Open Space Collective - Department for Landscape Construction

About

The Open Space Collective /// Das Raumkollektiv

Our focus is on enhancing landscape architecture in teaching, research and practice. The program is coordinated by the Chair of Landscape Construction within the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at the Technische Universität Berlin. We work collaboratively both within the university as well as with external partners. Our main cooperation partner is CoCoon – contextual construction (TU Berlin) with whom we have been carrying out interdisciplinary DesignBuild projects (with landscape architects, architects, urban designers, engineers, craftsmen) since our founding in 2007.

Our DesignBuild Studio aims to establish an educational infrastructure that reflects “real life” design processes. The role of the educators is to guide and advise the project group – "The Open Space Collective"- throughout this process. Each participant brings a wealth of knowledge, individual skills and experience to a project team. Responsibility for the project is transferred to the students step by step from the preliminary planning phase through to the construction process. Upon the beginning of the construction phase the students take full responsibility for the project. Each individual student becomes responsible for a part of the design, and is accountable for its implementation on site.

The students receive a valuable opportunity to work in a team with a real client and realise their own ideas within an academic environment. They gain a deeper understanding of architectural concepts und benefit immensely from increased peer learning.

These DesignBuild teaching methods aim at intensifying the learning experience and providing students with the holistic qualities that are essential to the profession today.