Landscape Architect
What the work is
Plans, designs and manages natural and built environments by applying aesthetic and scientific principles to address ecological sustainability, preserve cultural heritage, and enhance the quality and health of landscapes.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Designs, plans, manages and maintains projects for new developments, heritage protection, preservation of natural and cultural landscapes, and the rehabilitation of degraded landscapes
- Prepares landscape documentation including drawings, specifications, schedules and contract documents, and calls for tenders on behalf of clients
- Conducts research and analysis to develop sustainable landscape designs, planning and management practices, methods and development strategies
- Conducts feasibility studies and impact assessments to assess the impact of development upon the ecology, environmental character, cultural values and community health and welfare of landscapes
- Collects and documents data through site analysis, considering indigenous practices, landform, soils, vegetation, hydrology, visual characteristics, and human-made and managed features
- May provide expert advice and advocacy on landscape matters in conflict resolution, judicial courts and commissions
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a small architecture studio designing homes, extensions and community buildings. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- You walk through a finished house and see how the family is already using the space
- A tricky site problem finally resolves with one clean idea on a sketch
- A client says the building feels like them, not like a catalogue
Hard days
- A client wants more than the budget and the rules allow, and you have to tell them
- A builder finds a surprise in an old wall and the drawings suddenly need changing
- Waiting weeks for a council approval while the client keeps asking for news
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 241132, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.