Landscape architects plan for private and public clients. Like no other profession, landscape architects combine planning expertise with knowledge of ecological relationships and design principles. Thus they occupy a key position in landscape development and open space planning in town and country. Landscape architects are freelancers or work as employees in planning offices, municipal green or environmental offices and authorities.

Responsibility

Landscape architects work for a sustainable society that meets social, economic and ecological challenges. They assume a significant design responsibility for the preservation of the natural foundations of life, for people, nature and the environment. In the area of conflict between different usage demands, they develop balancing solutions.

Competence

Landscape architects guarantee planning and expert advice from a single source, with high-quality design and professional implementation. This saves the client time and money. To achieve this, they work in an interdisciplinary manner and look for individual solutions for their clients, whom they look after and represent in a fiduciary capacity in all phases of a project.

Quality and price

In order to guarantee a high standard of quality, the professional title "landscape architect" is legally protected and may only be used after admission to the Chamber of Architects. Landscape architects provide a creative service of ideas. Their fees are calculated according to the Fee Structure for Architects and Engineers (HOAI). This is legally binding for landscape architects and clients.

The course for the success of a project is already set with the award procedure for planning services. It is necessary to decide which procedure is the most suitable, which criteria and references are used as a basis for the selection of the suitable planner.

In the case of demanding tasks, it makes sense to announce a competition for landscape architects (also: planning competition). In this case, a construction task is put out to tender within the framework of certain rules. You can also obtain advice on this. Contact the competition advisers of the state chambers of architects in the individual federal states.

When searching for a landscape architect, clients and developers have the following options to choose from:

• Planning office search
• Address and office directories in the bdla handbook

Expert witnesses play a role in courts, as advisors to private and public clients, for citizens, businesses and the public sector, and as expert witnesses for out-of-court arbitration proceedings. Even during the construction phase it may be necessary to call in experts, in case of disputes about the acceptance or in case of defects occurring within the warranty period.

In the column experts publicly ordered and sworn in experts of the garden, landscape and sports field construction are listed.

Get inspired. Our website Landschaftsarchitektur heute (Landscape Architecture Today) vividly presents current topics and concrete projects of freelance landscape architects: More than 3,000 projects are presented in words and pictures and are searchable through search functions. In addition, profiles and portfolios inform about the individual planning offices.

Do any unanswered questions remain? The bdla is happy to provide answers. With us you will find the right contact person for your specific task. Please contact the federal office in Berlin or the regional offices for further information.