registered landscape architect
the Disciplines of Landscape Architecture
An Overview
Landscape Architecture is the key Australian environment and design profession. It involves the investigation of and designed response to our landscapes. The profession represents a synthesis of arts, science and technical philosophies and practices that seek to care for our landscapes in a holistic, creative and sustainable manner.
The scope of the profession continues to change and includes environmental sustainability, designing for climate change, landscape planning, urban health, urban design, private residential, residential subdivision, coastal development, wetlands, open space parklands, recreational landscapes, industrial estates, infrastructure, public places, commercial & retail precincts, masterplanning, site planning, environmental restoration, town or urban planning, green infrastructure planning and provision, landscape cultural heritage identification and conservation, all at varying scales of design, planning and management.
The Professional Groupings
The profession of Landscape Architecture continues to evolve and to develop practice specialties.
Individual landscape architects possess specialist skills and work collaborative with other professions and specialists to address the full spectrum of this diverse profession.
For the purposes of its Registration Assessment, the AILA has identified skill/knowledge groups as a framework for the assessment of an individual candidate’s professional practice abilities.
Presently the AILA lists the following groupings within Landscape Architecture:
Landscape Planning
Landscape planners are concerned with broad scale and strategic landscape
planning and policy development for aspects of urban, rural and coastal land use.
Landscape Management
Landscape managers use their knowledge of the natural environment and human impact to advise on the long-term care and development of the landscape.
Landscape Design
Landscape Design is concerned with the design, documentation and implementation of private and public spaces.
Urban Design
Urban Design is concerned with the visioning of places and utilisation of physical elements to influence and/or establish an aesthetic, functional and development direction for built environments.
Agency Employment
Landscape architects are employed by governments and other agencies within a diversity of portfolio areas such as asset management, policy and procurement. Landscape architects in these employment positions bring to their agency portfolios a decision making process based on a background and education in Landscape Architecture.
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Landscape Academia
Landscape academia involves two principal responsibilities – to teach Landscape Architecture to students, and to enrich the profession of Landscape Architecture by research and academic enquiry.
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Professional Recognition
The AILA uses the nomenclature of ‘Registered Landscape Architect’ to bestow professional recognition on those who have been successful in the registration process and commit to AILA’s Landscape Charter, including the Code of Conduct, the Australian Landscape Principles, and the annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) reporting requirements.
This one title of Registered Landscape Architect identifies professional landscape architects who practise in the recognised discipline areas across various career streams such as in private practice, academia and/or government employment.
The process for Registration begins with an AILA recognised qualifications or AILA accredited university degree. This is followed by a minimum of three and half year practice internship involving a minimum two years in the profession after graduation and prior to applying for Registration.
The subsequent first stage of the Registration pathway involves a minimum twelve months of mentoring followed by a successful oral assessment by the AILA.
The internship must include varied professionally related experience under professional Registered Landscape Architectural supervision.
Applications for Registration are encouraged from landscape architects from other countries, now working in Australia, whose education meets the stated AILA standards and/or is recognised through an IFLA member association.