Have you considered the opportunity to have a career transition into Architectural field but have no clue about what it entails if you intend to become a landscape architect? If so, it is important that you have comprehensive knowledge on how to become landscape architect and this article got you covered.
Let’s get started!
What Is a Landscape Architect?
Landscape Architecture is one of those phrases that became widespread in the United States following the creation of the Central Park in New York City in 1863 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux.
Still, one has to wonder what the title signifies? Landscape architects are individuals who design and manage variation of open areas that include; parks, residential areas among others.
The Work of a Landscape Architect
Today it is possible to observe the appropriate and attractive purpose and outlooks for parks, territories with nature, gardens, public plazas of cities and streets, neighborhoods, and communities, all designed by a team of landscape architects.
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Landscape architects design golf courses and retail malls, that is architectural attractiveness of other facilities and other public infrastructure. Landscape architects may also design homes and gardens in the layout and subsequent outdoor environment for individual clients.
Apart from planning of wetland and other protected regions in the landscape, they actively contribute in historical reconstruction in the improvement of environment.
It involves science and art, aim and reason, to understand the given local context – the mechanism of natural landscapes, and to decide how man-shaping impacting the natural world happens and will progress in the ever denser entwinement of man-made and natural surroundings.
Landscape Architecture Process
The professional who practices landscaping is able to connect with the customer and execute the customer’s ideas for the outdoor environment. These are the key impressions that a landscape architect receives while working with a client to get acquainted with the goal and vision of the place.
Every client will have their budget that the architect should conserve while creating the design for the building. Still, it is always a joy to work with a landscape architect because almost every project can be made into something spectacular even if it is simply on a small scale. Some of the elements they make use of include Computer-Aided Design software where they are able to conceptualize the designs they intend to offer and keep track of the general work flow to ensure that the project design is following the final designs that have been approved.
Landscape architects for instance use a technique known as Geographic Information Systems, which do provide the GPS coordinates of many geographical aspects. Computer-aided design (CAD) software for the architectural designing work widely helps the landscape architects for the numerous habitats designing as it provides them the ideas regarding where they can begin their planning and how they can predict the beholder of the environment in future.
The next stage which may be followed by a landscape architect after making the drawings is to construct a model of the area. These are trees, river, bridges, buildings among others. As a result of such models, the clients are able to see their area in a better picture, especially, when the work is done. Landscape architect can produce design changes during construction phase in a way that a plan architect cannot.
They do not engage in business areas that involve mechanical ordeal since contractors and staff are employed. Nonetheless, they stage manage sitting tight and monitoring the project to make sure everything is on course.
Landscape architectural designing ensures that they come up with the concepts of the outside space and layout of designs so that any reading on the plans retrieved by people can be easily understood. They analyze complex environmental reviews and the things they learn help them in designing or planning.
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Landscape architects also offer suggestions concerning conflicts with sustainability and protection of landscape. They also formulate recommendations, deliver the recommendations to managers and rag customers, prepare reports and legal documents. It is also necessary to discuss the details of the project with other architects and designers, surveyors, project managers, biologists, foresters, and other specialists involved in the construction project.
Objectives of Landscape Architects
Their major task involves working on the aesthetics of a particular site or area as well as boosting its rating from an environmental perspective. For example, they may decide to reconcile human and/or natural infringements on the environment by reconstructing areas that have been negatively impacted by a human or natural activity or by digging up soil to get minerals for mining.
They may also produce ‘green- roofs’ or the vegetative roofs like a garden, which can cool the high temperatures thus reducing energy use by buildings, controlling the flow of rain water, eliminating airborne pollutants, and provide artistic visions.
How to Become a Landscape Architect
These are the steps to take if you want to become a landscape architect:
1. Consider the Career Responsibilities and Training of Landscape Architects
Among the first steps in evaluation process, one has to mention the amount of educational background needed to become a landscape architect.
Landscape architectural education makes use of geographical information, science, horticulture, arithmetic, engineering, and art in order to conceive and design private and other open areas for new residential states, public gardens, golfing courses, and college campuses.
Aspiring designers need a bachelor’s degree to become landscape architects, and nearly all state require license.
2. Complete the Undergraduate Degree Program
Landscape can be often essential to enter the profession of a landscape architect with no more than a bachelor’s degree. These are the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (BLA) and Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture (BSLA) programmes that are awarded to landscape architects at undergraduate level.
Of course, the time to complete one of these courses remains four to five years on average. These programs are approved by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB).
All participants who are enrolled in the three-year MLA program must have an undergraduate degree from a program other than MLA. The courses taught in the field include geographical surveying, design and construction of the landscape, landscape ecology, site design, and urban and regional planning.
Other recommended subjects include geology, plant and soil science history, history of landscape architecture, practice, and management in general.
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Specifically, the design studio must always be an integral part of any program that is being taught. Any time possible, realistic exercises are presented to learners; this enables students practice with real life tasks. Such projects help the students to build up their model creation, CADD and other design and drawing skills to create the models.
3. Engage in an Internship
Experience is crucial in this career, and to practice as a licensed landscape architect, you must have internship experience. You can either decide to secure the job after you are through with your course or study as intern or trainee landscape architect.
During internship, an intern in this capacity repines under the tutelage of any licensed landscape architect in order to develop more technical proficiency. You will also learn of the basic tasks for instance a budget, channeling for consumers, or pricing when dealing with the landscape architecture firm. Depending on the type of firm and the size of the company where the person applies, the tasks handled by each intern landscape architect vary.
4. Obtain a Professional License
Currently, only three states, namely, Illinois, Massachusetts and Maine do not possess the legal provision that compels a landscape architect to obtain a license before practicing in the field. This examination course applies if candidates pass the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards sponsored Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE).
Though there is variation in requirements from one state to another, to sit for the test one must be holding a degree from an accredited university in addition to accruing some work experience as an intern to a licensed landscape architect.
Also, several jurisdictions have provided working options other than FLARE degree accreditation to qualify to sit for LARE, which more often requires more working experience. Some states are also allowed to give registration tests apart from LARE tested on subjects imperative to certain state, as earthquake in California or hurricane in Florida.
Other aspects of exams that relate specifically to a state also involve its laws, the environmental rules and policies, the plants, soil, weather patterns and other features that are peculiar to that specific region in the state. Due to the difference in the licensing structure for landscape architecture, registration is often hard to transfer across the different states.
The requirement to offer the services of a Landscape architect therefore requires that the one offering the services to have completed an approved program, passed a test known as LARE and have the required experience of practicing for several years as an intern under the supervision of a certified landscape architect. The Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards may also certify a landscape architect if he or she meets the qualification above and this will be advantageous in this process since it may imply an easy grant of the license in the other state.
5. Advance Your Career
Landscape architecture program is especially offered by universities and colleges where students can earn their MLA or Master of Landscape Architecture degree. In case you are entering your second professional degree in landscape architecture, a few programs as mentioned may let you take electives of your own choice to specialize. There are those which are meant for the people who have undergone academic study in another discipline. The following are defined; One can take coursework through an online format for landscape professionals.
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Opinions regarding the options are given by the American Society of Landscape Architects. Another way is to get certified, for example, achieve CLARB certification. Both from the client’s perspective and from the company’s standpoint, getting certified improves your credibility. It also increases your employment chances The above are the reasons why it is important to get your resume update today.
6. Join a Trade Association
To meet people within the field and showcase your role in your field, one should become a member in any of the large professional organizations of landscape architects.
These firms are:
a) The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
The organisation for landscape architecture in the United States is known as the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and it focuses on the educational and professional advancements for professional and paraprofessional landscape architects.
Landscape architects in this organization are enabled by the organization to have continuing education programs that assist them in attaining their license.
b) The Council of Landscape Architecture Educators
We also have CLAE or The Council of Landscape Architecture Educators. This group afford Academics & professionals involves in landscape architecture, or students pursuing landscape architecture, the opportunity to meet at the personal level through CELA annual conferences, publications, or regional meets.
How much Does a Landscape Architect Make on Average?
The salary of a landscape architect in the United States varies, but on average, is at $62,379 per annum or $29.99 per hour.
The least paid of the landscape architects earning approximately $43,000 are within the bottom 10% while those within the top 10% of the same category earn an approximate $90,000. Job outlook According to the information obtained from the bureau, the employment rate of landscape architects is projected either to increase or decline between 2020 and 2030.
Essential Qualities of Landscape Architects
A professional landscape architect should possess skills, and relevant knowledge to come up with unique design ideas and they are supposed to be;
a) Analytical Skills
Knowledge of what landscape architecture is can only be possible if one understand the content of the designs. For example, a drainage system can only be designed while knowing how a particular structure will integrate with the environment by landscape architects.
b) Communication Skills
The landscape architects consult with the clients and other architects as well as through written and verbal means with employees who also contribute to drawing preparation. From the above account, it is evident that communication is vital in accomplishing the goal of the project.
c) Originality
Landscape architects are solely responsible for designing gardens, parks, and other areas of outside environment.
They should look good to the eye as well as serve the purpose that they are intended to perform.
d) Ability to Resolve Problems
Landscape architects that create outside surroundings must learn to expect the unforeseeable challenges when designing the outside space.
Some of these solutions are such as viewing issues from a policy angle, analyzing issues from a system perspective, and identifying the best solutions.
e) Technical Knowledge
Most professional practice representation tools are computer-aided design and drawing (CADD) by professional landscape architects.
A few employ geographic information systems (GIS) for their ideas.
f) Imagination techniques
Many concepts related to an intended outdoor environment should come into the imagination of a landscape architect as a plan of that finished landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions
a) How many hours a day do landscape architects work?
A usual working week for most landscape architects contains forty hours. If they are self-employed, they might not necessarily stick to the Monday–Friday working schedule, depending on the company that hired them.
Thus, to meet specific program requirements or design deadlines, they may work during night time or even during the weekends.
b) Where do landscape architects work?
It is common to find people who specialize in planning of the outdoor area within the offices as landscape architects. Landscape architects remain at the working site throughout the rest of working hours.
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