Author: Land8: Landscape Architects Network

Here are the winners of the 4th Annual Social Media Awards in Landscape Architecture presented by Land8 and the American Society of Landscape Architects! Social media has the power to significantly increase the awareness and importance of the profession of landscape architecture, and Land8 and ASLA believe industry leaders in social media should be recognized and promoted. Be sure to follow the winners to help grow and promote the profession!

Top 10 Social Media Accounts – LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FIRMS

1. SCAPE – Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn 
   SCAPE takes a narrative-driven, interactive approach to social media, using their channels to engage audiences within and beyond the design profession. In 2021, they leveraged high-profile coverage to raise the profile of landscape architecture—including features in The New Yorker, The New York Times, CNN, PBS, NBC as well as trades like LAM, Curbed, A|N and more. They see social media as a storytelling platform with the capacity to explain complex design concepts in a clear and accessible way.
2. EDSA – Blog | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook
   EDSA’s strategy emphasizes the importance of connecting people with our purpose and how landscape architects positively shape the world’s communities. They provide an outlet for their team to share their insights, explain the significance behind design works and showcase the daily life of the industry to educate and inspire the next generation. In addition, they utilize these platforms to learn, share and collaborate alongside of their network for continuous, collective growth across the profession.
3. Hollander Design Landscape Architects – Instagram
   Hollander’s Instagram account promotes landscape architecture by being a highly visible and intentionally connected channel focusing on inspiration, education, and collaboration within its specific niche: high end residential design. Inspiration posts convey the feeling of the landscape and design; education posts explain a design decision behind what’s being shown, and collaboration posts highlight the connection between architecture and landscape.
4. TBG Partners – Instagram | LinkedIn | Blog
   As landscape architects and designers, collaboration is at the heart of what they do. At TBG, they believe they are one firm, with many voices – and they make a concerted effort to amplify the impact of those many voices – their designers. They do this through their unique Social Media Correspondents Program – a program for crowdsourcing content to showcase the great work of their studios, while giving their audience a behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating spaces.
5. OMGEVING – Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
   Landscape architecture and Urbanism is not yet so present in Belgian media. OMGEVING uses their social media platforms to engage and connect with industry professionals, students and the general public to give an insight in the studio’s work. By providing pictures of realizations, plans, diagrams and visualizations, OMGEVING gives an evolution of current landscape architecture in Belgium and abroad with design themes like nature, density, cocreation, detail, climate, identity and new mobility.
6. OJB – Instagram | LinkedIn
   With a brand refresh, new website and publication of a monograph in 2021, OJB embarked on an integrated communications campaign with three simple goals: inform, engage, inspire. Their analysis showed that people were most responsive to explanatory posts about soils, trees, plants, water, and climate that focused on the health and wellness benefits of landscape. Explaining how ideas were put into action with infographics and beautiful detailed images generated the most positive interactions.
7. NAK Design Strategies – Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn
   NAK uses their social media platforms to engage and connect with industry professionals, students, and the general public. They utilize various platforms as an effective and engaging way to broaden the general understanding of what landscape architects do. Staff features, videos, and finished work are shared weekly with the goal of broadening awareness of the profession.
8. Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners – Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter
   Felixx is very proud and passionate about their work and projects, and they love to share this with their followers. With every image that they post, they find it important to share their knowledge. Their chosen Instagram strategy aims to show their followers all the different aspects of their profession. They show them (technical) designs, dream images and real photos of completed and projects under construction. By doing this, they hope to inspire and excite their followers about landscape architecture.
9. Confluence – Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Blog
   Confluence has a diverse practice, so their goal with social media is to illustrate how their many areas of expertise improve quality of life in communities through design intervention. They recently launched INSIGHT on their website – a thought leadership blog. They promote these articles on their social media to bring more awareness to the public about the impact of landscape architecture. They also created “Confluence Close-Up” on their Instagram stories to highlight the process of designing specific projects.
10. WERK | urban design – Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest
    WERK | urban design utilizes a scorched earth approach to advocacy of the landscape architecture profession through their social media. Every member of the firm has access to post at any time to create a more personal connection. On one side is the polished posts about finished “werk”. On another side are memes that eviscerate the status quo of how our profession is looked at, how to have a stronger voice, and setting the tone for doing things right in a way their “normie” friends can understand.

Top 10 Social Media Accounts – INDIVIDUAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

1. Nahal Sohbati – Instagram 
   Nahal Sohbati is a landscape designer that uses social media to showcase daily snapshots of a landscape designer’s life with the goal of showcasing the profession to broader audiences. Nahal utilizes her social media presence as a tool for introducing designers to resources they might find helpful with design, technology and horticulture thus strengthening a meaningful and shared passion in the online landscape architecture community.
2. Eric Arneson – Instagram | YouTube
   Eric uses social media as a tool to engage and interact with the worldwide design community. He posts regularly with insight into his design process, techniques and most importantly landscape themed memes. Instagram and YouTube have become more than social networking tools but also educational and marketing tools for his business. He aims to increase his social media presence and adapt to the ever changing algorithms!
3. Zixu Qiao – Instagram | YouTube
   LandSpace Architecture uses its social media platforms to engage and connect with landscape architects, students, and the general public. LandSpace Architecture shares free tutorials on its YouTube channel and shares useful tips for landscape architecture students and young professionals on its Instagram and website.
4. Matt Sickle – Instagram | Blog
   MonumentBlog is a platform for sharing ideas about monuments, memorials, and public art from a Landscape Architectural perspective. In 2021, the academic-leaning project became something much more personal – a place for mourning. With a recurring focus on the COVID-altered world, places that he shared with his mother, and difficult American histories, the project explored the connections between landscapes and lament.
5. Kiley Aguar – Instagram
   Quintessentiallykiley uses their social media platform to share homegrown and organic memes that are inspired from day-to-day experiences and general thoughts and ethical quarrels. The “shitposting” page is stylized to push often critical and sometimes absurd thinking. They use this space to express humor that is meant to inspire, educate, network, and entertain landscape architects or anyone drawn to the account.
6. Aaron Williams – Instagram
   Aaron’s COVID hobby has become a hyper-local exercise in understanding the place of his daily existence. It is through the lens of landscape architecture principles and techniques that he uses the medium of LEGO to give notice to his community and respect to the built environment around us everyday. While his hobby of 20 months has pivoted his landscape architecture practice, he is rewarded with authentic interests in how landscape architecture can do more good.
7. Kim Ferrara – Instagram
   An emerging professional, Kim has used her platform to promote the authentic student experience in landscape architecture since her first semester. As time progressed, Kim shared tips, workflows, processional work, and the real-life struggles of studios, internships, and lessons learned. Today, Kim honed in on her brand Humble Oaks and shares her thesis findings in the realm of sociology as it pertains to landscape architecture, plus more.
8. Romy Hecht – Instagram 
   As a regular columnist in Chile’s printed media, lecturer and full-time Professor on the history and theory of landscape at the Pontificia Universidad Católica’s School of Architecture of Chile, Hecht has engaged in significant foundational work on landscape advocacy and activism in order to nurture, disseminate and, ultimately, ingrain a culture of landscape in Chile and Latin America.
9. Madeline Kirschner – Instagram
   Using Social Media as a daily communication tool as a student in landscape architecture, Madeline is empowered to reach out and follow professionals that otherwise would seem unapproachable. Working to strengthen the network of students during Covid-19, she has made friends from university programs across the country and continues to be amazed at how informational posts can be spread amongst the profession’s network. This tool is powerful for sharing landscape architecture ideas, but also for daily support and encouragement, which is important as so many are working remotely.
10. Rachel Meier – Instagram
    Social media has connected Rachel with people from all over the world, inside and outside of the landscape architecture realm. She has used this on Instagram to shed light on the profession’s who, what, where and why. Promotion of the field can happen simply by helping others see how often it influences every day life: the places we know; the people we meet; the impact we can each make as individuals and even more so as a collective. She shares her own experience, work, and resources in hopes of growing that influence.

Top 10 Social Media Accounts – ALLIED ORGANIZATIONS

1. Landscape First – Instagram | Facebook | YouTube
   Born as a research project started in 2018, today Landscape First is an online platform that carries out a precise cultural challenge: to show the different facets that landscape can take on and the opportunities it offers us to improve the quality of life of communities and individuals. Their dissemination mission is carried out through their website and social platforms. They support transformation of cities and territories, promoting reuse operations, care of public spaces and urban spaces, etc.
2. Landscape Architecture Foundation – Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook
   LAF provides leadership and resources to empower landscape architects to use their unique skills to change the world. LAF uses social media to promote these opportunities and share the innovative work of their Fellows, Olmsted Scholars, researchers, and scholarship winners. By featuring diverse voices and showcasing ideas submitted through the Green New Deal Superstudio, LAF inspires and spurs conversation about the future of the discipline and its role in addressing climate change and inequity.
3. The Cultural Landscape Foundation – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Blog | Pinterest | YouTube
   In addition to announcing new initiatives, furthering the reach and exposure of media coverage, and empowering advocates to take action – all while actively promoting the work of landscape architects and allied professionals – TCLF leverages its myriad social media platforms to drive traffic to its expansive website and advance its strategic communications/messaging.
4. The Digital Journal – Instagram
   The Digital Journal promotes the value of shaping urban open spaces with landscape architecture through interactive video illustrations. The page is a collection of the imagined and the unbuilt, an archive of work that puts landscape concepts at the forefront and challenges the arbitrary boundaries of graphical representations. They have hosted workshops for 672 people across 58 countries to spread awareness and further the field of landscape amongst the community of designers and other enthusiasts.
5. WxLA – Instagram
   WxLA, an advocacy initiative for gender justice in landscape architecture, leverages its vibrant custom brand and message primarily via Instagram, using the visual medium to build awareness, share ideas and celebrate its growing community of followers. Posts and stories curated by WxLA celebrate women-led landscape practices, allow for take-overs by mission-aligned organizations, and implement its annual fundraiser and scholarship. It is a model for inclusive, equity-driven action!
6. urbideias – Instagram
   Brazilian-based urbideias offers solutions and practical visual interpretations about urbanism and landscape, in an innovative, soft and didactic way, combining depth, critical perspective and unique visualizations. They seek to positively transform and qualify people’s point of view about the city and landscape. Their main goal is to democratize the content about the city and landscape to many people, at the same time, from different locations, so they can strive for better cities in their own context.
7. LABash Conference – Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook
   After having to cancel the in-person annual student conference for landscape architecture students in 2020, the host students at Cornell University pivoted to host an all-virtual conference in 2021. The students utilized social media to drive attendance and as the main communication tool for attendees for up-to-date information about speakers, educational sessions, and social activities. The 2022 LABash Conference, which will be held at Louisiana State University in the spring, has already utilized social media to promote the conference and featured landscape architect speakers, shining a spotlight on the profession of landscape architecture.
8. Kansas State University Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning – Instagram | Twitter
   Kansas State’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning captivates the attention of current and prospective students, alumni, and design firms across the country through their media presence. Their posts provide a variety of content and experiences in the field of landscape architecture and planning. The intertwined discipline experience highlights the integral roles these professions have in influencing the growth and quality of life in our communities.
9. National Association of Minority Landscape Architects (NAMLA) – Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
   NAMLA has built a social network based on our premise to increase minority representation in landscape architecture practice and academia. One way they do that is through their micro-grant initiative in which they prompt their audience with a critical-thinking question. Responses are highlighted on social media and a monetary prize is awarded. They also highlight the work of minority students and professionals and are a resource for connecting minorities to landscape architecture jobs.
   
10. Vectorworks – Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn
    Through their channels, Vectorworks (software company for designers) shares user-generated content from both professional and student designers in the industry, promoting their projects, accomplishments, and successful workflows to various design professionals. They often feature industry news, trends, and articles. They share free landscape-oriented webinars, as well as promote industry trade shows and events. Their initiative last year included a 9-part “BIM for Landscape” video series to help landscape architects understand how BIM principles can be applicable and helpful to landscape architects.

2020 Winners >
2019 Winners >
2018 Winners >

Please visit Land8 again in December 2022 for next year’s call for nominations!

In landscape architecture, many of the available software options seem to specialize in individual areas, requiring an investment in add-ons to enable more holistic workflows. This comes as a sticking point for many landscape architecture firms whose work spans beyond 2D drawings and plans. Vectorworks Landmark is known for being an all-in-one solution, which means landscape architects can work without having to invest in additional software. In this article, you’ll hear from three landscape architects who’ve switched to Vectorworks Landmark and are now benefiting from more streamlined workflows.

The first firm is SiteWorks, who are based in New York City and provide a variety of landscape architecture services, including project scheduling/budgeting and construction implementation.

Next is Surface 678, who have received three awards from the North Carolina ASLA in 2020. Surface 678 works on projects in the academic, cultural, civic, corporate, healthcare, senior living, and recreation markets, and have been using Vectorworks since 2019.

Third is the Idaho-based firm BYLA, who’ve been designing eye-catching outdoor spaces since 2006.

Let’s see why each firm made the switch.

Can you share some workflow pain points you and your firm experienced before Vectorworks Landmark?

Jordan Guerrero, ASLA, AEP, ASLA NY Board Member, Landscape Designer at SiteWorks
We do a lot of cost estimates and takeoffs in our projects, and our previous software wasn’t able to do the kind of digital terrain modeling and cut/fill analysis that we felt was necessary for our documentation needs. Working across multiple platforms to accomplish these things was a definite pain point for us.

Phillip Tripp, PLA, Senior Landscape Architect at Surface 678
We used to work in AutoCAD for black-lined construction drawings and basic color-toned conceptual plans. Over time, as architects and civil engineers started using Revit and Civil 3D, there were layers of complexity and special requests for files in formats best suited for AutoCAD. It never felt as inclusive and coordinated with Revit and Civil 3D as we had hoped.

Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary, North Carolina. Courtesy of Surface 678.

Scott Lebsack, PLA, ASLA, Landscape Architect at BYLA
I came to realize that AutoCAD wasn’t using the resources available in a modern computer. It only allowed me to draft with a set of digital tools that mimicked the physical tools I was familiar with. It only nodded at modeling, which wasn’t easy to use. I tried to use block attributes to create plant schedules and “smart irrigation” blocks, but the tools for creating and interacting with extra data weren’t well implemented and didn’t seem to be encouraged.

Why did you decide on Vectorworks Landmark?

Jordan Guerrero (SiteWorks) — Vectorworks Landmark is very finely tuned to the needs of landscape architects in terms of tools and features. We were also really drawn to having an all-in-one solution, one that enables BIM workflows, too, because other countries are already requiring it and now it’s coming to us.

Phillip Tripp (Surface 678) — The lightbulb moment was realizing Vectorworks designed Landmark specifically for landscape architects, with native tools and features that are integral to our process. In contrast, with AutoCAD, we’d have to invest in separate add-on applications for each license in the office.

Scott Lebsack (BYLA) — Having software that replaces SketchUp and provides tools specifically for planting, grading, and irrigation in a single package is critical for streamlining the work we do. Everything is contained in a single working file; my design and my model are the same thing. My time in Vectorworks is spent designing. I don’t “draft” anymore.

What’s the biggest difference you experience in your everyday workflows?

Jordan Guerrero (SiteWorks) — The biggest thing for us is being able to do digital terrain modeling for cut/fill analysis. Our ultimate goal is to lead our practice with technology, and the landscape-focused features in Vectorworks Landmark allow us to do that.

Phillip Tripp (Surface 678) — There are three big changes I’d call out. The first is replacing AutoCAD files with references to allow multiple people to work simultaneously with a single Vectorworks Project Sharing file.

The second is capitalizing on the dual system of organizing data — classes and layers — to exponentially increase our ability to develop conceptual options quickly in a clear and manageable way, from simple diagrams to full construction alternates; all while simultaneously keeping presentation quality graphics current without ever leaving Vectorworks. Additionally, our more complex projects are using Vectorworks site modeling and freeform modeling features in conjunction with Twinmotion to produce highly detailed flythrough videos for clients, without the need to use SketchUp or Rhino. 

Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary, North Carolina. Courtesy of Surface 678.

The third is the use of Vectorworks’ resource library to actively manage our plant library and detail library, which improves our ability to provide quality assurance standards across all projects — a Vectorworks benefit that will continue to improve as we expand our office standards.

Scott Lebsack (BYLA) — Modeling and plant tools are the biggest improvements. I haven’t had to manually count plants in several years. I’m able to model a project and cut sections and elevations to show different aspects that change with the project. Ultimately, the largest change (which is a very simple one) is having fills associated with lines. I haven’t spent time in several years struggling to hatch something.

In what ways does Vectorworks Landmark help you perform your job responsibilities to the highest level?

Jordan Guerrero (SiteWorks) — When we look at a site model, we’re really focusing on the real-world implications of how everything interacts. That’s why digital terrain modeling and cut/fill analysis are so important to us. They allow us to better understand the site, its elevations, and what those elevations mean when it comes to design services.

Phillip Tripp (Surface 678) — Exceeding client expectations requires success in multiple ways; but in general, it’s high quality graphics and options in a timely manner which Vectorworks has proven more than capable, including expanding our services from high end perspectives to complete models, which clients have used for marketing in every case.

Scott Lebsack (BYLA) — Plant tools, worksheets, class and layer management all streamline the work I do every day. They allow me to be more efficient with my time and more consistent with my drawings.

Poolside Patio courtesy of BYLA.

Have there been any challenges since switching? If so, how have you addressed them?

Jordan Guerrero (SiteWorks) — We have to be very open about our software choice when working with other firms. It’s been important to talk it out at the beginning and determine proper file types. It’s just about assuring firms that our using Vectorworks isn’t going to change their workflow. Although there are many file types to collaborate with, the translation of information isn’t always seamless. We find that it sometimes requires testing with clients to find an agreeable file type to work with.

Phillip Tripp (Surface 678) — An anticipated growing pain is that new hires are typically unfamiliar with Vectorworks and require in-office training during orientation and continued assistance through office mentors for the first couple months.

We work around this with Project Sharing. All production staff on a project can see the efforts of their peers and can identify when new hires would benefit from reminders on techniques or office standards. We’re optimistic that universities will expand their software options within the landscape architecture program and offer access or training courses in Vectorworks, as this skill set would be highly valued.

Scott Lebsack (BYLA) — We’ve struggled with speed on some repetitive drafting activities. That said, the Vectorworks development team has been very responsive to user feedback when it comes to improving the software. We’ve pushed feature requests in Vectorworks’ forum that we hope to see implemented.

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Vectorworks is a major sponsor of Land8.