Clara
Da Costa
School of Architecture and Landscape
PhD Research Student
Full contact details
School of Architecture and Landscape
Arts Tower
- Profile
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I am a landscape architect from Porto, Portugal, with a degree in Landscape Architecture from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. My academic training provided a foundation in spatial planning, historic gardens, the management and maintenance of green spaces, and public space design.
In 2019, as part of my master's degree, I completed a postgraduate traineeship at the Landscape Observatory of Catalonia, where I investigated national and regional landscape policies within the European context. Supervised by Professor Maria José Curado, Lecturer in Landscape Architecture at the University of Porto, and Pere Sala i Martí, Director of the Landscape Observatory of Catalonia, the traineeship culminated in a thesis entitled Proposal of a National Landscape Policy for Portugal.
Following the completion of my master's degree, I worked in landscape architecture practice from 2019 to 2023, contributing to projects for the municipalities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. My work encompassed regional and urban-scale projects, the design of public gardens and playgrounds, the rehabilitation of riparian habitats, and the implementation of environmental education activities funded through external programmes.
In 2023, I completed online courses in data analytics, developing programming and data visualisation skills using Python, SQL, and Tableau. These skills sparked my interest in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to landscape architecture and led me to develop a research proposal for doctoral study. In November 2023, I began a Doctorate by Design in Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield. Alongside developing my research and programming skills, I attended workshops on research design and management, research ethics, Python, machine learning, generative AI, and GitKraken/GitHub.
- Qualifications
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- Doctorate by Design in Landscape Architecture, University of Sheffield (2023–present)
MSc in Landscape Architecture, University of Porto (2017–2019)
BSc in Landscape Architecture, University of Porto (2014–2017)
- Doctorate by Design in Landscape Architecture, University of Sheffield (2023–present)
- Research interests
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PhD project title: Artificial Intelligence in Landscape Representation
My research and professional interests focus on the application of artificial intelligence in landscape representation, landscape character assessment, spatial planning, and landscape policy evaluation.
My doctoral research explores how artificial intelligence can function both as a design tool and as a method of representation in landscape architecture. It investigates how AI can support the understanding, analysis, and simulation of landscape evolution, particularly in peri-urban areas where urban and rural environments intersect and transform over time.
While AI is increasingly being explored as a means of supporting design processes, my research focuses on its potential to generate new forms of landscape representation that communicate and interpret dynamic processes of transformation. It examines how representation, projection, and notation can be connected with different AI approaches to develop generative methods for capturing the spatial, temporal, material, and procedural dimensions of physical and digital landscapes.
By integrating open-source GIS, satellite data, and street-view imagery, the research investigates how AI can identify relationships, interpret complex landscape conditions, and represent patterns of change through a composable AI-based design methodology.
Combining theoretical investigation with practical, design-based experimentation, the study seeks to establish how AI-driven methods can contribute to landscape architectural thinking and practice. It aims to offer alternatives to conventional representational techniques and support the analysis and design of landscapes undergoing significant environmental, spatial, and sociocultural transformation. Ultimately, the research seeks to clarify the role of AI in landscape architecture and demonstrate its potential to bridge data analysis, creative design, and the representation of evolving landscapes.
Supervisors
- Dr David Buck (School of Architecture and Landscape)
- Dr Bei Peng (School of Computer Science)
- Research group
- Grants
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Erasmus+ Traineeship: six-month placement at the Landscape Observatory of Catalonia, Spain (funded by the European Union, 2019)
- Teaching activities
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I have worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Sheffield, initially within the Department of Landscape (LSC), now the School of Architecture and Landscape (ALA).
- Teaching Assistant: LSC409 Artificial Intelligence Workshop (Autumn 2023–2024)
- Studio Tutor: LSC425 / ALA451 Experimental Landscape Design (Spring 2023–2024, 2024–2025, 2025–2026)
- Studio Tutor: LSC418 / ALA419 Advanced Landscape Design – Materiality of Landscape (Autumn 2024–2025, 2025–2026)
- AI Tutor: LSC413 Final Landscape Project (Spring 2024–2025)
- AutoCAD Tutor: ALA213 Materials of Landscape – Planting Design / ALA215 Urban Ecological Planting Design (Autumn 2025–2026)
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Portuguese Association of Landscape Architects (2020)
- Latin America Landscape Initiative (LALI), Nodo Buenas Práticas (2020)
Awards
- University of Sheffield / The Deal, Achieving Excellence (2026)