Stourhead in Wiltshire, England, designed by Henry Hoare (1705–1785), "the first landscape gardener, who showed in a single work, genius of the highest order"
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes.
It involves the systematic investigation of existing social,
ecological, and soil conditions and processes in the landscape, and the
design of interventions that will produce the desired outcome. The
scope of the profession includes landscape design; site planning; stormwater management; erosion control; environmental restoration; parks, recreation and urban planning; visual resource management; green infrastructure planning and provision; and private estate and residence
landscape master planning and design; all at varying scales of design,
planning and management. A practitioner in the profession of landscape
architecture is called a landscape architect.
Definition of landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is a multi-disciplinary field, incorporating aspects of botany, horticulture, the fine arts, architecture, industrial design, soil sciences, environmental psychology, geography, ecology, civil engineering and urban design.
The activities of a landscape architect can range from the creation of
public parks and parkways to site planning for campuses and corporate
office parks, from the design of residential estates to the design of
civil infrastructure and the management of large wilderness areas or reclamation of degraded landscapes such as mines or landfills.
Landscape architects work on structures and external spaces with
limitations toward the landscape or park aspect of the design – large or
small, urban, suburban and rural, and with "hard" (built) and "soft" (planted) materials, while integrating ecological sustainability.
The most valuable contribution can be made at the first stage of a
project to generate ideas with technical understanding and creative
flair for the design, organization, and use of spaces. The landscape
architect can conceive the overall concept and prepare the master plan,
from which detailed design drawings and technical specifications are
prepared. They can also review proposals to authorize and supervise
contracts for the construction work. Other skills include preparing
design impact assessments, conducting environmental assessments and
audits, and serving as an expert witness at inquiries on land use issues. Landscape architects will focus on planning the gardens on how will they look and what will have to be done.
Education
Landscape
Architects are required to take four to five years of college to get a
degree on the field. Must know how to create projects from scratch, such
as residential or commercial planting and designing outdoor living
spaces. Are willing to work with others to get a better outcome for the
customers when doing a project.
| Field of Study | Landscape Architect |
|---|---|
| Degree Required | Bachelors or Masters |
| Yearly income | $75,000+ |
History
Orangery at the Palace of Versailles, outside Paris
For the period before 1800, the history of landscape gardening (later
called landscape architecture) is largely that of master planning and garden design for manor houses, palaces and royal properties, religious complexes, and centers of government. An example is the extensive work by André Le Nôtre for King Louis XIV of France at the Palace of Versailles. The first person to write of making a landscape was Joseph Addison in 1712. The term landscape architecture was invented by Gilbert Laing Meason in 1828, and John Claudius Loudon
(1783–1843) was instrumental in the adoption of the term landscape
architecture by the modern profession. He took up the term from Meason
and gave it publicity in his Encyclopedias and in his 1840 book on the Landscape Gardening and Landscape Architecture of the Late Humphry Repton.
The practice of landscape architecture spread from the Old to the
New World. The term "landscape architect" was used as a professional
title by Frederick Law Olmsted in the United States in 1863[citation needed] and
Andrew Jackson Downing, another early American landscape designer, was editor of The Horticulturist magazine (1846–52). In 1841 his first book, A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Adapted to North America, was published to a great success; it was the first book of its kind published in the United States.
During the latter 19th century, the term landscape architect begun to
be used by professional landscapes designers, and was firmly established
after Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and Beatrix Jones (later Farrand) with others founded the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in 1899. IFLA was founded at Cambridge, England, in 1948 with Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe as its first president, representing 15 countries from Europe and North America. Later, in 1978, IFLA's Headquarters were established in Versailles.
Fields of activity
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London, established 1759
The Palm House built 1844–1848 by Richard Turner to Decimus Burton's designs
The Palm House built 1844–1848 by Richard Turner to Decimus Burton's designs
Urban design in city squares. Water feature in London, by Tadao Ando who also works with landscapes and gardens
The variety of the professional tasks that landscape architects
collaborate on is very broad, but some examples of project types
include:
- Parks of general design and public infrastructure
- Sustainable development
- Stormwater management including rain gardens, green roofs, groundwater recharge, green infrastructure, and constructed wetlands.
- Landscape design for educational function and site design for public institutions and government facilities
- Parks, botanical gardens, arboretums, greenways, and nature preserves
- Recreation facilities, such as playgrounds, golf courses, theme parks and sports facilities
- Housing areas, industrial parks and commercial developments
- Estate and residence landscape planning and design
- Landscaping and accents on highways, transportation structures, bridges, and transit corridors
- Contributions to urban design, town and city squares, waterfronts, pedestrian schemes
- Natural park, tourist destination, and recreating historical landscapes, and historic garden appraisal and conservation studies
- Reservoirs, dams, power stations, reclamation of extractive industry applications or major industrial projects and mitigation
- Environmental assessment and landscape assessment, planning advice and land management proposals.
- Coastal and offshore developments and mitigation
- Ecological design (any aspect of design that minimizes environmentally destructive impacts by integrating itself with natural processes and sustainability)
Landscape managers
use their knowledge of landscape processes to advise on the long-term
care and development of the landscape. They often work in forestry, nature conservation and agriculture.
Landscape scientists have specialist skills such as soil science, hydrology, geomorphology or botany
that they relate to the practical problems of landscape work. Their
projects can range from site surveys to the ecological assessment of
broad areas for planning or management purposes. They may also report on
the impact of development or the importance of particular species in a given area.
Landscape planners are concerned with landscape planning
for the location, scenic, ecological and recreational aspects of urban,
rural and coastal land use. Their work is embodied in written
statements of policy and strategy, and their remit includes master
planning for new developments, landscape evaluations and assessments,
and preparing countryside management or policy plans. Some may also
apply an additional specialism such as landscape archaeology or law to the process of landscape planning.
Green roof (or more specifically, vegetative roof) designers design extensive and intensive roof gardens for storm water management, evapo-transpirative cooling, sustainable architecture, aesthetics, and habitat creation.
Relation to urban planning
The
combination of the traditional landscape gardening and the emerging
city planning combined together gave landscape architecture its unique
focus. Frederick Law Olmsted used the term 'landscape architecture' using the word as a profession for the first time when designing the Central Park.
Through the 19th century, urban planning became a focal point and central issue in cities. The combination of the tradition of landscape gardening and the emerging field of urban planning offered landscape architecture an opportunity to serve these needs. In the second half of the century, Frederick Law Olmsted
completed a series of parks which continue to have a significant
influence on the practices of landscape architecture today. Among these
were Central Park in New York City, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York and Boston's Emerald Necklace park system. Jens Jensen designed sophisticated and naturalistic urban and regional parks for Chicago, Illinois, and private estates for the Ford family including Fair Lane and Gaukler Point. One of the original eleven founding members of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and the only woman, was Beatrix Farrand. She was design consultant for over a dozen universities including: Princeton in Princeton, New Jersey; Yale in New Haven, Connecticut; and the Arnold Arboretum for Harvard in Boston, Massachusetts. Her numerous private estate projects include the landmark Dumbarton Oaks in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Since that time, other architects – most notably Ruth Havey and Alden Hopkins – changed certain elements of the Farrand design.
Since this period urban planning has developed into a separate
independent profession that has incorporated important contributions
from other fields such as civil engineering, architecture and public administration.
Urban Planners are qualified to perform tasks independent of landscape
architects, and in general, the curriculum of landscape architecture
programs do not prepare students to become urban planners.
Landscape architecture continues to develop as a design
discipline, and to respond to the various movements in architecture and
design throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Thomas Church was a mid-century landscape architect significant in the profession. Roberto Burle Marx in Brazil combined the International style
and native Brazilian plants and culture for a new aesthetic. Innovation
continues today solving challenging problems with contemporary design
solutions for master planning, landscapes, and gardens.
Ian McHarg was known for introducing environmental concerns in landscape architecture.
He popularized a system of analyzing the layers of a site in order to
compile a complete understanding of the qualitative attributes of a
place. This system became the foundation of today's Geographic
Information Systems (GIS). McHarg would give every qualitative aspect of
the site a layer, such as the history, hydrology, topography,
vegetation, etc. GIS software is ubiquitously used in the landscape
architecture profession today to analyze materials in and on the Earth's
surface and is similarly used by urban planners, geographers, forestry
and natural resources professionals, etc.
Profession
In many countries, a professional institute,
comprising members of the professional community, exists in order to
protect the standing of the profession and promote its interests, and
sometimes also regulate the practice of landscape architecture. The
standard and strength of legal regulations governing landscape
architecture practice varies from nation to nation, with some requiring
licensure in order to practice; and some having little or no regulation.
In Europe, North America, parts of South America, Australia, India, and New Zealand, landscape architecture is a regulated profession.
Argentina
Since 1889, with the arrival of the French architect and urbanist landscaper Carlos Thays,
recommended to recreate the National Capital's parks and public
gardens, it was consolidated an apprentice and training program in
landscaping that eventually became a regulated profession, currently the
leading academic institution is the UBA University of Buenos Aires"UBA Facultad de Arquitectura, Diseño y Urbanismo"
(Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism) offering a Bacherlor’s
degree in Urban Landscaping Design and Planning, the profession itself
is regulated by the National Ministry of Urban Planning of Argentina and
the Institute of the Buenos Aires Botanical Garden.
Australia
The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects
(AILA) provides accreditation of university degrees and non statutory
professional registration for landscape architects. Once recognized by
AILA, landscape architects use the title 'Registered Landscape
Architect' across the six states and territories within Australia.
AILA's system of professional recognition is a national system
overseen by the AILA National Office in Canberra. To apply for AILA
Registration, an applicant usually needs to satisfy a number of
pre-requisites, including university qualification, a minimum number
years of practice and a record of professional experience.
Landscape Architecture within Australia covers a broad spectrum
of planning, design, management and research. From specialist design
services for government and private sector developments through to
specialist professional advice as an expert witness.
Canada
In
Canada, landscape architecture, like law and medicine, is a
self-regulating profession pursuant to provincial statute. For example,
Ontario's profession is governed by the Ontario Association of
Landscape Architects pursuant to the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects Act.
Landscape architects in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta must
complete the specified components of L.A.R.E (Landscape Architecture
Registration Examination) as a prerequisite to full professional
standing.
Provincial regulatory bodies are members of a national organization, the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects / L'Association des Architectes Paysagistes du Canada
(CSLA-AAPC), and individual membership in the CSLA-AAPC is obtained
through joining one of the provincial or territorial components.
Indonesia
ISLA
(Indonesia Society of Landscape Architects) is the Indonesian society
for professional landscape architects formed in 4th February 1978 and is
a member of IFLA APR and IFLA World. The main aim is increase the
dignity of the professional members of landscape architects by
increasing their activity role in community service, national and
international development. The management of IALI consists of National
Administrators who are supported by 20 Regional Administrators
(Provincial level) and 3 Branch Managers at city level throughout
Indonesia.
Landscape architecture education in Indonesia was held in 18
universities, which graduated D3, Bachelor and Magister graduates. The
landscape architecture education incorporate in Association of
Indonesian Landscape Architecture Education.
Italy
AIAPP
(Associazione Italiana Architettura del Paesaggio) is the Italian
association of professional landscape architects formed in 1950 and is a
member of IFLA and IFLA Europe (formerly known as EFLA). AIAPP is in
the process of contesting this new law which has given the Architects'
Association the new title of Architects, Landscape Architects, Planners
and Conservationists whether or not they have had any training or
experience in any of these fields other than Architecture.
In Italy, there are several different professions involved in landscape architecture:
- Architects
- Landscape designers
- Doctor landscape agronomists and Doctor landscape foresters, often called Landscape agronomists.
- Agrarian Experts and Graduated Agrarian experts.
New Zealand
The New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects (NZILA) is the professional body for Landscape Architects in NZ www.nzila.co.nz.
In April 2013, NZILA jointly with AILA, hosted the 50th
International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) World Congress
in Auckland, New Zealand. The World Congress is an international
conference where Landscape Architects from all around the globe meet to
share ideas around a particular topic.
Within NZ, Members of NZILA when they achieve their professional
standing, can use the title Registered Landscape Architect NZILA.
NZILA provides an education policy and an accreditation process
to review education programme providers; currently there are three
accredited undergraduate Landscape Architecture programmes in New
Zealand. Lincoln University also has an accredited masters programme in
landscape architecture.
Republic of Ireland
The
Irish Landscape Institute [ILI] (www.irishlandscapeinstitute.com) is
the officially recognized (by the Irish State) professional body
representing landscape architects and parks professionals, in both the
Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The ILI was formed in 1992 by
the merger of the ILHI (Institute of Landscape Horticulture of Ireland)
and the IILA (Irish Institute of Landscape Architects), representing the
related disciplines of landscape architecture and landscape
horticulture. The Institute currently (October 2017) has a total
membership of 160 (approx.) within 7 membership categories (student,
graduate, affiliate, parks professional, corporate, fellow, honorary).
In the absence of state regulation of the profession or title 'landscape
architect', ILI is self-regulating, as for example in its adoption of
the trade-marked title, 'Registered Landscape Architect', that is solely
permissible for use by corporate members.
At international level, the ILI is a full member of the
International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) through its
European Region (IFLA-Europe). The ILI has play a consistent and active
role in IFLA and the current president of IFLA-Europe is Irishman and
ILI Past President, Mr. Tony Williams MILI.
In the Republic of Ireland, the ILI is a member institute of the Urban
Forum, which represents 5 built-environment professional bodies in
engineering, architecture, planning, quantity surveying and landscape
architecture.
ILI promotes the landscape profession by its accreditation of the
master's degree programme in University College Dublin, its
certification of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for its
members, administration of professional practice examinations, advocacy
and lobbying in respect of government policies, guidelines and standards
(e.g. the National Landscape Strategy, National Planning Framework,
Blue-Green Infrastructure), conferences and seminars, public lectures
and design awards.
The profession grew rapidly during the Irish economic boom of the
early 21st. century, benefiting from the upsurge in the construction
and development sectors and from the States' capital investment in
infrastructure. The recession brought a sharp reduction in membership
numbers. The profession and ILI has proven resilient with clear evidence
of a slow but steady recovery through growth in membership and in
employment, since the commencement of economic recovery in 2014.
A key challenge remains: there is still no professional
regulation or protection registration of title in Ireland, despite calls
for such on successive government by ILI over many years. Therefore,
there is no state-guarantee or protection of clients, for example in
terms of insuring and verifying educational qualifications, professional
indemnity insurance or Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of
those claiming to be landscape architects. Notwithstanding this, there
is a growing awareness in some important sectors (e.g. government
departments, media, construction, tourism) of the profession. This is
due - to some degree - to the ongoing work of the ILI in promoting the
benefits of landscape architecture to Irish society, economy and
environment.
Landscape architects in Ireland work in private practice, public
sector bodies at local government level and in some state bodies (e.g.
transport, national heritage) and in academia. The demand for their
professional services is often associated with public infrastructure
projects (e.g. roads, motorways, renewable energy facilities, water
treatment plants, etc.), Blue-Green Infrastructure (planning, design and
management of parks, greenspaces, amenity trees) and with construction
projects related to land use developments, principally residential,
commercial and mixed-use developments in urban landscapes.
Landscape architects are employed in design of: green
infrastructure, public realm, institutional/medical/industrial campuses
and settings, parks, play facilities, transport (road/rail/cycle/port)
corridors, retail complexes, residential estates (including plans for
remediation of now-abandoned housing 'ghost' estates), village
improvements, accessibility audits, graveyard restoration schemes, wind
farms, wetland drainage systems and coastal zones.
They are also significantly employed in preparation/review of statutory
impact assessment reports on landscape, visual and ecological impacts of
planning proposals.
Norway
Landscape
architecture in Norway was established in 1919 at the Norwegian
University of Life Sciences (NMBU) at Ås. The Norwegian School of
Landscape Architecture at the Faculty of Landscape and Society is
responsible for Europe's oldest landscape architecture education on an
academic level. The departments areas include design and design of
cities and places, garden art history, landscape engineering, greenery,
zone planning, site development, place making and place keeping.
South Africa
In
May 1962, Joane Pim, Ann Sutton, Peter Leutscher and Roelf Botha
(considered the forefathers of the profession in South Africa)
established the Institute for Landscape Architects, now known as the
Institute for Landscape Architecture in South Africa (ILASA).
ILASA is a voluntary organisation registered with the South African
Council for the Landscape Architectural Profession (SACLAP).
It consists of three regional bodies, namely, Gauteng, KwaZula-Natal
and the Western Cape. ILASA’s mission is to advance the profession of
landscape architecture and uphold high standards of professional service
to its members, and to represent the profession of landscape
architecture in any matter which may affect the interests of the members
of the Institute. ILASA holds the country’s membership with The International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA).
In South Africa, the profession is regulated by SACLAP,
established as a statutory council in terms of Section 2 of the South
African Council for the Landscape Architectural Profession Act – Act 45
of 2000. The Council evolved out of the Board of Control for Landscape
Architects (BOCLASA), which functioned under the Council of Architects
in terms of The Architectural Act, Act 73 of 1970. SACLAP’s mission is
to establish, direct, sustain and ensure a high level of professional
responsibilities and ethical conduct within the art and science of
landscape architecture with honesty, dignity and integrity in the broad
interest of public health, safety and welfare of the community.
After completion of an accredited under-graduate and/or post-graduate qualification in landscape architecture at either the University of Cape Town or the University of Pretoria, or landscape technology at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology,
professional registration is attained via a mandatory mentored
candidacy period (minimum of two years) and sitting of the professional
registration exam. After successfully completing the exam, the
individual is entitled to the status of Professional Landscape Architect
or Professional Landscape Technologist.
United Kingdom
The UK's professional body is the Landscape Institute (LI). It is a chartered
body which accredits landscape professionals and university courses. At
present there are fifteen accredited programmes in the UK. Membership
of the LI is available to students, academics and professionals, and
there are over 3,000 professionally qualified members.
The Institute provides services to assist members including
support and promotion of the work of landscape architects; information
and guidance to the public and industry about the specific expertise
offered by those in the profession; and training and educational advice
to students and professionals looking to build upon their experience.
In 2008, the LI launched a major recruitment drive entitled "I
want to be a Landscape Architect" to encourage the study of Landscape
Architecture. The campaign aimed to raise the profile of landscape
architecture and highlight its valuable role in building sustainable communities and fighting climate change.
As of July 2018, the "I want to be a Landscape Architect" initiative was replaced by a brand new careers campaign entitled #ChooseLandscape,
which aims to raise awareness of landscape as a profession; improve and
increase access to landscape education; and inspire young people to
choose landscape as a career.
This new campaign includes other landscape-related professions such as
landscape management, landscape planning, landscape science and urban
design.
United States
In
the United States, Landscape Architecture is regulated by individual
state governments. For a landscape architect, obtaining licensure
requires advanced education and work experience, plus passage of the
national examination called The Landscape Architect Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.).
Several states require passage of a state exam as well. In the United
States licensing is overseen both at the state level, and nationally by
the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB).
Landscape architecture has been identified as an above-average growth
profession by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and was listed in U.S. News & World Report's list of Best Jobs to Have in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. The national trade association for United States landscape architects is the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Frederic Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in New York City, is
known as the "father of American Landscape Architecture."
