With the renovation of Hunt Hall to house the School of Landscape Architecture, the existing courtyard was redesigned to accommodate the new use. The idea for the Didactic Landscape came from the school's desire to use the courtyard as a teaching element for the Landscape Architecture students, resulting in a landscape of various topographical elements. While the plan is a radical departure from the original courtyard designed by Thomas Church, some elements such as the mature native oak trees remain in the new design.