[Dean “Mack” McKenzie]

Thank you all for your comments and ideas. I has been great to see what others are thinking!!

[Dean “Mack” McKenzie]

I have thought about this for a few years now. I think one of the reasons this seems to be less of a need or perceived lack of need is because there is not enough control over who can supply the service. Look at classical Architecture. The architects would be having the same problem if every general contractor out there could go to their clients and sketch a building facade, floor plan and maybe a schedule of materials and then start building. No question of details, specs, methods, and codes. We seem to be a generalist industry, claiming to do work from flower beds to national forests, but we tell people we are a “specialized” profession. Architects are the specialist and we are not.

Every design build General contractor has an architect, not every landscape design build firm does not have an RLA. Many people see this as a service that anyone can provide, even the person who has not been trained or licensed thinks this. No one says sure I can correctly design and manage a 40 story building unless they are trained and properly licensed. But every day there are many who think they are qualified to design and manage parks and wetland projects.

I think there is also another problem which makes us seem obsolete. It is the profession itself which has allowed us to create a gap between the construction and the design. In my opinion LA schools and state boards should require more practical hands on experience. There would be less of a riff between contractor and LA if the LA had been in the trenches more. He would be less theoretical and more practical, fewer contractors would say, “pretty picture! but it will never work.” And the Construction Documents would then work for the contractor so the LAs don’t have to say, “They can’t even read a plan that’s not what I drew.”

I would agree with Chris Levy that there are too many theoretical players in the game. But if the boards and university required 3 years of hands on experience before graduation and licensing there would be less engineers who can just step in and take over, fewer artists who only design for the sake of design, and people would see that Landscape architects are now a specialized profession because they do more than the contractor with design, but hose designs are drawn based on practical application leaving environmentalist and others out of the loop. This I feel would do wonders for the industry. The design build folks would start to focus on build and not the design because if they knew the LA the were working with had at least 3 years of hands on experience he would feel confident that the plans would “work” and he could go back to working with the construction side of the equation.
Hope these ramblings make sence, hope others have some thoughts about this as well. Thanks Landon for letting me marinate over this problem again.
Dean “Mack” McKenzie, ASLA

[Dean “Mack” McKenzie]

I don’t know about other people’s experience, but for myself I have seen that all three of the groups you mentioned have egos. I have seen Architects, Engineers, and LA’s that all want to be in charge. So what has worked for me is to see who is writing the checks, who brought you to the table? Then an open and frank conversation is all that is needed to see what latitude is there. That way you are not steeping on toes or bruising egos. Most would be open to suggestions and ideas that will help the over all project.

[Dean “Mack” McKenzie]

I agree with Brandon on this one. I am someone who like Joe worked both side of the tracks. I worked construction and did the in house designs for contractors. I was frustrating to get the work done and not have an install job from it. That is the motivation I needed to begin working under LAs and start building the experience needed to become licensed. Now that I am Licensed, I feel that because I took the time and effort to go this far I should have some protection from those not willing to do the work but want all the rewards from it. There are many contractors who only want to do the design in order to get the install contract. This does as Brandon says cheapen the work we do.

[Author]

Posts