Landscape Architects
Architecture & Construction > Design/Pre-ConstructionProjected Growth: Average
Projected Job Openings
Considerable Preparation Needed
Job Description
Your job is to Plan and design land areas for projects such as parks and other recreational facilities, airports, highways, hospitals, schools, land subdivisions, and commercial, industrial, and residential sites.
Common job titles of Landscape Architects include:
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Experience and Education
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for this occupation. For example, a person in this occupation must complete four years of college and work for several years in industry to be considered qualified.
82.14% said they needed a Bachelor's Degree.
7.14% said they needed a First Professional Degree.
Tasks
Confer with clients, engineering personnel, or architects on landscape projects.
Integrate existing land features or landscaping into designs.
Prepare site plans, specifications, or cost estimates for land development.
Collaborate with architects or related professionals on whole building design to maximize the aesthetic features of structures or surrounding land and to improve energy efficiency.
Prepare graphic representations or drawings of proposed plans or designs.
Collaborate with estimators to cost projects, create project plans, or coordinate bids from landscaping contractors.
Develop planting plans to help clients garden productively or to achieve particular aesthetic effects.
Inspect proposed sites to identify structural elements of land areas or other important site information, such as soil condition, existing landscaping, or the proximity of water management facilities.
Research latest products, technology, or design trends to stay current in the field.
Manage the work of subcontractors to ensure quality control.
Inspect landscape work to ensure compliance with specifications, evaluate quality of materials or work, or advise clients or construction personnel.
Develop marketing materials, proposals, or presentation to generate new work opportunities.
Analyze data on conditions such as site location, drainage, or structure location for environmental reports or landscaping plans.
Create landscapes that minimize water consumption such as by incorporating drought-resistant grasses or indigenous plants.
Prepare conceptual drawings, graphics, or other visual representations of land areas to show predicted growth or development of land areas over time.
Present project plans or designs to public stakeholders, such as government agencies or community groups.
Identify and select appropriate sustainable materials for use in landscape designs, such as recycled wood or recycled concrete boards for structural elements or recycled tires for playground bedding.
Provide follow-up consultations for clients to ensure landscape designs are maturing or developing as planned.
Design and integrate rainwater harvesting or gray and reclaimed water systems to conserve water into building or land designs.
Tools
Personal computers
Laptop computers
Global positioning system GPS receivers
Digital cameras
Digital camcorders
Desktop computers
Computer scanners
Technologies
Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Cloud
Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
Autodesk Revit
Bentley MicroStation
Coyote Software DynaSCAPE Design
All TechnologiesESRI ArcGIS software
Trimble SketchUp Pro
Adobe Systems Adobe FreeHand
Autodesk 3ds Max
Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
McNeel Rhino software
Skills
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Operations Analysis
Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Negotiation
Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Abilities
Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Comprehension
Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Oral Expression
Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Comprehension
Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Cognitive Abilities › Spatial Abilities › Visualization
Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Cognitive Abilities › Verbal Abilities › Written Expression
Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Deductive Reasoning
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Fluency of Ideas
Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Inductive Reasoning
Arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Cognitive Abilities › Idea Generation and Reasoning Abilities › Information Ordering