Main Four Issues Landscape Architects are Responsible for

Main Four Issues Landscape Architects Are Responsible For

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The field of landscape architecture is a vast one. You oversee many different duties and will need to undertake many roles. Here we’ll look at the four main responsibilities a landscape architect is responsible for and what exactly falls under each of the main responsibilities. By the end of this piece, you will understand what exactly a landscape architects’ week may look like.

The main four issues a landscape architect is responsible for are creating the overall design of the project, making sure projects comply with all local regulations, meeting with vendors/clients, and planning out the steps of the project.

Let’s dive into each of these responsibilities in depth so you can better understand the role a landscape architect plays in the design development world. If you are considering a future in this field or are already in school to become one this piece will give you an in-depth look at the various hats a landscape architect must wear.

Creating the Overall Design of the Project

Main Four Issues Landscape Architects are Responsible for

This is one of the most important roles a designer will oversee and one of the most time-consuming roles. Creating the design for a given setting is pretty much the main role of a landscape architect. They typically work on larger-scale projects with residential clients and may design anything from parks, gardens, playgrounds, residential spaces, collage scales, and areas for the public.

They are in charge of creating a space that is aesthetically pleasing for not only their clients but also the visitors who will be using the space. Whether they sketch out their design with pencil and paper or choose to create a 3D rendering of it in CAD, they pull from their imagination a design that will come to life for all to see. 

A landscape architect will need to be familiar with many different types of rendering software to properly create their design. A few popular ones they may choose to work with include Adobe Illustrator, Adobe PhotoShop, Revit, and AutoCAD. Often times they may use a combination of these options to produce their final product.

But it doesn’t just have to be aesthetically pleat needs to be structurally sound as well. Or else parks everywhere would be collapsing! This is where the designer needs to be careful about how the structure is made and how the various components fit together. All the while keeping in mind state regulations on construction, sewage, drainage, etc. Let’s take a look at this in our next section.

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Making Sure Projects Comply with all Local Regulations

Landscape architect needs to make sure that all the projects they create or oversee comply with the state’s safety and construction regulations. If not, the space will not be up to the local jurisdictions standards and won’t be allowed to open. What’s worse, as we talked about above, this could make it a safety violation and potentially pose a risk to guests using the space. 

Landscape architects learn about these guidelines during school and need to pass an exam through the state to prove that they truly understand them. Considering the potential consequences that could come of them not understanding these guidelines, it is easy to see why. There could also be construction restrictions or drainage/sewage guidelines that they must follow during the construction phase. Regardless of what guidelines are in place, making sure that all local regulations are followed are one of the main duties of a landscape architect.

If you aren’t sure if a particular regulation applies to your build, check with your local government to find out what the specifics are. You don’t want to move forward without double-checking, as this could result in the project being delayed down the line, or stopped altogether depending on the serious double-checking regulation.

Oftentimes, regulations vary depending on each jurisdiction. So even if you are confident about what the rules are on the state level, if you’re working in multiple different towns it will help double-check what the rules are in specific areas. Better to be safe than sorry! 

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Meeting with Clients/Vendors

Another important part of a landscape architect’s workweek is meeting with vendors and clients. They need to schedule appointments to see the space that needs to be designed, meet with merchants about supplies that need to be purchased, and work with contractors to ensure that all work will be done according to a timeline. In fact, a chunk of the architects’ work week will likely go towards setting up their week with meetings and appointments with vAple. 

This is an important part of the role because this is where much of the planning happens. In meeting with clients, the architect understands the vision that needs to be achieved. In meeting with vendors, the architect does all of the buying that needs to be done in order to make the project come to life. In a meeting with the contractors, the architect locks down dates and times to make artwork that needs to be done so the project will actually be built. 

Each step and each person the landscape architect meets with is an important part of the puzzle and they work together to see that the project comes to life. This ties into the last of the four main issues that architects are responsible for – planning out the steps of the project.

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Planning out the Stages of the Project

Planning and setting aside dedicated time for each step that needs to be taken when working on a project is another huge job a landscape architect must take on. If they don’t, smaller details may fall by the wayside and won’t get done. During the planning phase, the architect will likely pencil out in a calendar or planner what date various jobs need to be finished while considering the overall timeline of the project.

Jobs such as when the design needs to be approved, when supplies need to be purchased, when vendors/contractors need to be met when construction needs to begin, and when the project needs to be wrapped up according to the client’s wishes – all need to be taken into account and planned for in the initial stages. 

When in doubt, it is always best to give yourself a little bit of extra time when quoting a finish date for your client. It is better to finish early and surprise your client, rather than not be able to finish on time and have to ask for an extension. 

If due to unforeseeable circumstance you end up running behind, be transparent and very open with your client. They may still be frustrated, but at least circumstances, I appreciate your honesty and your getting ahead of the situation. Be upfront with them on exactly what happened and lay out exactly how you plan to fix the situation.

Bringing All the Skills Together 

Main Four Issues Landscape Architects are Responsible for

A landscape architect needs to oversee many responsibilities and make sure everything is running smoothly. Keep in mind that their duties aren’t just limited to the four we talked about above. These are simply the four main duties that they need to focus on. If the role of landscape architect is something that you are currently working towards or are interested in pursuing, I hope this article was helpful in showing you the role you would be taking on and your weekly responsibilities.

If you’re stuck or need help, check out some books or articles online that will help you with this. You could also do a quick search on YouTube to find videos that can help you with this. Overall, don’t stress out if you aren’t a ten out of ten on all of these skills yet. You’ll learn a lot of them during your time in school and even more on the job. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does a landscape architect spend more time on one of these duties than the others?

Certainly! The planning and designing stages are going to take considerably longer than taking the time to make sure proper compliance is met. Meeting with clients and vendors will likely fall somewhere in the middles of these two groups. The more experience the architect gathers, the faster some of these skills will becomes. For example, making sure all compliance is met may take a bit longer at first, but once the architect becomes accustomed to compliance, making sure everything is being followed properly will likely become easier and quicker.

What are some other responsibilities that fall under a landscape architect’s hat? 

Landscape architects are expected to have a strong knowledge of horticulture, design, current trends, creating aesthetically pleasing spaces and much more. Their knowledge is always expanding, and they are constantly learning and growing. The skills we talked about in, this article are just a few of the skills that they need to have under their belt to be successful at their job.

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