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Department of Landscape Architecture
Specific Computer Purchasing Recommendations

Although we support the University's recommendation that all full-time incoming students either own or have immediate access to a personal computer, there are several important factors you should consider before making a computer purchase upon entering the Landscape Architecture program.

University Computer Lab Access. All students at Penn State have access to about forty computer labs located throughout the University Park Campus. Some of these labs are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Others are available for extended hours throughout the week. These labs include a wide selection of software and contain both Windows and Macintosh computers in most cases. If you choose not to purchase a computer, you will still have access to these computing facilities on a first-come first-serve basis.

Landscape Architectural Computing Resources. Our department and the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA) have extensive computing resources available exclusively to our students. These resources include computer labs used for teaching and general computing work as well as computers in several of the design studios. These resources are partially funded by a tuition surcharge fee that is paid each semester from the 5th semester on. Students in the major begin taking computer-based graphics courses and are permitted access to these facilities in the fall of the second year. Our facilities are some of the best in the country and provide access to hardware, software, and peripherals that are not available in any of the ńpublicī computer labs on campus. Since these facilities are located in, or in close proximity to the studios, and open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, they provide even more accessibility and convenience than the University's computer labs.

Design Computing Requirements. The University's recommended minimum configuration for a new MacOS or Windows computer (laptop or desktop) will provide an adequate system for word processing/spreadsheet software, e-mail, and web browsing. However, if you are interested in purchasing a system that you can use to work on studio design computing projects, you will need to purchase a much more robust system and additional software and peripherals. In addition, even if you own your own computer, you will still be required to pay the tuition surcharge fee. To repeat, this is your choice; the department is not expecting students to purchase systems capable of advanced design computing. Our recommendation for a minimum design computing configuration is a 233 Mhz (G3) iMac with 96 MB of RAM and a Zip Drive. This system will allow you to run the required software but only for small projects. Our preferred configuration for design computing would include a 400 MHz G4 Macintosh mini-tower with 256 MB of RAM, 17" monitor, and a Zip Disk.

Although our facilities are 100% Macintosh based, all the core software we use is cross-platform and will perform adequately on a similarly configured Windows PC computer. The required core software suite includes*:

Study Abroad. As part of our program, students spend the spring of the fourth year studying abroad, currently in Rome, Italy. The Department provides a modest number of computers for e-mail and word processing in Rome. Due to space, support, customs, and security issues, we do not recommend taking your own computer to Rome, even if you own a laptop model.

Life Cycle. Since our curriculum is five years, any computer you purchase upon entering Penn State as a freshman will be obsolete by the time you graduate. Unless you have the resources to purchase more than one computer over the next five years, you may want to wait until the 2nd or 3rd year before purchasing a computer. Since the University and the Department have computer facilities available for your use, having a computer in your room is not a necessity.

Support. If you do choose to purchase a computer and software for use in your study of landscape architecture, you will be responsible for setting up and maintaining your own system. The Department does not provide support, hardware, software, or networking for student-owned computer systems. The Center for Academic Computing (CAC) does maintain several ńHelp Desksī on campus and can provide support for some software and networking issues. However, it is up to individual students to contact the CAC help desk themselves.

In summary, purchasing your own computer for e-mail, web browsing, and word processing will certainly make working on general coursework more convenient and flexible. However, University and Departmental computing resources are readily available for your use in various locations around campus should you choose not to bring a computer with you to Penn State. A computer intended for serious design computing work requires substantially more resources than the basic system the University recommends. If you want to purchase a computer for design computing, it is best to wait until the 2nd or 3rd year in order to get the most use from your investment.

*All software prices are approximate and subject to change.

Madis Pihlak
Director, Stuckeman Center For Design Computing
School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
mxp51@mail.psu.edu (814) 863-2375