Aesthetics were the main passion of early century landscape architects. A focus on the concern with ecology followed, while the late twentieth century landscape architecture developed towards a concentration on restoration and recovery and so focussed more on redeployment than replacement (Campbell 2006). Today, in the twenty-first century, mankind is overwhelmed with issues of global warming, exhausted natural resources, and disappearing ecologies. Landscape architects are focused on providing sustainable landscapes from which both humans and nature can benefit. Attempts to create parks or green spaces for people‟s enjoyment become joined movements to simultaneously restore ecosystems, produce food or energy, reclaiming damaged sites and designing these interventions to be entertaining and interesting to the surrounding communities. Furthermore, landscapes have become catalysts in assisting with urban densification and reducing urban sprawl in their attempts to be multi-functional, process- and environment- focused designs. At last a question remains: do these twenty-first century landscapes relate to the individual? Have these sustainable systems and processes become the new aesthetic? And do visitors to designed landscapes still have rich spatial experiences? This dissertation explores the questions stated above. Part One focuses on the countering of urban sprawl through a process-focused landscape design response on an urban and framework level, while Part Two investigates if this new contemporary notion aids designers to create spatially aesthetic landscapes. A theoretical study and experiential conceptual development strategies are followed to aid in form-generation. The design follows a hypothetical course that starts with process and system planning followed by spatial landscape explorations. This phenomenological investigation will be resolved up to a detailed sketch plan level. / Dissertation ML(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2014 / Architecture / ML(Prof) / Unrestricted

This thesis deals with the theme of urban space in all its parts, which consist of personal interpretation and definition of urban space. In theory, it deals with different approaches to defining cities and states the view on a city as a spatial arrangement. It also briefly deals with historical and urbanistic development of the cities of Karvina and Prague. The theme of urban space is further elaborated toward the philosophical and psychological experience of cities and the phenomenon of genius loci, both in general and specific terms of each individual city. The urbanistic theme is also elaborated from the perspective of art, focusing on traditional techniques and the work of Czech artists. The starting point for the didactic part are the theoretical pieces of knowledge and expert experience of my own creative activities with an emphasis on my experience of cities and their creative representation. The starting point of the theoretical and teaching part is the part that is the most important one - the practical part - which defines the subjective relationship with cities, inspirational artistic influences and the creative process. My work of art consists of a series of drawings of larger and smaller formats. The basic principle is a diptych in black and white which defines and reflects my personal...

Martin Veselý At home at the large housing estate? Local identity and place identification in different types of urban environment The thesis is concerned with the question of local identity and place identification in urban environment on the example of Prague's Southern Town representing a large, centrally planned housing estate, and "old" Vršovice as an example of a traditional city quarter. The author distinguishes two theoretical-methodological approaches to the analysis of urban environment. The first approach is ontological-historical, ethic perspective describing the city with the use of theoretical devices of urbanism and phenomenology of architecture. The second approach - anthropological - is an emic approach studying the interpretation of a place by social agents. The author shows on numerous examples, how do the people identify with a place and what is the role of the physical attributes of the place and its memory in the process of place identification. The relation between ontological-historical and anthropological perspective is according to the author dialogic and he is looking for points of intersection. He shows that the consequence of one-sided way of interpretation is insufficient understanding for place identity. In other words, it is not able to answer convincingly the...

This diploma thesis deals with possibilities of designing contemporary buildings in the historical context of the city center. Emphasis is placed on the urban integration of new volumes into the current structure of the city and the place with its genius loci. The result of the design should be houses with a character and clear layout, using high-quality materials, especially with different forms and modifications of the plaster that is typical for the construction industry in Central Europe. The suggestion is the author's answer to the question of a "normal house" in the city center.

Martin Veselý At home at the large housing estate? Local identity and place identification in different types of urban environment The thesis is concerned with the question of local identity and place identification in urban environment on the example of Prague's Southern Town representing a large, centrally planned housing estate, and "old" Vršovice as an example of a traditional city quarter. The author distinguishes two theoretical-methodological approaches to the analysis of urban environment. The first approach is ontological-historical, ethic perspective describing the city with the use of theoretical devices of urbanism and phenomenology of architecture. The second approach - anthropological - is an emic approach studying the interpretation of a place by social agents. The author shows on numerous examples, how do the people identify with a place and what is the role of the physical attributes of the place and its memory in the process of place identification. The relation between ontological-historical and anthropological perspective is according to the author dialogic and he is looking for points of intersection. He shows that the consequence of one-sided way of interpretation is insufficient understanding for place identity. In other words, it is not able to answer convincingly the...

In this master thesis I examinate the experience of space, place and genius loci in the application Acute Art X and the virtual reality art works at the platform, using a phenomenological method. Six artworks were on display while the thesis was authored. All the displayed artworks were analysed because of their variation of theme, topic, and experience. The applied method uses the body and the perception as tools to reach the phenomenon of the space, place and genius loci in the virtual reality artworks presented in the application. The applied theories are theory of space, theory of place and genius loci – the spirit of place. Space being the surrounding area where life takes place, it is produces by man or by nature. Space is there for more of an architectural character, while place is defined by particularity of its inherent meaning. The production of space in the virtual reality art works be a representation of physical space, produced to mediate an artistic content.  The virtual reality spaces of art are based on the model of all-encompassing frescoes dated 2000 years back, where entire spaces and rooms were covered by illusional art works. The immersive experience of being inside of the artwork has reached its next development with the technique of virtual reality. The enclosed experience of being inside of an artwork is examined in this thesis, along with the outcomes of the artworks forming of an artistic virtual reality world. Main questions: What is the experience of the application Acute Art X, as a space and place for art, as an exhibition space? What is the experience of space, place, and the function of the place in the virtual reality artworks displayed in the application? What is the experience of the physical body´s functions in the virtual reality worlds of the art works? How are the conditions between the intentions of the virtual reality artworks and the genius loci of the virtual place? The conclusions are made from the discussion about the phenomenology method, which puts the position of the physical body in a new experience based on the perception’s location inside the virtual reality artworks, and of the experience of space, place, and the spirit of the places – genius loci – in the virtual reality artworks. The artworks are the places, not made at an already existing place, and the artworks inherited meaning are the same as the genius loci of the virtual reality worlds of art.

I denna vetenskapliga essä undersöker jag vad trädgårdsmästarens praktiska kunskap är och vad den innebär det när aspekter som plats, natur och kultur är del av formandet av den. Jag visar också på det dilemma kring kommunikation om den praktiska kunskapen som uppstår i relation till medarbetare och uppdragsgivare. Dilemmat blir synligt i kritiska lägen och jag visar att det i min arbetssituation finns ett behov av en gemensam utgångspunkt och samsyn för att ha möjlighet att diskutera konstruktiva lösningar. Jag använder essän som metod för ett undersökande som går ut på att hitta en fördjupad kännedom om den praktiska kunskapen. I essän använder jag fenomenologi formulerad av Martin Heidegger som redskap. Min slutsats är att praktisk kunskap för trädgårdsmästaren har en betydelsefull sammankoppling med platsbyggande. En djup förståelse för platsens identitet, väsen eller genius loci är central för att gestalta platser och närmare bestämt parker.

My installations are propositions for an imaginary world that relies on its own internal logic, a world of believability without recognition. While the work references landscape it also emphasizes its contrivance, as it is automatically estranged in an "unnatural" gallery setting. I subvert or de-familiarize the materials and processes that I use in the service of creating a fictitious environment. My places are impossible places. They are irregular, illogical, and unstable. Our imagination can be one of most dangerous things to psychological stability as it is an inventory of all things possible, no matter how irrational or improbable. The irrational is always an option, a lingering threat. The imagination seems to hate permissions and limitations, but is nevertheless lodged within them. I want to create a sense of nonsensical logic. If all things that can be imagined are logical possibilities, I want to find the place where fantasy seems to be just barely reality. If I can't have an inherent contradiction, I'll take an apparent one.

(in English): Diploma thesis Genius loci as an aesthetic problem is addressed by defining the concept of genius loci and exploring its aesthetic implications and parallels. After clarification of the ontological nature of this phenomenon its commonalities will be monitored with selected concepts of environmental philosophy and aesthetics, especially the aesthetic dimension of the environmental experience. Publications of Christian Norberg-Schulz and David E. Cooper are used as a starting material.

The thema of my thesis is Nature versus City. The terms nature and the city are presented as separate and connected terms in the theoretical part, which is the focus of the thesis. The relationship between nature and cities is presented like inconsistent and also like consistent. The aim of the theoretical part is to answer questions about whether nature in towns is important to their inhabitants and why. The thema nature versus the city is connected with fine arts, concrete examples of artists and their works. Among other things, I deal with the concepts of ecology and the environment across the work. I deal also with questions about the current social and environmental situation of the planet, which are complemented by examples of artists who incorporate this theme into their works, emerge from the text. My own art work is based on the theoretical part, its center is performance in the public space. I have come up with gradual development to the final performance, which simultaneously had site-specific features. The theoretical part is followed by art education etudes, in which the relationship of nature and the city is transformed, in parallel with the integration of environmental education. In realizing the artistic tasks, the aim was to encourage pupils to interconnect nature and the city. And...