[Denise Y. O’Meara, ASLA, LEED AP]

Thanks for that reply, Landplanner.

I don’t think many LA’s realize, either because of their newness to the field or because of the area of practice that they are in, that the engineering-related aspects of our practice, such as stormwater calculations, are an integral part of landscape design, in fact of sustainable design. At the University of Kentucky we were taught grading, drainage, road alignment, in-depth construction techniques and other nuts and bolts elements of design as well as design theory/practice and planning – because you can’t do one without the other. I know that some LA programs do not include these elements, and it is not easy to learn those basics via OJT, unless you can find a civil engineering firm with endless patience to hire you.

I would say this, (though my professors would laugh, as I was once a deer in the headlights too): the more scientific education you have to back up your design, the more likely it is that you will perform your services for the public without compromising their safety or putting your constructed elements in danger of failure. Beautiful, aesthetic and useful design has a framework of elegant pieces and parts, much like the body of a human. You must understand its components, how it’s put together and it’s spiritual and aesthetic wholeness to create harmony and sustainability in the landscape.

More pointedly, if you want to be respected as a professional on par with architects and engineers, and this will affect your bottom line, you need to aim high in your competency to serve your client well.

[Denise Y. O’Meara, ASLA, LEED AP]

Hello Jordan,

Yes, I have reviewed the LEED ND certification requirements and system. It is certainly more context oriented than LEED versions for new and existing buildings. These have improved, site-wise, with the 2009 building versions, nearly doubling the available points for sustainable site elements. The ND version sections on conservation are more advanced than anything in the building versions, and I think that these, as well as the far more developed community connectivity points could and should be incorporated in LEED for new and existing buildings. Our firm does mostly institutional buildings (education, etc.) and not community development, thus my personal focus on LEED BC+D. I think if the new LA is looking in the community development/planning/housing arena, the ND version would be much more useful to them.

I would really like to see the full sustainable sites initiative incorporated into LEED as a stand alone version, and hope that happens soon.

We have also been discussing the value of obtaining CPESC (Certified professional in erosion and sediment control) certification. The engineers have been discussing the need to be certified as such since they already do that type of design (as do LA’s), and I don’t know what the upshot of that discussion has been. The way I look at is, if it makes the municipalities more comfortable with our qualifications to do that work, it might certainly be of benefit to LA’s, and the training seems to be more readily available now. Of course, there are the associated costs of training, the exam and yearly renewal fees, as well as a rather extensive requirement for professional development CEU’s (60 units over 3 years) which, when added to LA and LEED AP plus CEU requirements and whatever else you are accredited or certified for, would be rather daunting to fulfill!

[Denise Y. O’Meara, ASLA, LEED AP]

If you are working in commercial, institutional, public doman, planning and development, even residential, you need to get yourself LEED accredited (buildings/projects are certified, practitioners are accredited), especially if you are working in a multidisciplinary firm. LEED is not the end all-be all of sustainability but it is in the forefront of sustainable design. As municipalities, governments and individual developers accept the necessity for an overriding and accountable ‘green’ method of planning and building, LEED and similar sustainability systems become more and more valuable. What LEED has done that is most valuable is create a workable system that gives credibility to sustainable design, and when the force of ordinance or legislative requirement is behind it, the power to channel funds in the right direction – sustainability can no longer be ignored due to budget.

The exam is hard (covers a lot of areas that can be foreign to LA’s (such as mechanical HVAC system requirements, etc), so it requires extra diligence in preparation. I am hoping that one of these days, ASLA’s Sustainable Sites Initiative will become its own separate area of LEED expertise, as is LEED for Interiors.

There are lots of new accreditations/certifications out there now, such as for green roofs, erosion and sedimentation management, etc. If you are working in planning and land development an AICP would certainly be of benefit. But whether you gain certifications/accreditations or not, the process of seeking and learning new information on a continuing basis will benefit you both personally and professionally.

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