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Environment & Sustainability
Landscape Architecture
Landscape architecture covers a whole range of professions including landscape designers, managers, planners and scientists.
Landscape architects are concerned with making both innovative and aesthetically pleasing changes to the natural environment. Projects are very wide ranging and can include changing the layout of parks, gardens and housing estates to improving land affected by mineral extraction and building motorways.
Landscape architects who wish to specialise in design need to complete a postgraduate course accredited by The Landscape Institute. Entry requirements include practical experience and good design (and sometimes drawing) skills, with excellent communication and negotiation skills, plus evidence of creative ability.
Locally, both the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds Metropolitan Universities offer LI accredited postgraduate courses in Landscape Design and Landscape Architecture respectively.
In order to maximise career opportunities in the landscape industry after completing an accredited course, it is advisable to work towards gaining chartered status by studying for the Professional Practice Exam.
Typical employers include local authorities, environmental agencies, water companies, the Forestry Commission, the Wildlife Trust, the construction industry and private practice. Landscape architecture is a relatively small but rapidly growing profession with opportunities in greenbelt, brown belt, countryside and city areas with plenty of opportunities across the region. Consultancies in Yorkshire can be found by doing a quick internet search or looking in the Yellow pages and sending out speculative applications to firms in the area you wish to work is often a good way to gain your first position.
Job vacancies in Environment & Sustainability
Useful links:
The Landscape Institute in Yorkshire
The Landscape Institute is the Chartered Institute in the UK for Landscape Architects, incorporating designers, managers and scientists, concerned with enhancing and conserving the environment. The Landscape Institute (LI) accredits professional courses for landscape architects - see the website for more details.
British Association of Landscape Industries
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) is the national advisory body representing landscaping contractors in the UK.
Landscape Design Trust
The Landscape Design Trust advertises vacancies for landscape architects; their website has very comprehensive links to related organisations.
The Architects' Journal
The Architects' Journal, published weekly, is a useful source of vacancies.
Leeds Metropolitan University, Faculty of Arts & Society, Landscape Architecture courses
University of Sheffield, Department of Landscape
The department is the only landscape school in England with independent departmental status, offering research and taught courses across the breadth of Landscape Architecture, including design, planning and management.