ABSTRACT
The Landscape Architecture master’s at the School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon introduced garden restoration teaching in 1989. Approximately 400 gardens in Portugal were studied over the last 35 years. During a semester, principles and methods of project restoration are transmitted to students supported by legal tools and Landscape Architecture procedures. Seminar classes, field trips, and studio work in a given sequence are provided to students to provide them with international principles recommended by the National Trust of England, the Landscape Trust in the United States, the ICOMOS-IFLA Scientific Committee for Cultural Landscapes, etc. Case studies are chosen from different regions in the country, and two days field trips allow the class to be immersed in different sites. Landscape design methods are applied to restoration of historic gardens following site analysis, problem assessment, and a restoration master plan proposal. Students analyse five essential themes of the garden—1) history; 2) spatial composition; 3) botany; 4) hydraulics; and 5) surroundings—and acquire experience on research in libraries and archives, how to collect data that supports the landscape evolution of the site, and a sound diagnosis of the problems prior to restoration. Practical studio classes are accompanied by professors to evaluate the state of each garden and orient student proposals. A restoration master plan proposal is presented with solutions complying with the international heritage protection rules.
