Overview

The Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) program at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) is the first academic program in Landscape Architecture in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East established in 1976 (1396 AH). The BLA program is accredited (with condition) by the National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment. The BLA is a four-year program consisting of total of 155 credit-hour. The curriculum focuses on enhancing students' practical skills and knowledge of the art and science of landscape architecture through discipline-specific courses and studios, electives, and general education courses required by the university.

The foundation of the BLA curriculum is a series of eight intensive design studios. The selection of topics, sites, contexts, and landscape-scale of each design studio builds on the previous studio in an ever-increasing level of difficulty and consideration to details and ideas.

In the first two years, the studios focus on the basic design principles, process, analysis, and details in Landscape Architecture. The third-year studios cover urban design and landscape planning topics—the final-year studios designated for the professional practice and graduation project.

The studio format involves various teaching techniques, including lectures, demonstrations, field trips, readings, one-on-one instruction, and group discussion. The studio typically consists of a small group of students that provide an engaging and personalized environment for students and faculty.

The BLA curriculum also contains courses in various subjects of Landscape Architecture such as landscape and garden history, site planning, planting design, soil and hydrology, construction and technology, graphic representation. These courses are designed to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge that will be integrated into the design studios to support the design process and solutions.

Moreover, the BLA program requires students to fulfill university requirements and take particular compulsory coursework within the faculty of Architecture and Planning. These courses complement the landscape architecture curriculum and allow students to explore other areas of specific interest.

Program Mission

To provide an outstanding comprehensive application of scientific knowledge combined with technical, creative and critical thinking skills to produce graduates who will become responsible, ethical, and contributing leaders within the field of landscape architecture with the lifelong learning skills necessary to address the complex and continuous challenges of the 21st-century society and environment.

Program Objectives

In its pursuit for academic excellence and to become a leading instrument in the science and art of landscape architecture, the graduates of the BLA program are expected to achieve the following objectives:

1. 1- Demonstrate technical competency in applying their knowledge and skills to undertake research and perform professional landscape architecture design and planning projects.
2. 2- Engage in professional societies, non-government agencies and local communities to promote the profession and to provide the best practices in Landscape Architecture to the natural, human, and built environments.
3. 3- Pursue higher education in the field of Landscape Architecture and multidisciplinary areas to emerge as successful researcher, entrepreneurs and educators
4. 4- Practice and inspire high ethical and professional standards

Graduate Attributes

The Landscape Architecture department is known for its excellence in teaching, research, creative design work and community involvement that are all geared to produced competitive graduates with the following attributes:

1. 1. Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
2. 2. Teamwork and communication skills
3. 3. Professionalism and leadership readiness
4. 4. Digital and technical capabilities
5. 5. Valuing Diversity
6. 6. Confidence and adaptability

Figure1 : Consistency of the Landscape Architecture undergraduate program mission with the FAP and KAU mission

Figure 2: Consistency of the undergraduate program goals with the LAD and FAP mission.

Figure 3: Consistency of the LAD graduate attributes with KAU graduate attributes

Bachelor of Landscape program

The Department of Environmental Architecture was established in 1396 AH as part of the School of Environmental Designs at that time. The specialty of environmental architecture is the science and art of planning, designing, managing and creating external spaces for the built environment and the natural environment in order to ensure their sustainability for future generations. The profession of environmental architecture aims to enrich awareness of environmental problems and the possibilities of their planning and design solutions. The profession of environmental architecture includes environmental planning for major transportation networks, open space systems, and the expansion of the built environment. It also includes planning and designing coastal, tourist, historical and residential sites. In addition, the profession of environmental architecture is concerned with designing the structural details of small facilities, such as umbrellas, aesthetic models, types of tiling, lighting, fountains, seating areas, theaters, external exhibitions, and many others. The environment architect uses the data of science and the planning and design arts to the natural sciences in order to reach sustainable solutions for the built, natural and human environments.

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