Conway School of Landscape Design-Link to home map of Conway, MA Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design
“My trip through the snowy Berkshires to the Conway School of Landscape Design was a memorable one. In this idyllic location I found a deeply committed faculty, exceptional students, and a unique model for landscape architecture education. In such a focused environment the support among students and faculty clearly forges lifelong friendships. The use of real projects for small towns and non-profit organizations that might not otherwise afford the services of design professionals is a tremendous framework for learning. The graduates of the Conway School will surely be well prepared to take on the environmental challenges of our age.”  

Kurt Culbertson Principal, Design Workshop Aspen, CO   

Setting:  Conway's Rural Context

Conway is a scenic hilltown of 1,925 residents just west of the Connecticut River Valley in western Massachusetts. This former mill town still has the appearance of self-sufficiency, with farm fields and sap buckets illustrating a life lived close to the land. Because of its proximity to the education-rich Five College area Conway provides a nearly ideal balance of rural tranquility and cultural resources. Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mt. Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, as well as the city of Northampton and the town of Amherst, are within a half-hour drive.

The school is located ½ mile east of the village of Conway on 24.5 acres of wooded hilltop. The passive solar building, purchased and renovated by CSLD in 2002 – 2003, is heated by a combination of wood and supplemental oil burner. Students share the responsibility of keeping the four wood stoves going during the winter months.

The complex consists of two large sunny studio spaces, a classroom, library, reception area, conference space, lounge area with a Rumford woodstove fireplace, and faculty and administrative offices. The school’s library is a focused collection of over 3,000 volumes, and the school subscribes to more than 50 professional journals. There is also a kitchen available for preparing and heating lunches and snacks.

The facilities are comfortable, and the rural surroundings – rich woodlands, rolling farm fields – are a welcome balance to the intensive fast pace of student life at the school.