What is a Registered Landscape Architect?

Landscape Architecture is an important Building Design Profession.
AILA's members are tertiary qualified.
The profession is self-regulated.

The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) is Australia's peak professional body for landscape architects.

An AILA professionally recognised landscape architect is referred to as being a Registered Landscape Architect.

The Institute has a range of classes of membership including students, graduates and affiliates.

Full members are Registered Members (AILA); note that a Fellow (FAILA)* is a registered member who has been honoured by the AILA.

An AILA Registered Landscape Architect is recognised nationally, throughout all Australian states and territories. 

The AILA conducts one set of registration assessments. The assessments are overseen by the National Office with certain stages implemented regionally through the State Chapters.

A Registered member working overseas continues to be registered as long they maintain their on-going annual requirements.

As a minimum, a registered member has satisfied the requirements of the twelve month assessment which may be undertaken following at least two years practice following graduation from an accredited university landscape architecture program.

A Registered Landscape Architect may work across a complex range of fields including landscape design/construct, landscape planning, landscape management and urban design.

For more informtaion on the AILA registration/ membership, please visit AILA's Registration page.

For definitions of landscape architects within Australia - please visit Definitions of the profession of landscape architect and also The Disciplines of Landscape Architecture.

All AILA members are bound to a Code of Professional Conduct.

Once registered, all Registered Landscape Architects are required to undertake annual professional development (30 points annually) and to report on their annual CPD with their annual renewals.

The AILA Registered status is recognised throughout Australia as being the professional benchmark for practising landscape architects.

AILA Registration is equivalent to the registration status of other allied built environment professions such as that provided by the Engineers and by the Architects.

Registration is usually a basic requirement for competitions and in many cases also a requirement for gaining contracts. The AILA advises client to consider this status as part of the conditions for employing such a professional.

* Fellowship is an honour granted by the AILA National Board of AILA in recognition of outstanding service to the profession.

Advice to agencies on employing Registered Landscape Architects

The AILA advises agencies conducting competitions and/or offering tenders for significant projects that are to be constructed, that one of the main conditions should be that the applicant should be a Registered Landscape Architect, or that the firm involved has a Registered Landscape Architect in a senior position to oversee the project.

Senior Consultant Selection

When assessing potential consultants for complex landscape architecture projects or competitions, AILA advises clients and project managers to consider, in addition to the essential 'track record' issues, those firms (large or small - multi discipline or sole operators) where Registered Landscape Architects are responsible for the 'high-risk' or complex areas of approving tender/contract documents and administration or inspections during construction.

Registered Landscape Architects commit to a higher level of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).  AILA Registered members now report annually on their CPD.

Registration provides recognition of advanced skill development to clients and other members of the profession.

To ascertain who are the Registered Landscape Architects, check the lists of members or the practice directories for the status of the applicant.

Want to know more?

Please visit the project pages or other information about how to make contact with a Registered Landscape Architect.

The employment situation for landscape architects in Australia.