ALUMNI TESTIMONIALS

The search for true harmony between nature and the man-made environment has become ever more pressing, as the world continues to rapidly urbanize. The well-calibrated MLA programme has equipped me with the knowledge and skills to unlock the full potential of every site, creating sustainable, liveable, and resilient landscapes that contribute towards greater environmental health and human well-being.

I’ll always remember the intense and vigorous studio sessions which challenge me to question, investigate and justify, which enriched the design process for meaningful and creative design interventions. These skills have provided me leverage as a landscape architect in designing for Singapore’s parks and green spaces to achieve the City in a Garden vision.

To be in the MLA programme was both a privilege and an eye opener to be guided by the tutors in the various specialised knowledge and skill sets. The course influenced my formative approach to analysis, to be able to define an issue and not the problem, and to be able to discern the values of an integrated landscape approach and not mere superficial greening.

The MLA programme has encouraged me to learn the ways of the land, people, and vegetation in this dense environment. It has also demonstrated the skills and criticality that help me in what I do now: managing Singapore’s public housing landscape design, design polices and studies in the Housing & Development Board.

I stumbled upon the MLA programme while considering a mid-career change but little did I know how deep down the rabbit hole I would venture. From being a student in the MLA programme to completing my doctorate and going full circle to teach landscape architecture! It’s been quite the journey and one that I am still continually learning and evolving from.

The MLA-NUS course instilled in me the foundation of landscape design – formulating a design vision, communicating that vision through visual expression and strong narrative, continually revising it through constant dialogue with mentors, and drawing up solutions to carry it through with various design tools introduced in the course. Beyond studio learning and mere planting aesthetics, we were introduced to real-world issues in the urban context, and how landscape architecture can, and should, be part of the solutions.

The satisfaction of improving the environment through meaningful design intervention inspires me to do the work at hand. Going on to pursue Doctoral studies allowed me to continue to grow the experiences taught within the Master’s programme.

The MLA programme gave us a solid foundation which we could build our careers on. And more particularly, it equipped us with an emphatic heart to care for and take action on global issues such as food shortage, rising sea water levels, and the like.

One of the highlights of the MLA course was to closely experience and engage in the issues related to landscape architecture in megacities of Asia. This led to a great shift in my perception of design and has pushed me to approach design more critically and also creatively in my professional work.

Choosing to pursue landscape architecture is one of my best life decisions because I get to be involved in integrating the urban city fabric with natural systems and bringing people out and closer to nature. The MLA programme got us to understand site issues hands-on and allowed us to come up with practical and innovative design solutions.

Wong Ruen Qing, MLA’13 Lead Designer, Kompan Asia

I have come to value most the investigative and analytic hands-on approach that fuelled each of our landscape studios in the MLA programme, always beginning with a visit to the site and consistently thinking from the ground-up. I engaged with technical and aesthetic aspects of landscape and urban design, but also with larger political and philosophical issues.

Juit Lian, MLA’13

Being primed with sensitivities and skills to meet contemporary design challenges in landscape architecture were among the benefits from the MLA programme. I appreciated the local and Asia-Pacific region exposure through the coursework. The experience has prepared me with the critical thinking and creativity to address the design needs for liveable environments.

Joining MLA has opened my eyes to observe the issues inherent in my surroundings and environment; the realisation that everything we do will impact our surroundings and that we have the power to decide how these are played out. This understanding influences my work and design decisions daily - the analysing of the problems and impacts, and the recommendation of design solutions to the clients.

The 2 years of MLA had been filled with learning opportunities that were academically grinding and enjoyable. Overseas field trips were especially memorable that help shaped my understanding of the regional landscapes. Collaborative modules further strengthened myself to be better equipped in fronting the challenges within the interdisciplinary nature of the professional industry.

The NUS MLA programme defies the conventions of traditional architecture discourse, and often challenged us to think beyond the limits of design. Being trained in this mode enabled me to consider the total environment when designing, be it in architecture, landscape or urban design.

Design solutions have to stay close to reality. This is what I have learnt to appreciate through the programme’s emphasis on understanding issues, site and context. The analytical and down-toearth approach continues to serve me well in the industry.

The MLA course engages architecture, urbanism, environmentalism, humanities, culture, politics, as well as social sciences in the curriculum. By exposing us to the real world, it opened a wider horizon for us to explore. Learning from professors with different expertise made us capable of dealing with design challenges of the built environment in megacities.

The MLA programme gives me a ladder, linking the reality to the perspective. It trains me in thinking critically and guides my understanding of landscape architecture from concept to construction. It also broadens my horizon to think beyond the limits of design through equipping us with ecological knowledge, sociology and more.

The MLA programme allowed me to venture out on the field to confront an array of contemporary ecological and social challenges. As a Landscape Architect, this has guided me in the design and management of real world spaces - especially in complex and ecologically fragile sites, where a careful balance has to be struck between meeting the needs of users and the preservation of natural systems.

The MLA programme has prepared me well for design work in highly urbanized environments. As a landscape architect, I seek to enhance cities and create desirable habitats for human and nature. Each project and assignment has equipped me with a different set of skills and perspective on how to tackle issues and synthesize creative solutions.

MLA has taught me how landscape architecture goes beyond planting design; it can improve the welfare of people, improve ecology, and create habitats to support biodiversity. The basis of good design stems from intensive site research which brought us beyond our studio. It has been an eyeopening adventure exploring different themes, countries, and scales of design.

The programme has heightened my sensitivity to real-world issues and imparted in me a deep sense of environmental and social responsibility. I am grateful for the cross-disciplinary exposure in the curriculum and the analytical rigour in the design approach. These have empowered me to address larger issues through innovative collaborations in the field of architecture, ecology and urban design.

The NUS MLA program helped me understand the importance of reconciling people with nature. We were taught to think creatively and analytically to address real world challenges of urbanization and climate crises. The program challenged me to push design boundaries, to come up with inventive solutions while design sensibly for the sustainable future.

Joining MLA programme was one of the best decision in my life as I had been given opportunities to marry both my passion in design and nature. The explorations were certainly happened beyond the classroom, and I am grateful of the various knowledge given to myself that helped to enrich my learning. The journey through the programme was eye-opening, and it was something that I will forever look back too even in the far future.

Through the course, I came to appreciate the beauty of landscape architecture where the designed landscape is under-laid with purposeful details, derived from multiple analytical processes. The curriculum hones our aesthetic senses and encourages practical and research-based qualities in our projects, grooming us to be sensitive and innovative designers for the future.

The NUS MLA programme has not only broadened my horizon but also trained me to welcome the bottom-up approach by respecting the natural environment. As the environmental issue continues to threaten the whole human society, the landscape architect should be more collaborative and creative to defend both human and natural habitat.

What I will never forget are the explorations and discussions, questions and inspirations we had when we were MLA students. I am thankful for the solid foundation that the course has prepared me with; the thinking approaches, design techniques, and diversified resources of knowledge. The professional and personal commitments of the professors also built me up, and are influential to me in finding my voice and references to act in real-world design scenarios.

We would like to express sincere gratitude to our colleagues in the Department of Architecture (DOA), School of Design and Environment (SDE), National University of Singapore (NUS). In particular, we would like to thank Professor Lam Khee Poh (Dr), Dean of SDE; Professor Heng Chye Kiang (Dr), former Dean of SDE (2007 to 2016); Ho Puay Peng (Dr), Head of DOA; and, Wong Yunn Chii (Dr), former Head of DOA (2007- 2017), for their continuous support of the MLA programme.

We also acknowledge and are grateful for the contributions of the many local and international supporters and collaborators to the programme. In the last 10 years, the MLA programme has collaborative efforts with other NUS programmes including M.Arch, MSc ISD, MAUD, and MUP; other universities including ETH Zurich, Tongji university, Chiba university, Kyushu university, and IBP university; local government agencies including National Parks Board, Housing and Development Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Public Utilities Board, JTC Corporation, and National Heritage Board; research institutions including Centre for Liveable Cities, Centre For Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE), and Singapore-ETH

Centre; diverse local and international nonprofit organizations; many external reviewers from landscape firms including Ramboll Singapore, AECOM Singapore, STX Landscape Architects, and Grant Associates; and support from Gardens by the Bay and Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects. including National Parks Board, Housing and Development Board, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Public Utilities Board, JTC Corporation, and National Heritage Board; research institutions including Centre for Liveable Cities, Centre For Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE), and Singapore-ETH Centre; diverse local and international nonprofit organizations; many external reviewers from landscape firms including Ramboll Singapore, AECOM Singapore, STX Landscape Architects, and Grant Associates; and support from Gardens by the Bay and Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects.

Lastly, we express special thanks to the more than one hundred students who have graduated from our NUS MLA programme in our first decade. It has been our pleasure to see them grow and mature, and in many cases continue to work with them after graduation. Without their efforts, this book cannot exist.

March 2020, Editorial Team