How to become a Landscape Architect

Landscape Architects work closely with clients, a wide range of design disciplines, experts and the general public to design and create landscapes of many shapes and sizes. Whether it’s public parks and streetscapes, private gardens, or urban and regional infrastructures, landscape architects shape many of the places that we love to visit, as well as the places we spend a lot of our time day to day.

Landscape architects are involved in all phases of a landscape project, from the initial concept and planning stages, through to the final construction process, and at times even the ongoing improvement of places as they grow and evolve with use.

Kyle Bush, Lecturer in Landscape Architecture and Program Manager of the Bachelor of Landscape Architectural Design at RMIT, says landscape architecture offers the opportunity to work across a diverse range of places, people and projects.

“Landscape architects work across many different scales and contexts, from public parks and streetscapes to private gardens, urban infrastructure and regional landscapes.

It’s a profession where you can help shape the places people experience every day, while responding to the environmental, social and cultural qualities of a particular place.”

Landscape architects design outdoor places that are functional, sustainable and enjoyable to use. They plan and shape spaces such as parks, streetscapes, plazas, campuses, transport corridors, waterfronts, urban renewal sites and large-scale natural landscapes.

Landscape architects consider how people use outdoor environments and how those environments can respond to climate, ecology and culture. They analyse sites, develop concepts, prepare drawings and digital models, select materials and planting, and coordinate with architects, engineers, planners and community stakeholders.

They play a key role in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss by integrating green infrastructure, water-sensitive urban design, habitat creation and urban cooling strategies into projects. Their work ranges from detailed design of small courtyards or play spaces through to strategic planning of whole precincts, open space networks and regional landscapes.

Landscape architects work across different project types, communities and environmental contexts, so the profession calls for a broad range of skills.

You’ll need to be able to:

• approach problems with creativity
• work independently and as part of a team
• adapt to different ways of working
• use digital and analogue design methods
• communicate ideas clearly through drawings, writing and speaking
• understand and respond to different environmental and social contexts.

“Landscape architects work across diverse projects, communities and environmental contexts. You need to be adaptable, collaborative and creative, and able to communicate your ideas through different formats."

A career in landscape architecture can involve much more than drawing plans or designing gardens.

Landscape architects may work on community engagement, ecological and spatial studies, 3D modelling and prototyping, reports and budgets, project communications and presentations. They can work in the studio or out on site, spending time understanding places and communities or collaborating with construction teams.

“Landscape architects are involved in all phases of a project, from the initial concept and planning stages through to construction and, sometimes, the ongoing improvement of places as they grow and evolve," said Kyle.

"You might spend time in a place understanding its qualities, collaborate with other designers to develop a concept, work within a multidisciplinary team to refine the details, and then work with construction teams to make the project a built and living reality.”