Landscape architects plan and design a wide range of settings. They work on urban, regional, and provincial parks as well as industrial sites and business parks. They may also design:
- Conservation areas
- Resorts, playgrounds, marinas, golf courses, or other recreation areas
- Residential communities
- Urban redevelopments
- Private gardens and estates
- Cemeteries
- Grounds for hospitals, schools, airports, and other public areas
- Private health and institutional sites
- Plazas and commercial areas
- Rooftop landscapes
- Interior landscapes for open spaces in plazas, shopping malls, and large buildings
- Stormwater management facilities
- Streetscapes and scenic parkways
Landscape architects may take part in programming for park and public projects and tourist developments. Or they may work on sites related to residential, recreational, institutional, projects. They also may:
- Conduct public consultations
- Manage specific regional areas, where they may plan forests, parks, and recreational areas
- Monitor the development of natural agricultural lands
- Oversee the restoration, reclamation, or conservation of gravel pits, mining areas, landfills, and environmentally sensitive areas
- Prepare environmental assessments
- Assess aesthetic and quality-of-life parameters
- Provide landscape inventory as well as analysis processes and programs
Landscape architects incorporate elements from the building industry and the surrounding natural environment into their designs. A successful project contributes to the beauty of the environment and preserves the natural ecology of an area. It reduces the environmental impact of urban, industrial, recreational, and other developments.
Landscape architects often work as part of a team with:
- Architects
- Urban planners
- Consulting engineers
- Building contractors
- Scientists, particularly when conservation or reclamation is involved
In general, they:
- Co-ordinate the work of project teams
- Meet with clients and the public to determine needs, preferences, development feasibility, and financial resources available for projects
- Observe and map drainage patterns, the grade and direction of land slopes, soil structure and stability, and existing structures, vegetation, and landforms
- Develop site plans that address social, cultural, economic, environmental, and artistic concerns
- Prepare physical form drawings, reports, and cost estimates and present them to clients for review and approval
- Develop final detailed plans and materials lists
- Prepare contract documents and review tenders
- Inspect construction of the design
Landscape architects usually work on several projects at once. Each will be at a different stage of development and require a different level of involvement.