Information Package / Course Catalogue
Design Studio IV
Course Code: PM405
Course Type: Required
Couse Group: First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 4
Prt.: 2
Credit: 5
Lab: 0
ECTS: 7
Objectives of the Course

The aim of the PM405 Design Studio IV course is to enable students to gain project development and design competence by transferring the planting, structural, theoretical, technical, and practical knowledge acquired in previous semesters into an advanced landscape design process. Within the scope of the course, students are expected to conduct site analysis, synthesis, design problem definition, development of solution alternatives, concept project, and implementation project processes in line with objectives determined at different scales through individual and/or group work. They are also expected to present and defend their project works through visual, written, and oral communication.

Course Content

Within the scope of the Design Studio IV course, students carry out site analysis, evaluation of user needs, synthesis, definition of design objectives, functional diagram, conceptual diagram, concept project, structural and planting design decisions, implementation project components, detail solutions, and project presentation stages in relation to the selected project site and design problem. The course process is evaluated through studio critiques, interim submissions, project development studies, and final project presentation. During the semester, evaluation is based on participation/performance, assignments, and project submission, which together account for 40%. The end-of-semester evaluation relies on the submission of the final project file (60%). Students repeating the course must fulfill all assignments, participation/performance tasks, and project submissions anew, in line with the current assessment framework.

Name of Lecturer(s)
Prof. Bülent DENİZ
Prof. Çiğdem KILIÇASLAN DENİZ
Learning Outcomes
1.Analyzes natural, cultural, functional, visual, and user-oriented data related to the project site and transfers them into the design process.
2.Defines the design problem, design program, design objectives, and basic design principles based on site analyses and user needs.
3.Develops concept, functional diagram, conceptual diagram, and alternative design decisions based on synthesis data.
4.Produces concept project and implementation project components by using structural and planting design knowledge.
5.Develops the selected design solution through technical drawings, dimensioning, material/planting decisions, and detail solutions.
6.Presents and defends the project file using visual, written, and oral communication techniques.
Recommended or Required Reading
1.Ching, F. D. K., 1979. Architecture: Form – Space & Order. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
2.Booth, N. K., 1983. Basic Elements of Landscape Architectural Design. Waveland Pres Inc., Illinois.
3.Molnar, D. J. , A. J. Rutledge, 1986. Anatomy of a Park.
4.Mc Grw – Hill, Inc. Reid, W. G., 1993. From Concept to Form In Landscape Design. An Nostrand Reinhold, NY.
5.Neufert, 1978. Yapı Tasarımı Temel Bilgileri, Güven Yayıncılık. 528s.
6.Beazley, M., 2004. The Book of Garden Plans, Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., Editor:Andrew Wilson, 256p.
7.Reid, G.W.,1993. From Concept to Form in Landscape Design. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New Jersey, ISBN: 978 - 0471285090, 176 p.
8.Harris, C., Dines, N., 1998. Time - Saver Standards for Landscape Architecture: Design and Construction Data. McGraw-Hill, New York, The Second Edition, ISBN: 978-0070170278, 928 p.
9.Design Workshop. (2016). Landscape Architecture Documentation Standards: Principles, Guidelines, and Best Practices. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 978-0-470-40217-7.
10.Waterman, T. (2020). The Fundamentals of Landscape Architecture. Bloomsbury Visual Arts / Fairchild Books. ISBN: 978-1-3501-4127-8.
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical & Practice
The course aim, scope, studio process, project topic, submissions, and assessment criteria are explained; the project site, working method, individual/group work structure, and semester project process are introduced.
Week 2 - Theoretical & Practice
The project site is defined; site reading, user needs, natural-cultural data, and the design problem are discussed; preliminary research, data collection, survey, and existing condition assessment studies are carried out.
Week 3 - Theoretical & Practice
Site analysis methods and the role of natural, structural, functional, visual, and user-oriented analyses in the design process are explained; site analysis sheets are prepared, and problems, potentials, and constraints are identified.
Week 4 - Theoretical & Practice
The process of synthesis, design problem definition, design objectives, and development of the design program is addressed; analysis results are transferred into a synthesis sheet, and the design program, functional relationships, and design principles are determined.
Week 5 - Theoretical & Practice
Concept development, functional diagram, conceptual diagram, and methods for generating design alternatives are explained; concept, functional diagram, and conceptual diagram studies are prepared, and initial design alternatives are developed.
Week 6 - Theoretical & Practice
Evaluation of design alternatives, spatial organization, circulation, open space uses, and decision-making processes are discussed; alternative design decisions are evaluated through studio critiques, and the selected design approach is developed.
Week 7 - Theoretical & Practice
Principles of concept project development, scale, spatial integrity, functional continuity, and the transfer of design decisions into the project are explained; concept project sheets are prepared, and plan decisions, circulation system and spatial organization are developed.
Week 8 - Theoretical & Practice
Within the interim evaluation, the consistency of concept project decisions with design objectives, user needs, and site data is discussed; interim submission is made, jury/studio critiques are received, project decisions are revised, and the design is developed.
Week 9 - Theoretical & Practice
Structural design decisions, hard surfaces, site furniture, level relationships, material decisions, and the transition to the implementation project are addressed; structural implementation sheets, dimensioning, material decisions, and technical representation studies are developed.
Week 10 - Theoretical & Practice
Principles of detail resolution and the representation of structural landscape elements at implementation and detail levels are explained; detail drawings, sections, and implementation notes for selected structural landscape elements are prepared.
Week 11 - Theoretical & Practice
Planting design decisions, planting composition, function, species selection, spatial effect, and project integrity are discussed; planting design sheets, planting decisions, plant list, and planting plan decisions are developed.
Week 12 - Theoretical & Practice
Integration of the project file and consistency among analysis, synthesis, concept project, implementation, and planting design decisions are evaluated; project sheets are integrated, deficiencies are corrected, and drawing language, legend, dimensioning, and presentation layout are reviewed.
Week 13 - Theoretical & Practice
Project presentation and defense, justification of design decisions, and integration of visual, written, and oral communication are addressed; studio critiques are conducted before the final project presentation, and project sheets, explanatory texts, and presentation flow are revised.
Week 14 - Theoretical & Practice
A general semester evaluation is conducted; the design process, project production, implementation decisions, and professional presentation skills are assessed; final project submission, project presentation, defense, and general evaluation are carried out.
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Attending Lectures1%5
Assignment2%20
Project1%15
Final Examination1%60
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory140456
Lecture - Practice140228
Assignment201530
Project102121
Final Examination104040
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)175
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
PÇ-6
PÇ-7
PÇ-8
PÇ-9
PÇ-10
PÇ-11
PÇ-12
OÇ-1
3
2
5
3
4
2
2
OÇ-2
2
2
2
4
2
5
1
3
OÇ-3
2
4
4
2
5
1
5
OÇ-4
2
5
4
3
5
4
OÇ-5
2
3
4
5
3
4
5
OÇ-6
3
5
3
2
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026