Simon Colwill

Aims and expectations

Short CV

After studying " Landscape Architecture" at the University of Greenwich in London i moved to Berlin, Germany in 1995 and worked as a freelancer with a focus on landscape design, detailing and design competitions. I have been involved in teaching and research at the Technical University of Berlin, the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, and as a postdoctoral researcher at the Brandenburg University of Technology for over 20 years. In addition, since 2021, I hold a 50% professorship in landscape architecture at IU International University. I am now a professor for Landscape Architecture at the IU International University in the distant learning and dual studies programmes.
I have devised and guided numerous design studios, summer schools, design-build projects (teaching and practise courses with real-life building projects), seminars, and workshops.

From 2007, i have been involved in the development and implementation of Design-Build projects in Mexico, Bolivia, Egypt, Brazil, and many projects in Germany. Many projects follow an interdisciplinary designbuild teaching model involving architects , landscape architects and civil engineers. Our designbuild projects aim to achieve a balance between innovation, good architectural practice, the technical qualities of the result, as well as making a contribution to poverty alleviation.

Together with colleagues, I founded in 2008 the OpenSpaceCollective in Berlin, which focuses on landscape architectural "design-build" and "Live" Projects.
From 2007 i have also been a member of CoCoon-Studio, a group of teachers, researchers and practitioners who specialise in contextual planning, design and construction in an intercultural and interdisciplinary context. We combine teaching, research, practice and networking. CoCoon is dedicated to the DesignBuild methodology - http://cocoon-studio.de


Short CV
2025 Temporary Professor of Landscape Architecture at the TU Berlin (50%)
2020 Professor of Landscape Architecture at the IU International University (50%)
2020 Assistant Professor at the department of Landscape Architecture at the Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg
2019 Completion of my doctoral thesis
2014 – 2018 "Landscape Architecture and the Time Factor", DFG Research Projekt
2013-2016 “European DesignBuild Knowledge Network“, research project of the European Union, Erasmus Mundus program
2013 Founding of Landscape Architecture office OSST-Berlin, OpenSpaceStudio
2006-2012/2013-2014 Assistant Professor at the department of Landscape Design and Construction, Technische Universität Berlin
2004-2005/2012-2013 Lecturer at the department of Landscape Design and Construction, Technische Universität Berlin
1995-2006 Employee of various Landscape Architecture firms in Berlin
1994 Diploma at the University of Greenwich, London