Successful bdla University Day for Landscape Architecture 

The first Landscape Architecture University Day proved a great success and attracted interest from across the country: Around 180 participants from universities, planning firms, associations, local authorities and the student body gathered at the ufa-Fabrik in Berlin on 24 April 2026 to discuss the future of study, teaching and professional practice in landscape architecture. The event was organised by the Association of German Landscape Architects (bdla) in collaboration with the Federal Student Union for Landscape Architecture (BuFaLa), the Higher Education Conference on Landscape Architecture (HKL) and the Federal Association for Garden, Landscape and Sports Ground Construction (BGL).

The event kicked off with the question of why a Landscape Architecture University Day is needed at all. This immediately brought to the fore issues such as the importance of interdisciplinarity, the future roles of colleges and universities against the backdrop of increasingly complex planning requirements, the practical relevance of degree programmes, and the professional framework for collaboration. These topics were the subject of lively discussion in smaller group workshops. For bdla President Prof. Stephan Lenzen, one thing was crystal clear: “For me, the format is already a success. We are communicating with one another here today in a trialogue, so the most important goal has been achieved.”

Communicating
through a tripartite dialogue Spread across six participatory sessions, students, planners and lecturers discussed key issues for the future – including the development of university campuses, the impact of AI and digitalisation on teaching and professional practice, skills profiles for career entry, the ‘Bauwende’ and transformation processes, fair transitions from university to working life, and the exchange between academia and professional practice. One insight from the ‘Wind of Change’ workshop, moderated by Prof. Sebastian Sowa of the bdla Executive Committee, was that the construction transition and transformation are inextricably linked to democracy and that, consequently, landscape architecture is also political. “We must engage with societal debates – not only through images and words, but also through action – and create spaces where people can come together,” he concluded. A common thread running through all the workshops was the realisation of just how diverse the challenges facing universities and professional practice are, and the commitment to tackle these together.

More strategic collaboration
During the closing panel, brief feedback from the individual workshops was presented. The accompanying Mentimeter survey also revealed calls for greater strategic collaboration between universities, professional associations and the professional world, a more proactive approach to the challenges posed by AI and digitalisation, the integration of generalist and specialist skills, as well as open cultures of discussion, democratic accountability and stronger knowledge transfer structures between research and application. Prof. Dr Antje Backhaus, a member of the bdla Executive Committee, expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “that we have managed to bring so many people together to discuss the topics set by the bdla. (…) We experienced a wonderful culture of discussion and heard many exciting contributions from university lecturers, students and practitioners.”

The event concluded with a party featuring matchmaking, which brought the University Day to a lively close. 

The overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants confirms the successful launch of the event. Consequently, the Landscape Architecture University Day is to be repeated and further developed as a platform for nationwide professional exchange between the next generation of practitioners and the established profession.

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