Landscape Architect: A Day in the Life

You've started a new assignment: designing the landscape for a school district's administration center. You've already met with the developer, project architect, civil engineer, hydrologist, and government regulators. Today, you're considering the site's sun patterns, land slopes, and soil characteristics. You read the results of a questionnaire you gave to the site's future users, trying to figure out what would make their experience most pleasant and efficient. Then, using a computer-design program, you sketch out a first draft of the site's land grading, building placement, walkways, and roadways, along with decorative features such as plantings and a fountain. Next, you head out to the work site for a walk-through, documenting your stroll with a camcorder. You get excited as you set up a meeting to present your draft plan to the client. If only you didn't have to spend two days writing a sheaf of land use and environmental documents for the government.