Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Architecture Landscape Architecture Landscape Architecture For my career opportunity project, I have chosen to take a look at the profession of landscape architecture. This field interest me for several reasons. First, I have always liked to draw and design and growing up I always wanted to be an architect or engineer. I felt that engineering put too many limitations on creativity, so architecture was the path of choice. Then, after working with my father’s small business for the past 6 doing some landscaping and lawn care, I decided that since I enjoyed working with plants and landscaping that I might want to look into a profession that would allow me to continue to work in those areas. Landscape architecture seemed to be the next logical choice, allowing me to continue being involved in the landscape industry and also to work much like I would in the field of architecture. When most people think of landscaping, they think of flower beds around a residence. The landscaping that a landscape architect is responsible for designing, however, rarely deals with residential landscapes and when it does so it is only on expensive projects. While landscape architects may do projects ranging form a few thousand dollars on up to as much as the customer would like to spend, the majority of their work is concentrated in the $30,000 to $15 million range (Pethel). You can see where few residential projects would fall into this range. However, this range is broad enough to encompass many different projects in the following areas: site planning, urban/town planning, park and recreation planning, land development, and historical preservation (Landscape Architecture). Landscape architecture is “the art and science of analysis, planning design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land” (Landscape Architecture). Landscape architects must have a “working knowledge of architecture, civil engineering and urban planning” (Landscape Architecture) as well as a knowledge of horticulture, “geology, hydrology” and an ability to “work closely with professionals in these fields” (Ingels 361). A landscape architect’s work is primarily with the site alone, sometimes using “structural elements such as wood and glass, he also has at his command a series of forces--...water, sunlight, wind, plants” (Collins 13). Although landscape architects do spend some time on site, according to Ben Pethel, approximately ninety-five percent of their time is spent working in the studio. It is not unusual for a landscape architect to spend fifty plus hours per week on the job. Mr. Pethel, a landscape architect in Knoxville, seemed enthusiastic about his job and hesitated for a moment when asked about his dislikes of the profession. He stated that his main dislike was the deadline pressure. He also said that the good points of the job included working in an environment that provided different tasks every day and the reward of seeing a project through from conception to completion. Landscape Architects must complete a “five-year university program accredited by the American Society of Landscape Architects” as well as completing a state Landscape architecture is on the “threshold of a new period of growth” (Landscape Architecture). The adaptation of computer programs, especially CAD, is helping the profession to rapidly advance. With these innovations, landscape architects can spend less time at the drawing table and more time on the details of a project. Photography is also “playing a part in the drafting process,” especially with the introduction of digital photo equipment, which makes it possible to “greatly reduce the tedious amount of drafting that is both time consuming and expensive” (Stone). “With environmental concerns becoming increasingly important, landscape architects are being called upon to bring their expertise...to help solve complex problems” (Landscape This information has made me aware of some of the unknown aspects of landscape architecture and the demand for the profession. If there has been any effect on my plans to pursue this profession, it has increased my desire to do so. It has also helped me to see the need of the many different areas of knowledge that a landscape architect must posses in order to successfully complete a large project such as a golf course or Bibliography: Works Cited Collins, Lester and Thomas Gillespie. Landscape Architecture. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1951. Ingels, Jack. Ornamental Horticulture. 2nd ed. New York: Delmar, 1994. “Landscape Architecture: Defining the Profession.” 15 October 1999. American Society of Landscape Architects. . Pethel, Ben. Telephone Interview. (423) 637-1100. 20 October 1999. Stone, Edward, et al. The Landscape Architectural Office. 1971. Word Count: 687
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