Richard Hindle steps in as interim chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning
Associate Professor Richard Hindle, whose research and teaching center on the histories and future of landscape technology with an emphasis on the design of living systems, will begin his term as interim chair this summer. He succeeds Walter Hood, who is stepping down as chair and embarking on a new chapter in his creative practice.
“I am excited to lead the Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning following our successful LAAB accreditation, and as we collectively approach an uncertain and contested future of the built environment in which the skills of our students and faculty are more valuable than ever,” says Hindle.
“I welcome potential partners and innovators from across campus and around the world who are inspired by landscape as a vast, complex, and inclusive medium to reach out. ”
As a designer and consultant, Hindle specializes in the development of ecologically informed infrastructure and building systems, from green roofs and living facades to eco-tech strategies for large-scale urbanized and coastal landscapes. He teaches courses in ecological technology, design-and-build at Blake Garden, planting design, and a range of topical studios that explore the diverse landscapes of California.
Hindle’s work explores the antecedents of landscape technology chronicled in patent documents, and outlines the capacity of emergent environmental adaptation and resilience technologies to transform urban systems. His goal is to situate landscape architecture within a broader environmental innovation space as a STEM discipline, envisioning landscape technologies and constructed environments that grow and adapt through the integration of plants, natural processes, and other non-human species.
“Berkeley’s Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning is the University of California’s flagship department of landscape architecture,” says Hindle, “and I see it as our duty to uphold professional standards, cultivate open and engaged discourse, and establish forward-looking research trajectories in environmental design and planning. Of particular interest to me is the opportunity to transform Blake Garden into a world-class living lab for grounded design experimentation and making.”
Hindle’s publications include articles in the Journal of the Patent Office Society, Technology Architecture & Design, Journal of Landscape Architecture, Journal of Architectural Education, and Landscape Architecture Magazine. He has received a Graham Foundation Grant for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts, an ACSA Architectural Education Award, and the JAE Best Article award.
Hindle joined the department in 2014. He holds a PhD in architecture and the built environment from the University of Technology Sydney, a MLA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University. His environmental design, planning, and innovation consultancy, Super-Strata, integrates research and practice through collaboration and built works.
“We’re sincerely grateful to Richard for stepping into the role of interim chair,” says William W. Wurster Dean Renee Y. Chow. “His willingness to take on this responsibility during a time of transition reflects his strong commitment to the department and its continued success. We look forward to his leadership in the year ahead.”