I. Development Status of the Discipline
The discipline “Landscape Architecture” in Zhejiang A & F University was originally “Urban Planning and Design” (including Landscape Architecture and Design), belonging to the fifth batch of key disciplines in Zhejiang Province, and was adjusted to become the first-level discipline “Landscape Architecture” according to the 2011 new discipline list and successfully declared as a provincial-level key first-level discipline in 2012. The discipline obtained the right of conferring a master’s degree (Engineering) in 2006, and the right of conferring a master’s degree in the first-level discipline “Landscape Architecture” in 2011. The university has a postgraduate Education Innovation Demonstration Base in Zhejiang Province, and is the only provincial university that has this master’s degree program. In the results for China Discipline Ranking of National Colleges and Universities by the Ministry of Education in 2012, the discipline Landscape Architecture ranked first among the colleges and universities in Zhejiang Province, and ranked fifteenth among the top 86 universities with the master’s degree program in Landscape Architecture, finding its place in the top 17%. The discipline continues to maintain its leading position in Zhejiang Province through the construction of four aspects of “Improvement of academic performance; Specialization of the discipline platform; Optimization of the discipline structure; and enhancement of the discipline team”. The discipline became one of the “2014 China Four-Star Disciplines & Programs” recently announced bywww.cuaa.net, and has been included in the list of “2014 China High-Level Disciplines & Programs”.
The discipline actively works to build the discipline team, introduce and train high-quality and high-level discipline talents, adjust the knowledge structure of the discipline team, and improve the overall quality of discipline teachers, including the academic leader of Professor Bao Zhiyi, and discipline construction head Professor Xu Wenhui. Through practice and training, the structure of discipline teachers has been further optimized. At present, there is a total of 37 people for the discipline, including 34 full-time teachers, two laboratory technicians, and a discipline secretary, an organization demonstrating a perfect discipline echelon structure. The number of teachers with a doctoral degree in the discipline teachers has increased to 15 (including four doctoral students), while the number of teachers with a master’s degree has increased to 19; therefore, masters and doctors account for 91.9% of all teachers. The structure of teachers’ professional titles has also been significantly improved. Currently, there are four professors and professor-level senior engineers, 10 associate professors and 19 lecturers for the discipline.
II. Major Research Directions and Characteristic Advantages
1. Research on Landscape Plant and Plant Landscape
Relying on the construction platforms such as the Zhejiang Flower Industry Innovation Team, three master’s degree programs of the first-level disciplines and national key characteristic disciplines, the research focuses on Plant Landscape Planning and Design Theory and Methods, a study on Plant Landscape Structure and Functions, and the Creation of Plant Landscapes Within Special Spaces. In Plant Landscape Planning and Design, ecological benefits evaluation and other aspects, it is in a leading domestic position to form an excellent team with reasonable structure, outstanding achievements in teaching and scientific research, and a strong team spirit.
2. Landscape Architecture Planning
It makes a specific study on the human settlement construction problems arising in the process of urban-rural integration in Zhejiang Province, and especially partakes in an innovative study on the green infrastructure of small and medium-sized towns and new rural areas in the economically developed areas of Zhejiang Province. It focuses on the landscape architecture planning and design, scientific research and social services inside and outside the province (especially Zhejiang Province), conducts effective promotion and demonstration, and plays an exemplary role in the construction of large eco-agriculture sightseeing parks, ecological facilities planning and design, urban greenway infrastructure, new rural planning technologies, and other aspects.
3. History and Theory of Landscape Architecture
Research is conducted on the basis of gardening history and the theory of gardening on the Yangtze River Delta, mainly by analyzing the landscape, culture and economic value of landscape architecture in Zhejiang Province, constructing a value system theory of landscape architecture, and studying planning, design and management strategies. The research focuses on the relationship between landscape architecture and local economy and culture, and explores the theory of landscape architecture planning, design and management from aspects such community participation and incentive mechanisms.
4. Garden Engineering Technology
Oriented towards the research and development of new materials and new technology, it mainly conducts technical research related to energy saving, materials saving and land saving in urban and rural landscape planning and design, prepares the local standards for landscape engineering construction specification in Zhejiang Province, classifies and integrates the landscape engineering construction technology, and explores the theory and technology research of ecological landscape architecture engineering in severe environments.
III. Research Results
The discipline Landscape Architecture pays attention to scientific research in an all-around way. The discipline platform focuses on government-sponsored research and crossing research projects with social influence, deepens and highlights the approval of major projects, and achieves better results through the research of these projects. In the past five years, a total of 160 scientific research projects have been completed, including 18 government-sponsored research projects and 142 crossing research projects. The major research projects are as follows: “A Study on Low-Carbon Urban Landscape Plant Landscape Pattern Based on Plant Carbon Sequestration and the Analysis of Role of Community Carbon Sink – Taking Scenic Area of the West Lake in Hangzhou as An Example”; “A Study on Spatial-Temporal Variability of Ancient Cryptomeria Stem Liquid Flow Based on ENVIS Monitoring Technology System”; “Life Cycle Study on the Impact of Human Management Behavior on the Carbon Balance of Garden Greens”; “Design of Ningbo Botanical Garden”; “Landscape Greening Engineering Design of the South Line of Lake Embankment and Lake Shore for Phase II Xianghu Lake”; “’Six Lakes’ Plant Landscape Engineering Design in Shaoxing City”; and “Detailed Planning of Wong Tai Sin Scenic Area in Jinhua Shuanglong National Scenic Area”. In the last five years, a total of 177 papers have been published in journals, including 56 papers in core journals, two papers in first grade journals, two were included in SCI and five monographs were published. Four awards at the ministerial and provincial level or above were received, and one patent was obtained.
IV. Talent Cultivation
The discipline adheres to the “improvement of the practice and entrepreneurial ability of students” as its guiding ideology, and attaches great importance to the training of innovative practical abilities of students majoring in Landscape Architecture, and to actively organize students to participate in the related design competitions, with outstanding results. At the IFLA Asia Pacific Conference in 2012, the work “Waterside Memory”, jointly completed by five people including Zhao Rui under the guidance of the discipline teacher Si Zhen, won the only first prize. In the 2012 “Yuanye Cup” Landscape Architecture (Final Project, Paper) International Competition, the works of the college won many awards. Wherein, the Planning Works Group won one the third prize, one encouragement prize; the Design Works Group won one encouragement prize; the Master and Doctoral Group of Planning and Design of Papers won second place and four encouragement prizes; and the discipline group of the Botanical Paper Group won one encouragement prize.In 2013, the discipline organized the “Greentown Cup” Landscape Design Competition at Zhejiang A & F University together with Zhejiang Greentown Landscape Consulting Co., Ltd. and the Lin’an Greentown Real Estate Co., Ltd., which greatly aroused students’ interest in design and benefited the students’ design innovation. In the 2013 and 2014 China Society of Landscape Architecture Student Design Competitions, Landscape Architecture students participated in the design competition and achieved better results for two consecutive years. For example, “Green Therapy – Landscape Strategy for Rescuing ‘Cancer Village’”, a postgraduate work from the 2013 Landscape Architecture Design Competition for College Students (jointly directed by three teachers of Bao Zhiyi, Hong Quan and Li Sheng), won the Excellent Work Prize;Hucheng River, and2050, the works of 2014 Design Competition for College Students (directed by Professor Bao Zhiyi) won the Excellent Work Prize. In terms of postgraduate training, Sun Xiaoming has achieved outstanding results as one of the “Sino-Maple Cup” Linke Top Ten Graduates, and six provincial outstanding graduates were cultivated as well.
