Information on the profession of landscape architect
Landscape architects are in high demand on the job market. Graduates have many career paths open to them.
Employed in planning office
Planning offices offer innovative work in small, creative teams. A lean organization, collegial interaction and flat hierarchies are typical.
In many planning offices, the daily work routine is characterized by local projects, diverse tasks, a high degree of personal responsibility and the use as an "all-rounder". In other planning offices, however, the work is supraregional and often international. In addition to the "all-rounder", there are also specialists. They often work on "lighthouse projects" that are the focus of public attention and the media.
Working in the administration
Many fields of work await in public administrations: Open space development concepts, management of public green spaces, climate adaptation measures, citizen participation. Public authorities are also facing a generational change and are looking for skilled personnel. For a higher administrative career, you should complete a regional planning or urban planning traineeship after graduation.
Self-employed as a freelance landscape architect
Self-employment can be a very interesting career move, often after several years as an employee. Either you join an existing company as a partner or you start your own design firm. This requires a "sense" of business management requirements, above-average commitment and a clear idea of direction, for example through a specialized range of services. In the following PDF, young office founders talk about their experiences.
bdla supports self-employment
The professional association supports young office founders in many ways. Among other things, the bdla working group Young Landscape Architects promotes joint exchange. bdla executive committee member Franz Reschke provides information about this in an interview.
The AG Junge Landschaftsarchitekten has compiled the following literature references.
Literature references for starting a business
Sally Below: Paths to self-employment
TALIS - Career Start Architects I Civil Engineers
Bernd Oestereich, Claudia Schröder: The collegially managed company. Ideas and Practices for the Agile Organization of Tomorrow
Chamber of Architects of North Rhine-Westphalia: Starting a business - The way to your own architectural office (PDF)
Internship
An internship, before and during studies, is a great asset for career orientation. It provides a deep insight into real working life, imparts crucial knowledge, makes it easier to start a career later on, and earns plus points with potential employers. Sometimes a first job results from an earlier internship. In the internship and job exchange, planning offices are looking for interns. A nationwide list of planning offices can be found at landschaftsarchitektur-heute.de.
First contact student internship: We have compiled information on student internships.
Job search
To search for job offers or to post a job application yourself, we recommend the bdla job exchange. A broad, nationwide overview is also offered by the information service "arbeitsmarkt Umweltschutz und Naturwissenschaften" of the Wissenschaftsladen Bonn.
Chamber eligibility and chamber entry
The professional title "landscape architect" is protected by law. Only those who are members of a chamber of architects may call themselves "landscape architect". The prerequisite is a degree in landscape architecture of at least six semesters, in some federal states also at least eight semesters. In addition, proof of professional activity of two to three years must be provided. The registration committees of the chambers of architects are available for detailed information.
Of course, graduates can also work as employees or freelancers without chamber registration. However, they may not use the word or word element "architect" or "architecture" in their professional or office title. In addition, as a rule, only those who are registered in the list of architects may participate in architectural competitions.
Profession Definition
In order to promote international recognition of the profession, a globally standardized definition of the profession was established by IFLA in 2020.
Positions and information of the bdla on education and training are available here.
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