In celebration of World Landscape Architecture Month, we asked our team why they chose the profession of Landscape Architecture. We let their passion speak for itself…
“My home city Chongqing, China, is gifted with winding rivers and a drastic topography. People in Chongqing have developed our own way of utilizing land with distinct landforms and have created unique urban landscapes and lifestyle. To carry and extend this wisdom, I chose to be in a profession of making the Earth a better place, learning how to turn its obstacles to its advantages, and celebrating each place’s identity proudly throughout my designs.”
Mark Hu, Project Coordinator, Orlando
“When I became aware of the importance of protecting our environment and combating climate change, I knew I wanted to pursue a career that focused on creating spaces that are responsive to environmental changes yet encompasses both the needs of humans and our ecosystems. It was then that I knew the profession of landscape architects were the key leaders in promoting awareness through sustainable, adaptive, and innovative designs within our open spaces. I continue to believe that landscape architects hold the necessary tool kits to make a change in mitigating environmental degradation”
Christine Pedersen, Project Coordinator, Ottawa
“One of my most vivid childhood memories is hiking through the Bavarian forests with my mom and her calling out plant names in Latin. This deep love for plants was instilled in me from a very early age, and after a brief career in photography it was a natural decision to study landscape architecture. To design outdoor spaces that people can enjoy and cherish the outdoors is the most fantastic feeling. The vast range of project scales like designing a small outdoor amenity terrace in Toronto to designing a green wall which made it into the Guiness Book of World records in Singapore for it’s vast size as well as collaborating with so many great people around the world is what makes this journey fun every single day.”
Theresa Gould, Senior Project Manager, Toronto
Source: The Global Alliance of National Parks
“10 years ago, when I mentioned being a landscape architect, the typical response was “so you plant trees?” I rarely get asked such question anymore. Instead, people seem to understand that a landscape architect designs parks and communities. What interests me the most being a landscape architect is the fact that we get to learn and understand a little bit of everything, architecture, civil/mechanical/electrical &structural engineering, ecology, urban and rural planning, sustainability, accessibility, soil science and much more. I would like to see our profession as a mastermind of mixing art and science together and bringing technology and engineering to life. I am practically interested in urban ecology through preservation, rehabilitation, and stormwater management. There is nothing cooler than making our cities more livable not only for us humans, but our neighbours – animals, insects, and plants!”
Yun Liu, Senior Project Manager, Toronto
“My inspiration is artist and landscape architect, Nancy Holt who started practicing land art in the 1970s and then transitioned into practicing landscape architecture. It is the intersection of art and landscape, and the ability to have a direct impact on people’s lives as they move through and enjoy the spaces, that fills me with a passion for creating landscape designs. Our environment can have a truly positive influence on our lives, and it is my way of helping others by creating better spaces.”
Samantha Howarth, Project Coordinator, Ottawa
Image on the right: Sun Tunnels, Great Basin Desert – Constructed in 1973-76
“I love working in the profession because we get the opportunity to solve problems. We face these problems that come in many different forms, shapes, and sizes and we are tasked with solving them through design and built form to serve a function. We get to collaborate with so many individuals from so many different fields to achieve these goals and in turn we create special relationships. There aren’t a lot of professions that get the opportunity to do this and its why I love being a Landscape Architect.”
Tiago Medeiros, Project Manager, Ottawa