Landscape Architect

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.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: AP BD+C (Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction); Golf Course Architect; Land Planner; Landscape Architect; Landscape Designer; Landscape Planner; Park Planner; Planner; Professional Landscape Architect (PLA); Project Landscape Architect

Tasks

• Confer with clients, engineering personnel, or architects on landscape projects.
• Analyze data on conditions such as site location, drainage, or structure location for environmental reports or landscaping plans.
• Inspect landscape work to ensure compliance with specifications, evaluate quality of materials or work, or advise clients or construction personnel.
• Prepare site plans, specifications, or cost estimates for land development.
• Integrate existing land features or landscaping into designs.
• 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.
• 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.
• Collaborate with estimators to cost projects, create project plans, or coordinate bids from landscaping contractors.
• Create landscapes that minimize water consumption such as by incorporating drought-resistant grasses or indigenous plants.
• Develop planting plans to help clients garden productively or to achieve particular aesthetic effects.
• Manage the work of subcontractors to ensure quality control.
• Present project plans or designs to public stakeholders, such as government agencies or community groups.
• Develop marketing materials, proposals, or presentations to generate new work opportunities.
• Prepare conceptual drawings, graphics, or other visual representations of land areas to show predicted growth or development of land areas over time.

Knowledge

• Design
• Building and Construction
• Geography
• Engineering and Technology
• English Language
• Customer and Personal Service
• Computers and Electronics
• Public Safety and Security
• Biology
• Administration and Management
• Law and Government
• Mathematics
• Transportation

Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Writing
• Active Learning
• Mathematics
• Monitoring

Abilities

• Oral Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Written Comprehension
• Originality
• Visualization
• Written Expression
• Fluency of Ideas
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Problem Sensitivity
• Category Flexibility
• Near Vision
• Speech Recognition
• Speech Clarity
• Information Ordering
• Far Vision
• Visual Color Discrimination
• Mathematical Reasoning
• Number Facility