Landscape architecture

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Landscape architecture is the art, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of man-made constructs. The scope of the profession includes architectural design, site planning, estate development, environmental restoration, town or urban planning, urban design, parks and recreation planning, regional planning, and historic preservation. A practitioner in the field of landscape architecture is called a landscape architect.

Central Park, like all parks, is an example of landscape architecture.

Contents

1 What is landscape architecture?
2 Landscape architects
3 Specializations within landscape architecture
4 History
5 Profession
6 See also
7 External links
8 Landscape architecture organizations

8.1 International landscape architecture organisations
8.2 National landscape architecture professional bodies

8.2.1 Americas
8.2.2 Europe
8.2.3 Asia Pacific
8.2.4 Africa

What is landscape architecture?

Activities of a landscape architect can range from the creation of parks and greenways to the site planning for corporate office buildings, from the design of residential estates to the design of civil infastructure and the management of large wilderness areas or reclamation of degraded landscapes such as mines or landfills.

Landscape architects

Landscape architects work on all types of external space -- large or small, urban or rural, and with 'hard'/'soft' materials, hydrology and ecological issues. They work on:

The form, scale and siting of new developments
The civil design and public infrastructure
The site design for schools, universities, hospitals and hotels
Public parks, greenways, golf courses, theme parks and sports facilities
Housing areas, industrial parks and commercial developments
Highways transportation structures, bridges and corridors
Urban design, town and city squares and pedestrian schemes
Large or small urban regeneration schemes
Forest, tourist or historic landscapes and historic garden appraisal and conservation studies
Reservoirs, dams, power stations, extractive industry applications or major industrial projects
Environmental assessment and landscape assessment, planning advice and land management proposals.
Coastal and offshore developments

The most valuable contribution is often made at the earliest stage of a project in generating ideas and bringing flair and creativity to the use of space. The landscape architect can contribute to the overall concept and prepare an initial master plan, from which detailed designs can subsequently be prepared. He or she can also let and supervise contracts for construction work, prepare design impact assessments, conduct environmental assessments or audits and act as an expert witness at enquiries on land use. He or she can also support or prepare applications for capital or revenue funding grants.

For the period before 1800 (see section on History, below) the history of landscape architecture is largely that of garden design. The first person to write of 'making' a landscape was Joseph Addison (in 1712). The term 'landscape gardener' was invented by William Shenstone (in 1754) but the first professional designer to use this term was Humphry Repton (in 1794). The term 'landscape architecture' was invented by Gilbert Laing Meason in 1828 and was first used as a professional title by Frederick Law Olmsted (in 1863). Lancelot Brown, who remains one of the best known 'landscape gardeners' actually called himself a 'place maker'. During the nineteenth century the term 'landscape gardener' became applied to people who build (and sometimes design) landscapes and the term 'landscape architect' became reserved for people who design (and sometimes build) landscapes. This use of 'landscape architect' became established after the American Society of Landscape Architects was founded in 1899 and the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) in 1948.

Specializations within landscape architecture

Landscape designers and Landscape technicans or engineers are employed with landscape construction and service companies. Landscape designers, like garden designers, design all types of planting and green spaces. Many landscape engineers work in public offices in central and local government while others work for landscape architecture firms.

Landscape managers use their knowledge of plants and the natural environment to advise on the long-term care and development of the landscape. Landscape managers work in horticulture, estate management, forestry, nature conservation and agriculture.

Landscape scientists have specialist skills such as soil science, hydrology, geomorphology or botany that they relate to the practical problems of landscape work. Their projects can range from site surveys to the ecological assessment of broad areas for planning or management purposes. They may also report on the impact of development or the importance of particular species in a given area.

Landscape planners are concerned with landscape planning for the location, scenic, ecological and recreational aspects of urban, rural and coastal land use. Their work is embodied in written statements of policy and strategy, and their remit includes masterplanning for new developments, landscape evaluations and assessments, and preparing countryside management or policy plans. Some may also apply an additional specialism such as landscape archaeology or law to the process of landscape planning.

Garden designers are concerned with the design of new private gardens and also with historic garden conservation

History

The Muskauer Park on the German-Polish border is inscribed on the World Heritage List on the basis of its importance for "the development of landscape architecture as a discipline".

The history of landscape architecture is related to the history of gardening but is not coextensive. Both arts are concerned with the composition of planting, landform, water, paving and other structures but:

garden design is essentially concerned with enclosed private space (parks, gardens etc)
landscape design is concerned with the design of enclosed space, as well as unenclosed space which is open to the public (town squares, country parks, park systems, greenways etc).

The Romans undertook landscape architecture on an extensive scale, and Vitruvius wrote on many topics (eg the layout of towns) which still concern landscape architects. As with the other arts, it was not until the Renaissance that garden design was revived, with outstanding examples including the pleasure grounds at the Villa d'Este, Tivoli. The renaissance garden developed through the 16th and 17th centuries, reaching an ultimate grandeur in the work of André le Nôtre at Vaux-le-Vicomte and Versailles.

In the 18th century, England became the focus of a new style of landscape design. Figures such as William Kent, Humphrey Repton, and most famously Lancelot 'Capability' Brown remodelled the great estate parks of the English gentry to resemble a neat and tidy version of nature. Many of these parks remain today. The term 'landscape architecture' was first used by the Scotsman Gilbert Laing Meason in the title of his book on The Landscape Architecture of the Great Painters of Italy (London, 1828). It was about the type of architecture found in landscape paintings. The term 'landscape architecture' was then taken up by JC Loudon and AJ Downing.

Through the 19th century, urban planning became more important, and it was the combination of modern planning with the tradition of landscape gardening that gave Landscape Architecture its unique focus. In the second half of the century, Frederick Law Olmsted completed a series of parks which continue to have a huge influence on the practices of Landscape Architecture today. Among these were Central Park in New York, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and Boston's so called Emerald Necklace park system.

Landscape architecture continues to develop as a design discipline, and has responded to many of the movements of design and architecture through the 20th century. Today, a healthy level of innovation continues to provide challenging design solutions for streetscapes, parks and gardens. The work of Martha Schwartz in the US, and in Europe designs such as the Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam are just two examples.

Profession

Landscape architects are considered professionals on par with architects, engineers, doctors and lawyers, because they are usually required to obtain similarly specialized education and professional licensure. In many countries, a professional institute, comprised of members of the professional community, exists in order to protect the standing of the profession and promote its interests, and sometimes also regulate the practice of landscape architecture. The standard and strength of legal regulations governing landscape architecture practice varies from nation to nation, with some requiring licensure in order to practice; and some having little or no regulation. In the United States, Landscape Architecture is regulated by individual state governments, some requiring no regulation at all. For a landscape architect, obtaining licensure or membership of a professional institute requires advanced education and/or continuing training and work experience. Full membership or licensure often depends on the outcome of examinations in professional practice matters, and/or an interview with senior members of the profession. In the U.S. licensing is overseen both at the state level, and nationally by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registation Boards (CLARB).

External links