My teaching philosophy has been shaped by my professional background in the United States and my cultural background from Scandinavia. I promote a holistic approach to sustainable design strategies and actively help students understand site [i.e. place] and the intricacy of form, function, features, networks, structures and systems at local, regional, national and global scales.
I emphasize assessing and re-evaluating design schemes – built and proposed – through an understanding of the synthesis of ecological, social, economic, functional, ethical and aesthetic considerations. In a culturally diverse classroom, I incorporate regenerative design, which requires an understanding of underlying patterns and hidden assumptions, in an effort to break free of stereotypical responses to design. One way to accomplish this is to take an interdisciplinary approach in the design process, encouraging multiple perspectives of users, clients, and professionals. Another way to achieve this is to draw on what has worked in the past but to reinterpret these techniques and practices with specific contexts in mind.
I believe that by working individually or as a team towards a desired outcome rather than simply designing from an accepted place, truly innovative design solutions can be realized. Broadening and strengthening students view, helping them understanding their own perceptions and providing tools to critically evaluate ‘sense of place’ in the design process, has become an imperative part of my teaching philosophy.
Recent Courses Taught:
LDAR/6686 Green Roofs and Living Walls – Design, Implementation and Maintenance
LDAR 6712 Living Systems
LDAR 6631 Materials and Methods
LDAR 6686 Design Process
ARCH 6390 Green Infrastructure
ARCH 3702 Design Thinking
ELEC 4319 Integrated Systems I (ELEC 4309)
LDAR/INT Advanced Vertical Landscape Architecture Studios (5+7/6+8)
LDAR 5500 Landscape Architecture Studio I + 2
LDAR 6686 Sustainable Sites + Integrated Systems
LDAR 6686 International Practicum – Copenhagen Denmark
MECH 4035 Cross-Disciplinary Interventions in Living Systems Design 1, 2, and 3
URBN 6612 International Urban Design Studio – Copenhagen Denmark
URBN 6641 Design Process
URPL 6632 Site Planning (Cross-listed with ARCH 6632 / LDAR 6632)
- LDAR = Department of Landscape Architecture (Graduate/Masters Degree)
- ARCH = Department of Architecture (Graduate/Master +Undergraduate/Bachelor)
- URBN = Department of Urban Design (Graduate/Masters)
- URPL = Department of Urban Planning (Graduate/Masters)
- MECH = College of Engineering and Applied Science, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- EE = College of Engineering and Applied Science, Department of Electrical Engineering
