One summer in Barcelona

Last summer I was extremely fortunate to have been apart of the Faculty-Led Global Short Program: DAB Global Studio (Spain) – Hydro-eco-urban: Barcelona Study Tour, whereby I was one of 19 students who were able to not only learn about our industry itself but the ways in which practices in Barcelona and Girona went about their projects. As a landscape architecture student, Barcelona was definitely a place to learn insightfully about sustainable practices and different ways in which landscape architects can help preserve such landscapes.

Being able to distinctively compare Barcelona and Sydney and gather ways in which uprising landscape architects, like us, could further improve Australian landscapes, focusing on the sustainability of projects and the way in which we can improve landscapes in a naturalised way.

Not only were we able to visit influential practices in Barcelona and Girona, but Louisa King, our wonderful

Lecturer, was able to allow us to visit and see exclusive landscape projects that weren’t always open to the public, like Vall d’en Joan by Batlle i Roig. Being able to get such insightful knowledge and understanding by visiting such projects and getting guidance from their respective practices allowed us to truly grasp the different management practices that Barcelona, and Girona, take to create sustainable projects.

In comparison to Sydney, and even Australia itself, Barcelona landscape projects often aim to be sustainable and biodegradable, an example being Roques Blanques by Batlleiroig, whereby the modern naturalised burial aims to be sustainable through the biodegradable elements of their design. By being able to apply such knowledge and understanding to landscape and design projects, we are able to thrive for a truly sustainable way of designing in Australia, through gathering ideas and insight learnt in Barcelona.

I think the most memorable part of the entire trip had to be making friends and being able to experience such an insightful and engaging once-in-a-lifetime experience with other students in the same course. Being a first year, who usually would not receive such an opportunity, I was extremely blessed to be able to experience such an amazing opportunity with my friends. By travelling and getting to work with older years, it was extremely insightful to get different perspectives and experiences on the course and the industry itself, further engaging my interest and love for this course.

Faculty-led Global Short Programs are definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that should not be passed upwhen given a chance to experience because the friends you make and the knowledge you take away from thisexperience is one you will never forget.

Nguyen, Angela Pham

Global Short Program Student (Faculty-Led)

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours)