The School of Architecture & Landscape Design (SoALD) is an academic constituent of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), located at Kakryal in the Reasi district of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The school offers professional education in architecture and allied design fields, integrating studio-based learning with technical, environmental and humanities coursework.
| Name | School of Architecture & Landscape Design |
|---|---|
| Parent institution | Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University |
| Type | Constituent school of a state university |
| Location | Kakryal, Katra, Reasi district |
| Region | Jammu and Kashmir, India |
| Discipline | Architecture, landscape and design studies |
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University was established by the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir as a fully residential university near the pilgrimage town of Katra. The university campus at Kakryal hosts several schools covering engineering, management, sciences, languages, philosophy and the built environment, of which the School of Architecture & Landscape Design forms part.
The school was set up to expand the university's academic profile beyond engineering and management into the design disciplines, with a particular emphasis on landscape and the contextual challenges of building in the Himalayan and sub-Himalayan environment.
The school's curriculum follows the structure prescribed for professional architectural education in India, which is regulated by the Council of Architecture under the Architects Act, 1972. Teaching is organised around design studios supported by courses in:
The school operates from the SMVDU campus at Kakryal, situated on the foothills along the route to the Vaishno Devi shrine. The hilly terrain, regional vernacular traditions and ecologically sensitive surroundings provide a working context for studio projects in landscape design, hill architecture and conservation-oriented practice.
The School of Architecture & Landscape Design is among a relatively small number of architecture programmes based in the Jammu region, and contributes to the availability of professional design education in the area. Its explicit framing around landscape design alongside architecture distinguishes it from many general architecture schools in northern India.