Job Description for a Landscape Architect
Landscape architects make the world a more beautiful place by artfully designing parks, college campuses and other spaces in harmony with natural surroundings. By blending nature and architecture, buildings and structures work with the environment, not against it, creating a striking appeal. A career in landscape architecture can be an exciting path for someone with a love of nature and an eye for design.
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Basics of the Job
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Landscape architects can showcase the beauty of nature. Landscape architects plan and design areas like shopping centers, residential complexes and campuses, allowing them to harmonize with their natural setting. By designing roads, pathways and the layout of trees and shrubbery, landscape architects find the connection between function and beauty. When working on a project, landscape architects plan within their budget and see how buildings will fit into a natural space. Analyzing soil, water, and even sunlight allows landscape architects to take advantage of nature's offerings and achieve a functional, yet appealing, space.
Self Employment
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Some landscape architects work for private firms, companies or governmental organizations, designing everything from golf courses to airports as company needs dictate. However, a large percentage of landscape architects are self-employed (more than 26 percent, according to Collegegrad.com) and go from project to project, allowing for time between jobs to vacation and relax, if desired.
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Work Environment
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Landscape architects spend much time on-site. Landscape architects divide their time between the office and their work site. While working on a project, landscape architects will spend many hours behind a desk, completing designs, models and working on cost estimates to stay within budget. There are meetings with clients and coworkers to attend, and the hours can be long. At the site, landscape architects will analyze conditions to make sure the project can go ahead and that it will not be destructive to the natural habitat. Landscape architects will also oversee construction, and may be required to travel long distances to project locations.
Salary
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A degree is almost always required. To enter the profession, a bachelor's or master's degree in landscape architecture is usually required, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "67 colleges and universities offered undergraduate or graduate programs in landscape architecture that were accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2009." At school, landscape architecture students study an array of subjects, from regional planning to geology and management. Many students take part in internships to gain real-world experience before going pro.
Licensing
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Most landscape architects need to be licensed. Forty-nine states require landscape architects to be licensed. Licensing is awarded by passing the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.), which consists of multiple choice questions and a graphic section. To take the exam, most states require a university degree and four to five years of experience working under a license holder. Thirteen states also require additional testing to be licensed as well, which focuses on that state's landscape and features.
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References
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- Photo Credit decorative park design in park by spring image by araraadt from Fotolia.com ManuelG image by Jamacuko8 from Fotolia.com apt paving image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com hard studying image by Petro Feketa from Fotolia.com taking test image by Petro Feketa from Fotolia.com
