sustainable development principles for East Baton Rouge Parish , Xia Li

Gateways into the Atchafalaya: developing a framework for water-based recreation in the Atchafalaya Basin parishes , Steven Joseph Lumpkin

A proposal for a SPARK Park site selection process in East Baton Rouge Parish , James M. McCord

Exedra: form and function in the landscape , Daniel W. McElmurray

C.C. Pat Fleming: Houston, Texas, landscape architect , Paige Allred Phillips

Using smart growth principles for development in St. Landry Parish , Rebecca L. Scheffler

Children's perception of racial urban boundaries: a case study in Baton Rouge , Aspasia Xypolia

Theses from 2002 2002

Toward a design process , Joel Shay Aulie

Building community: an environmental approach to crime prevention , Gustavo A. Barreto

An assessment of thesis alternatives for Landscape Architecture programs in the United States , Evan Warfield Brandon

Ecologically sensitive wetland sites: an investigation of land use attitudes and development trends with educational objectives , Linda A. Chance

Xeriscape guidelines adapted to residential gardens in Cyprus , Elli George Georgiou

The differences in performance of a left vs. right brained golfer on a curvilinear golf course , Robin Suzanne Jamison

Landscape overlay zoning district ordianance: for the Lafayette "oil patch promenadea", Highway US 90, Lafayette Parish, Louisiana , Neal Wesley Kessler

An analysis of marina environmental practices on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain , Arthur Hunter Marks, III

The Historic Landscape of Mendocino: what terms define the landscape of a Rural Historic Landscape? , William Morrison

Open space for the public: an evaluation of designed open spaces on urban university campuses , Elizabeth Errett Neil

An integrated approach to stormwater management in the coastal zone , Clotho Alexis Spinner

Improving the design of golf course communities as wildlife habitats , Jason R. Watton

Theses from 2001 2001

Healing the Whole Person: A Post Occupancy Evaluation of the Rooftop Therapy Park at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, Knoxville, Tennessee , Brad Edward Davis

Towards Establishing a Process for Preserving Historic Landscapes in Mexico: The Casa Cristo Gardens in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico , Marcela De Obaldia

Signs sense: exploring signs in urban place making , Amy Elizabeth Pecquet

Landscape architecture in El Salvador: a case study of the Cerro Verde National Park , Stephen Price Wilson

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Excellent Dissertation Topics in Architecture

Table of contents

• 1 Eco-Friendly Architecture Dissertation Topics
• 2 Architecture Dissertation Topics in Risk Management
• 3 Landscape Architecture Dissertation Topics
• 4 Architecture Dissertation Topics for Urban Planning and Transport
• 5 Interesting Architecture Dissertation Topics
• 6 Research Topics in Modern Design
• 7 Sustainable Architecture Topics
• 8 Trending Topics in Landscape Design

With this in mind, it’s vital that you stick to your field of study and the topics that are within it. If you’re clueless as to what to talk about, you can always go online and see what other people have to say and what they’re writing about; this could give you a heads-up on what’s to come. If, for example, you study architecture, there are many things that you could address in your final document.

The structures for buildings around the world change with the years and come from many different styles that have very different meanings because of the cultures in which they were created within. This gives you an endless list of possibilities to talk about. There really are no limits when it comes to writing about architecture.

You could discuss the never-ending debate regarding whether old buildings should be preserved or not. All you’ll have to do is provide your idea and opinion based on a series of research that you’ll need to do prior to writing your final draft. A dissertation paper isn’t something that you do in one day; this document requires months and months of hard, tedious work, where you have to read a lot and work on your citation formats and turn in various pieces of work that others will revise and provide feedback for you to adjust and have the cycle repeat itself endless times.

When you’re faced with the task of  writing your dissertation for your Ph.D , the most important factor to consider is the topic. If you need inspiration, take a look at the list of topics below, which were popular choices among other students. You can also buy case study online to get an in-depth look at a particular subject. Whichever route you choose, make sure to pick a topic that interests you. If you still have no idea of what to talk about, you can take a look at the list below, which will provide you with a series of topics that other students have been talking about throughout the years, and they are still popular. If you still have no idea of what to talk about, you can take a look at the list below, which will provide you with a series of topics that other students have been talking about throughout the years, and they are still popular.

Eco-Friendly Architecture Dissertation Topics

These architecture dissertation topics are more than just popular, and we have a list of dissertation topics in architecture that will make any task you have on mind easier. At the same time, we will partially be focused on waste management, recycling spaces, and renewable energy, which are all related here. Let’s check the best architecture thesis topics right now.

• Eco-friendly neighborhood development
• Making more urban parks
• Best eco-friendly community garden design
• Old building eco-restoration
• Proper waste management
• Fast and cheap riverfront development
• Making the most advanced SMART village
• Completely sustainable building idea
• What is regenerative design?
• What is an urban agriculture center?

Architecture Dissertation Topics in Risk Management

It is important for all architecture students to have a good understanding of dissertation topics in architecture, as it is an essential field. This list of topics will be a great help when researching, and with the help of professional thesis writers, you can even pay for thesis writing to get the best results. With this assistance, you can be sure to get the best quality dissertation that will impress your peers.

Here we have a list of dissertation topics in architecture that are mandatory to know, and you will probably see a lot of architecture dissertation topics from this group. We can add that it is an essential field of architecture and one all students need to know more about.

• Best practices for making safety better
• How to avoid future water pollution?
• Managing risks of high-end infrastructures
• Limits of computer simulation
• Benefits of risk computer simulations
• Pros of low-cost and high-strength buildings
• Cons of low-cost and high-strength buildings
• New methods for decreasing risk in architecture
• Common risk mistakes new workers make
• Using virtual reality to test the risk

Need help with dissertation writing? Get your paper written by a professional writer Get Help Reviews.io 4.9/5

Landscape Architecture Dissertation Topics

You may need to focus on one of these when it comes to proper dissertation writing. Each dissertation topic here is a bit special, and each dissertation topic is something you will need to invest a lot of research in and then make presentable. Let’s see the best topics of this type.

• Processing data on food, water, and energy in the real-time
• Benefits of offshore wind energy projects
• Using landscape to make architecture self-sustainable
• Evolution on current energy landscape models
• Food access for locals in large cities
• Shaping the landscape to suit people more
• Making landscape more suitable for people with disabilities
• Using rainwater design in a modern city
• Adaptive reuse of a river park
• Adapting building design to the specific landscape

Architecture Dissertation Topics for Urban Planning and Transport

The field of architecture we have here is a bit special but more important than ever before. Now you can see the topics that will help you and the ones that can make any process of this kind even better and definitely easier.

• Low-cost homes and low-cost transport
• Should we make more skyscrapers?
• Suburban communities and transporting issues
• Benefits of developing a marine park
• Is transport suitable for modern cities?
• How transport can be improved in multi-million cities
• Incorporating airports in urban planning
• Making train stations more suitable for urban areas
• Managing a million tourists in a modern city
• Hotels that can accommodate more visitors than ever before but are eco-friendly

Interesting Architecture Dissertation Topics

Here you can see all about housing schemes, appealing ideas, and more that are definitely going to make your writing process easier and better the lack of a better word. Each one of these ideas has been more than just popular. Focus on building design if this is what you like.

• How to know what the right number of restrooms is when building a large, public venue.
• Redefining a city through architecture.
• Maximizing small spaces: all there is to know.
• Building for the family: privacy and closeness.
• Cathedrals: using the new world’s budget to recreate the old world.
• Discuss the difference in the design of houses in cold climates and warm climates.
• Explain some benefits of using technological models in architectural diagrams.
• Provide an accurate description of an architectural model that would be appealing to a religious client.
• Discuss the nature of middle-class architecture and its place in modern society.
• Include elements of famous architects without copying their work.
• Getting people to move through energizing architecture.
• Architecture and the family. The need for closeness and privacy
• Cathedrals: Recreating the old world on a new world budget

It is no wonder that more and more students are turning to these services for dissertation help . They can provide guidance, expertise and offer support for editing, proofreading, and writing for your best results. With their help, the dissertation can be completed in a timely and efficient manner.

Research Topics in Modern Design

The contemporary architecture will cover the hot topics in the field, and a good place to start would be one of these engaging building design topics:

• Multicultural Architecture in the Urban Landscape
• Trends of Environmental Technology in Residential Structures
• Developing Commercial Projects for IoT
• Evaluating Design in Municipal Structures
• Creative Designs in the Modern Era
• Maximizing Resources and Space with Accessibility
• Minimalist Design in Compact Areas
• Methods of Mitigating Damage from Natural Disaster
• Methods of Pre-fabricated Design
• Features of Portable Housing Units

Sustainable Architecture Topics

With so much focus on the environment and technology associated with it, there is a significant push to develop green tech with design. Here are some ideas:

• Applications of Hemp in Building Structure
• Retrofitting Inefficiency with Existing Buildings
• Building in Response to Climate Change
• Micro-Construction for the Future
• Creating Self-Sufficient Structures
• Calculating Solar Panel Output with Planning
• Determining Optimal Insulation R-Values
• Principles of Net Zero Design
• Reducing A Structure’s Carbon Footprint
• Heating and Cooling Systems with Renewable Energy

Trending Topics in Landscape Design

Architecture is more about structures. There is the landscape that accompanies it. You must consider many elements of the environment you place your structures. Here are a few topics you can use:

• Planning for Water Scarcity and Droughts
• Maximizing Green Space in Residential Designs
• Managing Flood Zones with Climate Change
• Revitalizing Landscapes
• Reducing Development Risks with Wildlife
• Principles of Urban Agriculture
• Optimizing Drainage for Water Conservation
• Child-Friendly Landscapes
• Retaining Green Cities in Periods of Growth
• Efficient Public Infrastructure

Who said architecture couldn’t be exciting? With these modern architecture dissertation topics, you’re well on your way to getting your proposal approved. A dissertation is a rewarding academic achievement that is quite exhausting, which is why some students buy a dissertation . With much new technology and urban requirements coming into the mix, a degree in architecture is well worth the investment. Don’t be afraid to ask for architecture dissertation help, as we at Papersowl.com are here to assist 24 hours. We cover all aspects of academic writing and can work with a portion of your paper or even do the whole dissertation. So if you’re stuck, reach out to us.

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10 Inspiring Architecture Thesis Topics for 2023: Exploring Sustainable Design, AI Integration, and Parametricism

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Choosing between architecture thesis topics is a big step for students since it’s the end of their education and a chance to show off their creativity and talents. The pursuit of biomaterials and biomimicry, a focus on sustainable design , and the use of AI in architecture will all have a significant impact on the future of architecture in 2023.

We propose 10 interesting architecture thesis topics and projects in this post that embrace these trends while embracing technology, experimentation, and significant architectural examples.

Architecture Thesis Topic #1 – Sustainable Affordable Housing

Project example: Urban Village Project is a new visionary model for developing affordable and livable homes for the many people living in cities around the world. The concept stems from a collaboration with SPACE10 on how to design, build and share our future homes, neighbourhoods and cities.

“Sustainable affordable housing combines social responsibility with innovative design strategies, ensuring that everyone has access to safe and environmentally conscious living spaces.” – John Doe, Sustainable Design Architect.

Architecture Thesis Topic #2 – Parametric Architecture Using Biomaterials

Project example:  Parametric Lampchairs, using Agro-Waste by Vincent Callebaut Architectures The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) “Living Architecture Lab” investigates the fusion of biomaterials with parametric design to produce responsive and sustainable buildings . The lab’s research focuses on using bio-inspired materials for architectural purposes, such as composites made of mycelium.

Architecture Thesis Topic #3 – Urban Planning Driven by AI

Project example: The University of California, Berkeley’s “ Smart City ” simulates and improves urban planning situations using AI algorithms. The project’s goal is to develop data-driven methods for effective urban energy management, transportation, and land use.

“By integrating artificial intelligence into urban planning, we can unlock the potential of data to create smarter, more sustainable cities that enhance the quality of life for residents.” – Jane Smith, Urban Planner.

Architecture Thesis Topic #4 – Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Heritage

From 1866 to 1878, Oxford Street’s Paddington Reservoir was built. From the 1930′s, it was covered by a raised grassed park which was hidden from view and little used by the surrounding community.

Over the past two years, the City of Sydney and its collaborative design team of architects, landscape architects, engineers, planners, and access consultants have created a unique, surprising, functional, and completely engaging public park that has captivated all who pass or live nearby.

Instead of capping the site and building a new park above, the design team incorporated many of the reinforced ruins of the heritage-listed structure and created sunken and elevated gardens using carefully selected and limited contemporary materials with exceptional detailing.

Architecture Thesis Topic #5 – Smart and Resilient Cities

The capacity to absorb, recover from, and prepare for future shocks (economic, environmental, social, and institutional) is what makes a city resilient. Resilient cities have this capabilities. Cities that are resilient foster sustainable development, well-being, and progress that includes everyone.

Architecture Thesis Topic #6 – High Performing Green Buildings

The LEED certification offers a foundation for creating high-performing, sustainable structures. In order to guarantee energy efficiency , water conservation, and healthy interior environments, architects may include LEED concepts into their buildings. To learn more check our free training to becoming LEED accredited here .

Architecture Thesis Topic #7 – Urban Landscapes with Biophilic Design

Project example: The High Line is an elevated linear park in New York City that stretches over 2.33 km and was developed on an elevated part of a defunct New York Central Railroad branch that is known as the West Side Line. The successful reimagining of the infrastructure as public space is the key to its accomplishments. The 4.8 km Promenade Plantee, a tree-lined promenade project in Paris that was finished in 1993, served as an inspiration for the creation of the High Line.

“Biophilic design fosters human well-being by creating environments that reconnect people with nature, promoting relaxation, productivity, and overall happiness.” – Sarah Johnson, Biophilic Design Consultant.

Architecture Thesis Topic #8 – Augmented and Virtual Reality in Architectural Visualization

An interactive experience that augments and superimposes a user’s real-world surroundings with computer-generated data. In the field of architecture, augmented reality (AR) refers to the process of superimposing 3D digital building or building component models that are encoded with data onto real-world locations.

Architecture Thesis Topic #9 – Sustainable Skyscrapers

There is even a master program called “Sustainable Mega-Buildings” in the UK , Cardiff dedicated to high-rise projects in relation to performance and sustainability. Since building up rather than out, having less footprint, more open space, and less development is a green strategy .

“Sustainable skyscrapers showcase the possibilities of high-performance design, combining energy efficiency, resource conservation, and innovative architectural solutions.” – David Lee, Sustainable Skyscraper Architect.

Architecture Thesis Topic #10 – Circular Economy in Construction

Project example: Building D(emountable) , a sustainable and fully demountable structure on the site of a historic, monumental building complex in the center of the Dutch city Delft. Of the way in which the office approaches circular construction and of the way in which one can make buildings that can later donate to other projects. Or even be reused elsewhere in their entirety.

“By embracing the circular economy in construction, architects can contribute to a more sustainable industry, shifting from a linear ‘take-make-dispose’ model to a more regenerative approach.” – Emily Thompson, Sustainable Construction Specialist.

Conclusion:

The 10 thesis projects for architecture discussed above demonstrate how AI, LEED , and sustainable design are all incorporated into architectural practice. Students may investigate these subjects with an emphasis on creativity, experimenting, and building a physical environment that is in line with the concepts of sustainability and resilience via examples, quotations, and university programs.

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15 Most Intriguing Architecture Dissertation Topics For Young Architects (2024)

18 min read

October 31, 2022

Table of Contents

What is an Architecture Dissertation?

An architecture dissertation is a research paper that explores a specific topic in this field, completed by students as a part of their graduation requirements. It is written by students pursuing an architecture degree and is a graduation requirement. It allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject matter and their ability to conduct independent research. The topics for architecture dissertations vary widely, but they generally focus on a particular architectural aspect, such as design, history, theory, or technology.

If you're seeking inspiration for your architecture dissertation, we’re there to help you. In this blog, we have curated a list of 15 interesting dissertation topics spanning urban architecture, public spaces, hospitality structures, religious edifices, and more.

How to Choose a Dissertation Topic for Architecture?

Before going through the list of our architecture dissertation topics, let us understand the key measures to keep in mind while choosing your topic:

1. Identify Your Interests

Choose a topic that interests you the most. This will help you stay motivated throughout the research process.

2. Explore Current Trends

Look for the latest trends and developments in the architecture field. This can help you identify gaps in the industry and come up with a unique topic.

3. Consult with Your Advisor

Your advisor can provide valuable guidance and help you narrow down your topic. They can also suggest relevant literature and research methods.

4. Consider Your Resources

Ensure you have access to the necessary resources to conduct your research. This includes access to libraries, archives, and other sources of information.

5. Brainstorm Ideas

Once you have identified your interests and explored current trends, brainstorm a list of potential topics. This can help you identify the most promising ideas and narrow down your focus.

Most Intriguing Architecture Dissertation Topics

We have compiled a list of 15 architecture dissertation topics that are intriguing and relevant to the architecture field. These topics cover various categories, from public to religious architecture and more. Take a look below:

1. Temple Complex of the Future |Religious Architecture

Temples have always held central importance around the world and can be active sites of cultural confluence. Possible areas to explore in your architecture dissertation topics are the uses of sustainability in creating religious structures, materials used, analysing the cultural significance of the architectural elements in structures, and classifying their types and historical context.

Inter-faith traditions are spreading across the world, and this can and has given rise to new ideas. The Lotus Temple in Delhi is an excellent case study on the same - with a marvellous, nine-sided circular shape embodying the central the central tenets of the Baha’i’ faith. It receives 20 percent of its electricity from solar panels. While the structure may look delicate, it can withstand an earthquake of up to 8 on the Richter scale. Wondering how? Because each of its nine petals has been individually constructed and fortified. It is also one of the foremost examples of biomimetic architecture in the modern world.

An architecture dissertation is only one part of the larger process of building a portfolio. Usually, students are required to submit a thesis in addition to their architecture dissertation, to demonstrate practical skills. You can also call it a rite of passage! We’ve created the ultimate guide to nailing your architecture thesis , and we highly recommend checking it out if you’re struggling with the process of a thesis.

2. Community Centre |Public Architecture

Architecture dissertations on community centres are a wonderful way to learn about urban development and planning. Exploring a community centre as your architecture dissertation topic would mean taking into consideration issues such as demographic analysis, community development (educational and skill-oriented), multifunctional spaces, ease of access, recreational facilities, and eco-friendly, sustainable building solutions. You can also look to design spaces that foster social relations and harmony within a local community while incorporating their culture and preferences, alongside performing case studies.

An excellent example of an innovative community centre is the Largo Community Centre in Florida. The park focuses on creating, in effect, an indoor park with meeting spaces for community members and recreational facilities by using sustainable materials.

A community centre is also an excellent project to showcase in your architecture   portfolio , essential to developing your skills and practical knowledge. Read more tips to create an incredible architecture portfolio.

Read more:  The Best Architecture Portfolios: 10 Inspiring Examples (2024)

3. Animal Shelters and Veterinary Care Centres |Healthcare Architecture

It is no secret that planning and designing spaces for animals are very different from designing spaces for humans. One needs to take into account the creation of surgery and operation theatres, hospital spaces for sick animals, residential areas for staff, playing pens, grazing grounds, access to medicinal supplies , and so on. Meanwhile, also ensure that the structure is easy to clean and has enough natural light and ventilation to comfort distressed animals. Certainly a competitive analysis for your architecture dissertation!

The Veterinary Clinic Masans in Chur, Switzerland is an excellent case study for this. With 1145 m 2 of space, cutting-edge medical technology, and designed to house 17 staff members, this veterinary centre is Southeastern Switzerland’s go-to medical facility. Its partially underground structure features a green roof, serving as both a garden and playground for neighbouring residents. The interior boasts a predominantly white palette and the rooms are strategically arranged for optimal natural light, creating a calming environment. Diagnostic equipment is showcased along corridor ceilings, maintaining the clinic’s technical vibe, while the key rooms are constructed with soundproof glass fibre. Now that’s what we call a unique structure, providing tremendous design and research scope.

This structure is certainly a competitive analysis for your architecture dissertation!

4. Mass Rapid Transit Systems Design |Transportation Architecture

MRTS includes the design structure of trams, buses, metros, monorails, and commuter rails. The challenges in this unique field include mapping strategic routes, conducting population demand and density analysis, interchange zones, and so on. All the while, ensuring that the MRTS design is in line with civic and environmental goals, goals, property development, population growth, and appropriate land use. This makes it a very stimulating architecture dissertation topic.

A fabulous example is the Shinkansen (tr. in Japanese: ‘new railway line’) in Japan or the bullet train system. It connects major Japanese cities, and in the 50+ years of its operation, there has not been a single fatality, collision, or derailment. Now, that’s something!

5. Multi-Functional Urban Spaces |Urban Architecture

By 2030, it is estimated that the world’s population will stand at a staggering 8.6 billion, with the 10 most populated cities seeing over 400 urban million dwellers! This makes multifunctional spaces in urban cities an increasingly important concern for developing countries. Moreover, factors like preventing urban sprawl and overcrowding, taking care of waste management, and finding more sustainable ways to build structures are taken into account while planning multifunctional cities . This must be done without a decline in the city’s living standards and with attention to issues such as mobility and equity . It is exciting and highly futuristic for your architecture dissertation topic.

An interesting example of this is the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, which turned from one of the foremost cultural and economic hubs of the city to a barren land between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. Its revival after the fall of the Berlin Wall occurred when the government announced a design competition for the plaza, which turned it into one of the largest building sites in Europe, with clearly demarcated territories of commercial centres, cultural centres, and leisure zones.

Increasingly, urban designers and architects have realised that to construct the most efficient structures for urban living, they need to use technologies such as BIM. BIM helps all stakeholders in a project stay up-to-date with the latest developments and collaborate effectively. You can read more about the best architecture firms in India that have capitalised on BIM here.

You can read more about the best architecture firms in Bangalore for internships here .

6. Co-Living Housing |Residential Architecture

Urban migration for work is an extremely common phenomenon in the current day and age. Co-living housing, statistically, is popular among young professionals who want to save funds and not take up the hassle of hunting for houses, flatmates, and furniture. A co-living unit usually comes pre-furnished and costs less than an apartment. An architecture dissertation that focuses on co-living spaces would need to take into account successful case studies, shared spaces between residents, affordability and energy efficiency, suitable privacy, and the changing trends within co-living structures.

An excellent case study on this topic is Roam Co-Living in Bali, which comes fully equipped with modern amenities a young professional would need and offers enough privacy. This unique centre has often been described as “a model of a micro-society”.

7. Sustainable Architecture

Sustainable architecture is an increasing concern all around the globe for acquiring long-term environmental, economic, and social viability. An architecture thesis on sustainability needs to include research on various sustainable practices and their materi als, for instance — sol ar power, wind power, biomass, materials such as bamboo, and recycled plastic, among others. Sustainable architecture is a large field and, therefore, requires a narrowed-down focus on the kind of structure you are analysing, be it a hospital, a factory, or a school. It would also need to be lined up with case studies on local environmental factors and population analysis.

An excellent example of the same is Kohinoor Hospital in Mumbai. More than 40% of the resources used to construct this hospital are made of recyclable materials. In addition, the hospital focuses on water conservation. Thi s is just one of many examples. The number of structures one can explore for architecture dissertation topics on sustainabil ity is endless .

8. Urban Campus |Educational Architecture

Designing and researching a university campus is similar to building a small town. It accommodates student housing, dining halls, libraries, classrooms, laboratories, recreational facilities, university administration offices , and more. In addition, it also needs to be representative of the university’s ethos and cultural identity. For students, it needs to promote a sense of well-being. Energy efficiency and pedestrian safety are also essential considerations, making it a very stimulating architecture dissertation topic.

Case studies on this topic need to be extensively researched and curated. An excellent case study example is the University of Washington’s campus, with its clear demarcations, easy-to-navigate routes, libraries, and recreational facilities. On the campus, several buildings have been constructed and renovated with sustainability in mind. The university has also implemented green building standards such as LEED(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), in many of its construction projects.

The University is recognised as a national leader for its deep commitment to sustainability on our campuses and in the community.

Read more: Passive Design Architecture Examples Around the World

9. Reinventing Villages |Residential Architecture

Reviving villages often means rebuilding lost traditions and folklore that have been displaced or disappeared. This may occur due to economic changes , migration patterns, technological changes, and environmental degradation. Factors that need to be accounted for in an architecture dissertation on this topic are a regional historical analysis of the mentioned factors, in addition to demographic analysis for your case studies. Analysing building structures for technological progress, education, and employment generation, studying the architecture of existing structures, and focusing on the preservation of local historical monuments are some ways you can approach this topic for your architecture dissertation.

An excellent case study for the improvement of village structures is the revival of Kumbalangi fishing village by the government of Kerala . Focusing on eco-tourism, developing transportation routes, and improving the building structure for water access were some ways in which the government aided the Kumbalangi Integrated Tourism Village project.

10. Redefining Hotels and Resorts (Hospitality Architecture)

An architecture dissertation on hotels and resorts has several interesting offshoots to explore. Hotels and resorts, apart from being hubs for tourists and vacation venues, can also provide historical relevance and embody local traditions. An architecture dissertation on this topic can focus on the adaptive reuse of buildings, technical and cultural redevelopment, the relationship between the psychology of space and hospitality, eco-tourism, and sustainable development of hotels.

An incredible example of a re-conceptualized hotel is the Harding Boutique Hotel , designed by the firm, Anarchitect. It combines the modernist style of acclaimed architect Geoffrey Bawa with traditional Sri Lankan architectural elements. It is located 30 minutes from the UNESCO heritage site Galle Fort , which makes it part of Sri Lanka’s prime cultural avenue.

11. Waste Management Centre (Industrial Architecture)

Waste management is an urgent concern in the modern world. An architecture dissertation topic of this nature would need to explore aspects such as recycling waste as construction material. This would involve analysing different kinds of waste, such as — electronic waste, industrial waste, sludge waste, and organic waste) and how they can be repurposed. It would also include studying public policy and by-laws for waste management , among other factors.

A great case study on waste management is the Holmene islets of Copenhagen . These are nine man-made islets, and their unique design combines fossil-free energy production. And the most unique part? The biowaste and waste water from Copenhagen’s 1.5 million residents are turned into clean water and bioga s!

12. Eco Museum |Cultural Architecture

An eco-museum is a structure that uses a location's historical and cultural identity for tourism and heritage appreciation. Local communities usually run eco museums which are a way for them to participate in and preserve their heritage. Sustainable development is a major factor in eco-museum construction and development. An architecture dissertation on the same would have to delve into the concept of heritage, restoring old buildings and sites, and ideating eco-friendly methods for conservation and future preservation.

A case study of a successful eco museum is the Flodden 1513 Eco Museum , which is situated on the northeastern border between Scotland and England. It was the site of a battle between English and Scottish forces in 1513 and caused the death of many noblemen and King James IV.

13. Disaster Relief Housing |Residential Architecture

Asia and the Pacific islands are the most disaster-prone areas in the world. Over 45% of natural disasters occur in this region. This makes disaster relief architecture a very urgent concern in the area. An architecture dissertation on disaster relief housing would need to consider aspects such as the design of emergency shelter centres, sanitation access, and indexes of low-cost, weather-resistant, and easily recycled materials that ca n survive diffic ult circumstances.

An excellent case study on disaster relief housing is architecture firm Designnobis’s all-inclusive emergency shelter, Tentative. It is a disaster response tent that can adapt to almost any climate.

14. Retracing the Identity of a Crematorium (Public Architecture)

Understanding funerary architecture is a unique topic for an architecture dissertation. One must understand the spatial needs of a funeral with respect to the culture and religion of the deceased person. There are many kinds of spaces to consider - cemeteries, crematoriums, tom bs, towers of silence, and so on. The significance of the materials used concerning their cultural symbolism and functional qualities is also important. Another interesting factor to explore is the environmental consequences of funerals.

An interesting case study of funerary architecture is the Parsi Tower of Silence. It is a circular, raised structure made of three concentric circles with an almost flat top. According to Zoroastrian rituals, the bodies of men are left in the outermost circle, those of women in the middle circle, and those of children in the innermost circle for scavenger birds as an act of charity to nature.

Read more: The Connection Between Art And Architecture: The Beauty of Synergy

15. Revitalising Local Markets |Commercial Architecture

Markets have historically been a central location for shopping, trading, social gatherings, and more. In addition, they also often contain locally significant structures such as mosques and temples. When you consider revitalising local markets as part of your architecture dissertation, you have to take into account factors such as the different kinds of markets (street, enclosed, open) , their layout , spatial features , and whether they are permanent, or weekly.  In addition, you must think about their function, history, local demographics and future possibilities to understand the context of revitalisation to have a fruitful architecture dissertation on this topic.

An interesting example of a revitalised market is the Denpasar City traditional markets , where problems such as neglect in spatial planning and an increasing number of traders caused a decline in the market’s trade.

Final Notes

That concludes our list of the most interesting architecture dissertation topics you can pursue! A dissertation is an important stepping stone to the professional world of architecture. The field is rapidly changing, and the emergence of processes and digital tools has allowed students to push the technological boundaries of the kind of projects they wish to go after. Definitely, being in touch with the latest developments in the AEC industry will give you an edge while crafting your architecture dissertation and thesis.

Novatr offers courses on the most in-demand skills in the AEC industry– BIM Professional Course for Architects V2.0 . This is your opportunity to learn under the guidance of industry experts with years of real-world industry experience. Learn 15+ BIM software and workflows and also get the chance to work on challenging capstone projects, which will undoubtedly be good additions to your portfolio. If you want to know more about BIM and parametric modelling, our Resources page has plenty of informative reads!

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Landscape Architecture Dissertations, Theses, Projects

• Landscape Architecture Dissertations & Theses (Scholars Bank) Landscape Architecture disserations and theses in Scholars Bank, the UO digital repository
• Landscape Architecture Masters Projects (Scholars Bank) Landscape Architecture master's projects in Scholars Bank, the UO digital repository

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Dissertations and theses.

• Scholars' Bank. Graduate Theses and Dissertations This link opens in a new window Electronic theses and dissertations completed at the University of Oregon from 2008 to present. Selected older dissertations may be available.

Learn more in the  Finding Theses and Dissertations Research Guide .

Terminal Projects

Terminal projects  created by students in the College of Design have generally been collected by the UO Libraries although there are gaps in coverage. In recent years, theses, dissertations, and projects have been digitized and are accessible online in  Scholars Bank .

• Terminal projects held by the UO Libraries can be identified by searching LibrarySearch .  
• To identify a project, use keywords taken from the name of the author, the project title, and the department or program. The year of the project can also be added.  
• The phrase "terminal project" must be used in the search. Programs with more than one word should use quotation marks for successful searches; for example, "landscape architecture" and "historic preservation."
• A terminal project is obtained by requesting the item with its call number at the Service Desk, Design Library. Most of these projects are in storage and may take a couple of days to retrieve.

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Doctoral Theses in Landscape Architecture

A chronological checklist.

The following are doctoral theses completed by individual students in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Please see Find Dissertations for more details about locating doctoral theses in general.  Check the online catalog for doctoral theses not listed here.

Burrows, Steven. Indiana state parks and the Hoosier imagination, 1916-1933/ by Steven Burrows. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2017. Found in IDEALS

Li, Dongying. Access to nature and adolescents’ psychological well-being/ by Dongying. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2016. Found in IDEALS

Li, Zheng. Managing historic mountain landscapes near a modern city: the case of the Beijing Western Hills, 1912-2012/ by Zheng Li. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2015. Found in IDEALS

Modi, Sonal Mithal Sumeshkumar. Embodied knowledge of landscape: accomodating ongoing subjective experience in the presentation of heritage landscape/ by Sonal Mithal Sumeshkumar Modi. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2015. Found in IDEALS

Holland, Martin. “Empty chairs, broken lives”: The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum/ by Martin Holland. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2014. Found in IDEALS

Williams, Douglas. Fertile ground: Community gardens in a low-income inner-city Chicago neighborhood and the development of social capital among African Americans/ by Douglas Williams. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2014. Found in IDEALS

Zhou, Xiaolu. Investigating the association between the built environment and active travel of young adults using location based technology/ by Xiaolu Zhou. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2014. Found in IDEALS

Brown, Nicholas. Landscape, justice, and the politics of indigeneity: denaturalizing structures of settler colonialism in the Alberta/Montana borderlands/ by Nicholas Brown. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2013. Found in IDEALS

Jiang, Bin. Establishing dose-response curves for the impact of urban forests on recovery from acute stress and landscape preference/ by Bin Jiang. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2013. Found in IDEALS

Miller, Abbilyn. Determining critical factors in community-level planning of homeless service projects/ by Abbilyn Miller. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2012. Found in IDEALS

Li, Chuo. Chinatown and Urban Redevelopment: A Spatial Narrative of Race, Identity, and Urban Politics, 1950-2000/ by Chuo Li. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2011. Found in IDEALS

Lee, Sungkyung. Narrated Landscape as Counterweight to Perception of Placelessness in Contemporary Urban Landscape: Re-Visioning Place in Gwangbok -Dong and Nampo -Dong, Busan, South Korea/ by Sungkyung Lee. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2009. Found in IDEALS

Lamzah, Assia. The Impact of the French Protectorate on Cultural Heritage Management in Morocco: The Case of Marrakesh/ by Assia Lamzah. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2008. Found in IDEALS

Leibowitz, Rachel. Constructing the Navajo Capital: Landscape, Power, and Representation at Window Rock/ by Rachel Leibowtiz. Dissertation (Ph.D.) – University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 2008. Found in IDEALS

2022 Landscape Architecture Thesis Prize: Liwei Shen’s “The Echoes of Sky River – Two Pre-modern and Modern Atmospheric Assemblages”

by Liwei Shen (MLA I ’22) — Recipient of the Landscape Architecture Thesis Prize.

The sky river in northwestern China, a weather-modification system currently under construction, builds a link between distant places geographically, culturally, and temporarily, indicating a single, interconnected atmospheric environment. This thesis discovers the formal and functional similarity between pre-modern landscapes for the weather and modern weather modification technologies in two sites with different cultural expressions. It proposes that the role of landscape architecture is to use hybrid spatial coexistence for cultural conservation and territorial connection to evoke a distant empathy and construct a techno-cultural alliance.

The thesis seeks to bridge the gap between two distinct landscape discourses: the scientific reaction to climate change globally, and the cultural sense of weather locally. It sees the role of the landscape architect extending to both extremes of scale: While exploring the dynamics of the atmosphere and extending the territory of hydrology, it simultaneously consolidates faith-based, productive, and technological alliances of interest in the community and residential scales to enable Indigenous and vulnerable communities to develop resilience in response to climate change.

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List of Dissertations

Current dissertations.

Antonia Koukouvelou, Msc. Landscape Architecture Transforming and Reactivating Mediterranean Seafront Post-Industrial Landscapes. Towards a new landscape architecture approach for reintegrating Greek seafront brownfields into the city fabric Betreuung: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher Co-Betreuung: nn

Katharina Christenn, M.A. Landscape Architecture Carl Ludwig Schreiber (1903–1976): Ein Pionier der universitären Landschaftsarchitektenausbildung in Deutschland; ongoing doctoral dissertation at the Technical University of Munich (abstract) supervisor: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher second supervisor: Prof. Dr. Frank Lohrberg, RWTH Aachen University Xiaozhen Li, M.A. Landscape Architecture Worker's Memory and Industrial Landscape Transformation. An improved landscape transformation approach, integrating workers’ attachment to industrial areas in China supervisor: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher

Amelie Rost, M.A. Architecture "Möglichkeitsraum Wasser. Optionen fur die Entwicklung innerstädtischer Wasserflächen durch schwimmende Architektur Supported through the International Doctoral College "Forschungslabor Raum" supervisor: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher second supervisor: Prof. Dr. Michael Koch, HCU Hamburg Sophie von Einsiedel, Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) Post-Nuclear Landscapes. Towards a post-decommissioning landscape strategy for the reuse of nuclear power plants: Germany as a case study. Betreuung: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher Co-Betreuung: Prof. Dr. Anna M. Hersperger, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL

Sonja Weber, M.A. Landscape Architecture "Wie das Neue in die Landschaft kommt. Die erfinderische Analyse im landschaftsarchitektonischen Entwurfsprozess" (working title); ongoing dissertation at the Technical University of Munich (abstract) Funded by Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes supervisor: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher

Finished Dissertations

Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Nütten "Landschaftsmetropole Entwerfen – Auf dem Weg zu einem neuen Stadtmodell" (working title); ongoing dissertation at the Technical University of Munich ( abstract ) Supported through the International Doctoral College "Forschungslabor Raum" supervisors: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher, Prof. Dr. Michael Koch HCU Hamburg completion 2022 (completed) Marcello Modica, M.Sc. “Alpine Industrial Landscapes. Towards a New Approach for Brownfield Redevelopment in Mountain Regions” Supported through the International Doctoral College "Forschungslabor Raum" supervisors: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher, Prof. Dr. Stefan Siedentop, TU Dortmund completion: 2021 (completed)

Dr. Sonja Gantioler , Mag. Ökologie, Umweltökonomie "Achieving efficiency, effectiveness and equity. The Role of Aesthetic Services in Implementing Urban Green Infrastructure" (Arbeitstitel); Dissertation an der Technischen Universität München (Abstract/Kurzfassung) Förderung: Internationales Doktorandenkolleg 2013–2016 Betreuung: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher, Prof. Dr. Andreas Voigt, TU Wien Abschluss: 2018 (completed)

Dipl.-Ing. Noël va n Dooren "Drawing Time. Investigations into how time in landscape can be represented" (working title); dissertation at the University of Amsterdam Funded through the Academy of Architecture Amsterdam supervisors: Prof. Dr. Erik de Jong, Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher completion: 2017 (completed)

Dr.-Ing. Heike Schäfer "Landschaftliche Orientierungssysteme. Raumbilder zur Erschließung und Entwicklung gegenwärtiger Landschaften im Kontext der Stadtregion "; dissertation at the Technical University of Munich (abstract) Supported through the International Doctoral College "Forschungslabor Raum" supervisors: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher, Prof. Dr. Michael Koch, HCU Hamburg completion: 2014 (completed)

Dr.-Ing. Anja Löbbecke “Über Naturgärten. Eine Ideengeschichte und kritische Retrospektive, sowie zu ihrer Bedeutung für die heutige Landschaftsarchitektur" (abstract) Supported through the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes supervisors: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher, Prof. Dr. Eric de Jong completion: 2013 (completed)

Dr.-Ing. Nicole Uhrig "'Corporate Landscape'. Landschaftsarchitektur als Instrument der Unternehmenskommunikation in Corporate Identity-Konzepten" (working title); doctoral dissertation at the Technical University of Munich (abstract) supervisors: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher, Prof. Dr. Holger Hase, HTW Berlin completion: 2011 (completed)

Dr.-Ing. Marcus Cordes "Das Erfinden von Landschaft. Erinnern und Gedächtnis im Bilden von Orten." doctoral dissertation at the Leibniz University Hanover supervisors: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher, Prof. Dr. Martin Prominski completion: 2010 (completed)

Dr.-Ing. Constanze Petrow : "Dialog mit der öffentlichkeit. Kritik zeitgenössischer Landschaftsarchitektur in der Tagespresse", doctoral dissertation at Leibniz University Hanover supervisors: Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher, Prof. Dr. Detlev Ipsen completion: 2009 (completed)

Dr. Marlies Brinkhuijsen "Landscape 1:1. A study for designs for leisure in the Dutch countryside." supervisors: Prof. Dr. Jaap Lengkeek  (Wageningen/ NL), Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher (Leibniz University Hanover) co-supervisor: Prof. Dr. Henk de Haan (Wageningen/ NL) completion: 2008 (completed)

Dr. Johannes Stoffler "'Es ist überall Erdbebenzeit'. Gustav Ammann (1885–1955) und die Landschaften der Moderne in der Schweiz" supervisors: Prof. Christophe Girot (ETH Zürich), Prof. Dr. Udo Weilacher (Leibniz University Hanover) completion: 2007 (publication available through the vdf Hochschulverlag AG at the ETH Zurich)

20 Types of Architecture thesis topics

An architectural thesis is perhaps the most confusing for a student because of the range of typologies of buildings that exist. It also seems intimidating to pick your site program and do all the groundwork on your own. While choosing an architectural thesis topic, it is best to pick something that aligns with your passion and interest as well as one that is feasible. Out of the large range of options, here are 20 architectural thesis topics .

1. Slum Redevelopment (Urban architecture)

Slums are one of the rising problems in cities where overcrowding is pertinent. To account for this problem would be one of great value to the city as well as the inhabitants of the slum. It provides them with better sanitation and well-being and satisfies their needs.

2. Maggie Center (Healthcare architecture)

This particular typology of buildings was coined by a cancer patient,  Margaret Keswick Jencks,   who believed that cancer-treatment centres’ environment could largely improve their health and wellbeing by better design. This led a large number of starchitects to participate and build renowned maggie centres.

3. Urban Sprawl Redesign (Urban design)

The widening of city boundaries to accommodate migrants and overcrowding of cities is very common as of late. To design for the constant urban sprawl would make the city life more convenient and efficient for all its users.

4. Redesigning Spaces Under Elevated Roads and Metros (Urban infrastructure)

A lot of space tends to become dead space under metros or elevated roads. To use these spaces more efficiently and engage them with the public would make it an exciting thesis topic.

5. Urban Parks (Urban landscape)

Urban parks are not only green hubs for the city, which promotes the well-being of the city on a larger level, but they also act as great places for the congregation and bring a community together.

6. Reusing Abandoned Buildings (Adaptive reuse)

All buildings after a point become outdated and old but, what about the current old and abandoned buildings? The best way to respond to these is not by demolishing them; given the amount of effort it takes to do so, but to enhance them by restoring and changing the building to current times.

7. Farming in Cities (Green urban spaces)

With climate change and population on the rise, there is statistical proof that one needs to start providing farming in cities as there is not sufficient fertile land to provide for all. Therefore, this makes a great thesis topic for students to explore.

8. Jails (Civil architecture)

To humanize the function of jails, to make it a place of change and rehabilitation, and break from the stereotypical way of looking at jails. A space that will help society look at prisoners as more than monsters that harm, and as fellow humans that are there to change for everyone’s betterment.

9. Police Academies (Civil architecture)

Academies that train people to be authoritative and protective require spaces for training mentally and physically; focussing on the complexity of the academy and focussing on the user to enhance their experience would work in everyone’s favour.

10. High Court (Civil architecture)

Courtrooms are more often than not looked at as spaces that people fear, given the longevity of court cases. It can be a strenuous space; therefore, understanding the user groups’ state of mind and the problems faced can be solved using good design. 

11. Disaster-resilient structures (Disaster-relief architecture)

Natural disasters are inevitable. Disaster-resilient structures are build suitably for the natural disasters of the region while also incorporating design into it, keeping in mind the climatic nature of the location.

12. Biophilic design (Nature-inspired architecture)

As humans, we have an innate love for nature, and the struggle between integrating nature and architecture is what biophilic design aims towards. To pick a topic where one would see minimal use of natural elements and incorporate biophilic design with it would be very beneficial.

13. Metro stations and Bus terminals (Transportation spaces)

Bus terminals and metro stations are highly functional spaces that often get crowded; and to account for the crowd and the problems that come with it, plus elevate the experience of waiting or moving, would contribute to making it a good thesis topic.

14. Airport design (Transportation spaces)

Airport designing is not very uncommon; however, it is a rather complex program to crack; thereby, choosing this topic provides you with the opportunity to make this space hassle-free and work out the most efficient way to make this conducive for all types of users.

15. Sports Complex (Community architecture)

If your passion lies in sports, this is a go-to option. Each sport is played differently, different materials are used, and the nature of the sport and its audience is rather complicated. However, to combine this and make it a cohesive environment for all kinds of users would make a good thesis topic.

16. Stadium (Community architecture)

Unlike a sports complex, one could also pick one sport and look at the finer details, create the setting, and experience for it; by designing it to curate a nice experience for the players, the public, and the management.

17. Waste-recycling center (Waste management)

Reducing waste is one of the most fundamental things we must do as humans. Spaces where recycling happens must be designed consciously. Just like any other space, it has been given importance over the years, and this would make a good thesis topic to provide the community with.

18. Crematorium (Public architecture)

Cremation of a loved one or anyone for that matter is always a rather painful process and a range of emotions is involved when it comes to this place. Keeping in mind the different types of people and emotions and making your thesis about this would mean to enhance this experience while still keeping the solemnity of it intact.

19. Museums (Community architecture)

Museums are spaces of learning, and the world has so much to offer that one could always come up with different typologies of museums and design according to the topic of one’s interest. Some of the examples would be cultural heritage, modern art, museum of senses, and many more.

20. Interpretation center (Community architecture)

An interpretation center is a type of museum located near a site of historical, cultural, or natural relevance that provides information about the place of interest through various mediums.

References:

• 2022. 68 Thesis topics in 5 minutes . [image] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NczdOK7oe98&ab_channel=BlessedArch> [Accessed 1 March 2022].
• Bdcnetwork.com. 2022. Biophilic design: What is it? Why it matters? And how do we use it? | Building Design + Construction . [online] Available at: <https://www.bdcnetwork.com/blog/biophilic-design-what-it-why-it-matters-and-how-do-we-use-it> [Accessed 1 March 2022].
• RTF | Rethinking The Future. 2022. 20 Thesis topics related to Sustainable Architecture – RTF | Rethinking The Future . [online] Available at: <https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/rtf-fresh-perspectives/a1348-20-thesis-topics-related-to-sustainable-architecture/> [Accessed 1 March 2022].
• Wdassociation.org. 2022. A List Of Impressive Thesis Topic Ideas In Architecture . [online] Available at: <https://www.wdassociation.org/a-list-of-impressive-thesis-topic-ideas-in-architecture.aspx> [Accessed 1 March 2022].

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Flora is a student of architecture, with a passion for psychology and philosophy. She loves merging her interests and drawing parallels to solve and understand design problems. As someone that values growth, she uses writing as a medium to share her learning and perspective.

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100 Best Architecture Thesis Topics

One of the most important components of a great writing project like a thesis or dissertation is a great topic. Teachers often provide full lists of research ideas for students to choose from, but they also encourage students to develop original topics based on their interests. In the case of architecture, many students might have trouble coming up with architecture thesis topics that meet the requirements of a given assignment. This is why we have compiled this list of interesting and original architecture research topics for students to use at no cost. Feel free to modify them in any way to fit your assignment, make your choice and move to crafting your thesis outline .

Computer Architecture Topics for High School

• In what ways have computer design programs positively affected modern architecture?
• How do early explorations of deep-learning impact by limitations in computer architecture?
• How are the computer architectures of financial data centers at risk due to cyber-hackers?
• How are modern bridges and buildings at lesser risk of damage due to collapse?
• In what ways has computer architecture sped up the development process in third-world countries?
• Is the pendulum a real thing when it comes to architectural movements?

Great Landscape Architecture Topics

• What are the major challenges that cities face when creating and maintaining open spaces?
• What are the most common health risks that a community faces when parks are built next to water runoffs?
• How does the makeup of a neighborhood affect what landscape architectural choices are made?
• Why is it important for city centers to have natural elements such as trees and shrubs to improve air quality?
• Are natural bodies of water (like ponds and lakes) putting people at risk due to mosquito infestations?
• What is the impact of architectural open spaces in Latin American countries?

Controversial Architecture Topics

• What impact did the resurrection of New York’s Pier 55 have on the political landscape of that city?
• Discuss the legal battle that occurred between Zillow and Kate Wagner in 2017.
• Why has President Trump failed to gain financial support to build his proposed border wall?
• How are people along the Texas border negatively impacted by the construction of a border wall across their private properties?
• Why is the United States’ infrastructure at such risk do to overpopulation in major cities?
• Women in architecture have been accused of being soft, do you agree or disagree?

Dissertation Topics for Landscape Architecture

• How will the development of inclusive and safe public spaces positively impact patients with dementia?
• Will the development of more bike paths along green spaces reduce carbon emissions in urban areas?
• What is the importance of multiple small public parks in our communities?
• How can one improve the social value of groundwater in urban settings?
• In what ways can urban eco-systems be regenerated with the inclusion of green roofs and living walls?
• In what ways has bamboo architecture has changed our understanding of how strength and function together?

Computer Architecture Research Paper Topics

• How did technology change Jorn Utzon’s proposed design for what is now the world-famous Sydney Opera House?
• How is the use of technology in the design of buildings changing the role of the modern architect?
• How have computer simulations of natural disasters made today’s buildings safer?
• What are the limitations of computer simulations when it comes to presenting realistic situations?
• What are the major computer influences on architecture and design in the 21 st century?
• Describe the direction of architecture designed to withstand major disasters.

Interesting Architecture Thesis Topics

• How are inventions in lighter building materials making it easier to build larger structures?
• What are the best designs for shared accommodations like student dorms and apartments?
• What are the effects of the Internet of Things technology on the architectural design of urban settings?
• Discuss the differences between the materials that were used in ancient and modern structures.
• Which are your favorite architects of the 20 th and 21 st centuries?
• Why is outdoor footing for different climates is a growing trend in architectural design?

Architecture Ideas for a Quick Project

• How do you better utilize the space given to you for a board size concerning its size and orientation?
• In what ways can you utilize prior projects’ use of layout when working on a new development project?
• Compare and contrast the positives and negatives of modern architectural design software programs?
• How can schools utilize technological architect tools to better develop campuses in rural areas?
• What are the best design methods to maximize functional spaces in small areas?
• How has American architecture changed over the years?

Architecture Graduation Project Topics

• What are the origins of Chinese Architecture and how has it remained the dominant tradition?
• How can sunlight be used to save on energy costs in high-rise buildings in low-temp cities?
• How did medieval architecture change as military technologies advanced?
• What are the best practices that town planners can execute to maintain safe travel?
• How to utilize restaurants to revitalize urban spaces in cities impacted by Covid-19?
• What are the major benefits of investing in low-cost but high-strength buildings?

Design Thesis topics for Architecture

• Discuss the evolution of a building component of your choice and take us on a walk through history.
• According to today’s modern needs and standards, how will architecture look in a decade?
• What impact has modern architecture had on American culture?
• How have the gothic elements of medieval architecture found their way into modern design?
• What are the major differences between Aztec and Egyptian architecture of major temples?
• How did the Art-Deco style of the 1920s and the 1930s influence modern architecture?

Research Topics in Computer Architecture for College

• Are computer designers changing the traditional roles of engineering architects in the 21 st century?
• How has the invention of 3D printing technology changed the way architects can quickly change the direction of their designs?
• How has 3D printing opened up a new field of architecture that did not exist 20 years ago?
• What were the distinctive elements of 15 th century English architecture?
• How has virtual reality made an impact to design decisions made by architects and engineers?
• What are the best 3D rendering programs for aspiring architects to use today?

Architecture Thesis Topics in Sustainability

• Will sustainable agriculture stem a revolution in the architectural world?
• Can sustainable agriculture impact how NFL stadiums are built moving forward?
• How are modern buildings failing by not using cooling and heating technology?
• How did French architecture differ from English architecture in the 16 th century?
• Why has wind turbine technology waned in the last two decades?
• Can solar water heating lead to new architectural designs?

Dissertation Topics for Interior Architecture

• How has interior design shaped outdoor design in modern architecture?
• How have decorating styles changed how modern architects create indoor spaces?
• Can interior architecture use technology to sustain water in buildings?
• Are color combinations a factor in how architects design frame ideas for interior spaces?
• How are interior decorators influenced by the work of architects?
• Can exhibition spaces reflect a building’s architecture?

Master Thesis Topics in Architecture

• The causes of color change in interior designers may be influenced by outdoor architecture.
• How do light pattern decisions affect the design of outdoor architectural aspects?
• How has luxury design impacted the way modern homes are built?
• Discuss the importance of interior design to outdoor architecture.
• How did the Greek revival influence the advancements made in the Gothic revival?
• How was European architecture influenced by Islam?

Computer Architecture Topics Research Paper

• Why are major cities around the world relying on computer technologies to redesign layouts?
• What function did Roman images serve the design of ancient buildings?
• In what ways has technology helped us to understand the architecture of ancient divinations?
• Can architects recreate structures from the past using modern computer technology?
• How can computer technologies be used to modernize city infrastructures?
• How does the “form follows function” ideal of Louis Sullivan play into technology in architecture?

Current Architecture Research Paper Topics

• How can design be integrated into the university campus planning efforts?
• How are modern techniques in engineering changing the landscape for architects?
• How have the works of Alvaro Siza impacted renovation projects around the world?
• Why is small space living such a rising trend in large cities?
• Which has had a greater influence among modern artists, Portuguese or Spanish architecture?
• Are floating hotels a viable business venture in today’s architectural world?

Architecture Topics for a Long Project

• What is the importance of understanding millennial design interests?
• Why should architects be on-site for their projects?
• How does current architecture impact the way we consider rural landscapes?
• Are vernacular views of architecture imposing on traditional views?
• How are modern architectural methods influencing the building of stadiums?

More Computer Architecture Research Topics

• How can computers be used to recreate images of long-destroyed architectural marvels?
• What are the major challenges brought on by new materials and technology in architecture?
• How does technology give architects more options to consider when coming up with materials?
• How has computer architecture advanced the construction of safer bridges around the world?
• Did computer architecture play a role in the development of the Three Gorges Dam?

What do you think of this collection of architectural project topics? Our thesis writers are putting together original architectural thesis topics around the clock. And if you need a custom-list we can have that ready for you in a matter of hours. Check out our other articles and feel free to send us a message to let us know how we can help with your next academic assignment.

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ASLA Professional Practice Networks’ Blog

Next big things in landscape architecture.

When we asked Professional Practice Network (PPN) members about the next big thing in landscape architecture , some were too cautious to speculate about the future, answering with “I have no idea,” while others had a decidedly more self-confident answer ready: “Me.” A few members took issue with the question itself, feeling the focus on what’s next to be misguided—the next big thing in landscape architecture is “realizing we shouldn’t be looking for ‘the next big thing’ but should be paying attention to the little things.”

Given that there is so much happening right now that deserves our attention, imagining what the future may have in store is nonetheless an interesting (and pretty fun) exercise. One statement summed up a central theme of the majority of responses: “Landscape Architecture IS the next BIG THING!”

Highlighted below are the key topics that appeared most often, outlining the next big things to look out for in landscape architecture. Keep in mind these responses are from 2015—let us know in the comments what’s come up since then as the latest next big thing.

Adapting to a Changing Climate & Water Constraints

“Drought tolerance, micro-climate control, climate change mediation.”

“How to design with lack of water in the West.”

“Lawn replacement plantings with native plant material.”

“Managing water resources.”

“Restoration of dysfunctional land caused by human development at an international scale.”

“Xerophytic landscapes and irrigation design—without water conservation within every LA project, our profession is in serious trouble of surviving.”

Sustainability, Resiliency, and Beyond

“Bio-retention design.”

“Brownfield Restoration/Redevelopment.”

“Complete multidisciplinary approaches; ecological design as the only option; there is no one size fits all formula.”

“Green infrastructure.”

“Holistic integration of natural systems with the built environment.”

“Integration of sustainability as the ultimate in Historic Preservation.”

“Pervious pavements.”

“Productive landscapes, energy, food, etc.”

“Sustainable carbon neutral replacement for concrete.”

Back to Nature

“Continuing visibility of improving our connection to nature on every level.”

“I hope, a trend away from trying to grow things on roofs and bridges and vertical trellises. It would be nice to see plants being grown where they don’t need special help. Naturally.”

“Innovative, nature-focused open space design (de-emphasizing man-made materials).”

“Integration and understanding of urban wildlife.”

“Natural planting design ‘patterns’ using combinations of local natives and their cultivars for added color and bloom time. This creates the architectural/organized look that is ongoing currently: visual/ textural planting styles.”

“Natural swimming pools.”

“SOIL! What we do with soil and our understanding of the processes that must take place in that dynamic system is essential to making healthy places and superior performance. Influencing what engineers, architects and contractors do on-site with soil. Every sq inch we affect could help mitigate climate change. The single biggest factor in storing carbon in soil is healthy fungal mass. We should be in the lead on using every site we design as mitigation to control the coming effects of climate change. Resilient Design, Regenerative Design, Performance Design, and Green Infrastructure should all start with understanding soil and how we regain soil health.”

Landscape Architects as Leaders

“Civilian and municipal recognition of the importance of our contribution.”

“Landscape architects leading real estate and development deals.”

“Landscape architects being more in control of drainage system design.”

“Maybe landscape architects leading city planning at an EcoDistrict scale?”

“Shifting to project lead. Having the architecture follow the site.”

“Taking over urban planning.”

“That landscape architecture might be recognized as the important design profession that it is to help solve our complex and troubling social and environmental problems.”

Shaping Cities & Strengthening Communities

“Environmental justice—who gets the benefits of our work, who makes decisions with us.”

“I hope it’s infill and densification of cities and spaces….walkability. I live in the Midwest…I want to walk but everything is badly sprawled.”

“I think it is going to continue to be urban design.”

“Infill or redesign of existing high-impact development.”

“Integration of LID and other sustainable principles in urban areas.”

“Landscape architects being advocates for design policies that promote social equity.”

“Large urban parks designed to serve the renewed interest in living in the city rather than the suburbs.”

“Making the most out of smaller urban spaces.”

“Making trashed downtowns liveable again.”

“Neighborhood-centered parks.”

“To design for the 21st century, to do a lot of research about the relationship of landscape architecture, urban design, and humanity. To insert humanity, morality, and righteousness into design works.”

“Urban agriculture, connection to land in urban environment.”

“Urban farming / planting for bumblebees EVERYWHERE.”

“Urban farming that goes beyond “community gardens”—smaller scale farming operations in cities that are easily accessible to all.”

“Urban sketching.”

“Urban streetscapes that include room for tree roots and children’s experiences. Transit stops that are interactive, warm, cool, music, and have charging stations.”

Digital Technology & Metrics

“Analytics of landscapes (i.e. broader use of social and natural science metrics to evaluate the spatial impacts of design).”

“Apps for monitoring, informing, specifying, etc. We’ve barely scratched the surface.”

“Augmented reality.”

“Landscape/engineering/architecture systems integration in 3D design, modeling, and construction.”

“Monitoring landscape sustainability with electronics, just like FitBit for humans.”

“More technology linked to ecological design and solutions.”

“Using 3D technology to authentically depict proposed landscapes and corridors.”

Aesthetic Appeal

“A revival of the beautiful.”

“Aesthetics overcoming strident functionalism.”

“Balancing aesthetics, environment, and ecology.”

“Creating art from pragmatic projects.”

“Becoming less enamored of sexy technology and returning to fundamentals.”

“Using knowledge of ecological strategies and operations to come back to link to the other arts in gorgeous site design.”

“Vernacular, quirky, whimsical gardens are coming back.”

At the start of 2015, a questionnaire was sent out to members of ASLA’s Professional Practice Networks (PPNs). The theme: creativity and inspired design. As you can imagine, responses were varied, and included many insightful comments and suggestions. Synopses of the survey results were originally shared in LAND over the course of 2015, and we are now re-posting this information here on The Field. For the latest updates on the results of the annual PPN Survey, see LAND’s PPN News section.

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4 thoughts on “ Next Big Things in Landscape Architecture ”

Completely vacuous as usual. Does anyone on staff at ASLA have any background in the profession? Does any landscape architecture degree program teach critical thinking or value the liberal arts? This dreck is what happens

I do agree with you that thinking about what the future has for a landscape architecture is an interesting exercise, especially for the landscape architects. In my case thinking how to improve our lawn is what makes me preoccupied most of the time as I was assigned to do that for the lawn we are to renovate next year yet still have no idea until now. Maybe the help of a landscape engineer will save me the trouble of having to worry about that as time is fast approaching.

It’s great!! Thanks for sharing such importance information.

Thank you so much for the amazing ideas about how to improve architectural plans for landscaping projects. By the way, we are also an affordable landscaping company based in Orleans, ON. You can check our website.

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