The Professional Practice of Landscape Architecture: A Complete Guide to Starting and Running Your Own Firm, Second Edition

563 Pages·2010·30.297 MB·English

by  Walter Rogers

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The Professional Practice of
Landscape Architecture
A Complete Guide to Starting and
Running Your Own Firm
Second Edition
Walter Rogers
JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData:
Rogers,Walter.
Theprofessionalpracticeoflandscapearchitecture:acompleteguidetostartingandrunningyourownfirm/
WalterRogers.–2nded.
p.cm.
Includesindex.
ISBN978-0-470-27836-9(hardback),9780470134559(ebk);9780470902370(ebk);
9780470902400(ebk);9780470902424(ebk);
1.Landscapearchitecture–Vocationalguidance. 2.Landscapearchitecture. I.Title.
SB469.37.R642011
712.068–dc22
2010019502
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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ToMariaLynnNahmias
Thankyouforyourencouragementandsupport.
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Contents
Introduction vii
1 TheProfessionofLandscapeArchitectureandProfessionalism 1
BriefHistoryoftheProfession 2
ProfessionalCareerTracks 17
ProfessionalLicensure 21
ProfessionalDevelopment 25
ProfessionalSocieties 27
TheInfluenceofTechnologyontheLandscapeArchitectureProfession 43
2 ClientsandProjects 53
WhoAretheLandscapeArchitect’sClients? 53
WhatElementsDeterminetheLandscapeArchitect’sClients? 55
LandscapeArchitectureProjects 58
ArchitecturalandEngineeringClients 148
Public-SectorClients 150
3 CaseStudies 169
HNTBCorporation:LargeMultidisciplinaryA/EFirm 171
LargeLandscapeArchitectureFirms 180
TheAcaciaGroup,Inc.:SmallLandscapeArchitectureFirm 191
ValleyCrestLandscapeDevelopment:LargeIntegrated
Design-BuildFirm 203
DenverServiceCenter,NationalParkService:PublicPractice 212
RainBird:CorporatePractice 223
4 Professional-PracticeRelationships 236
Prime-ConsultingRelationships 237
MultipleDirectConsultingRelationships 237
SubconsultingRelationships 238
LandscapeArchitect/OwnerRelationship 238
LandscapeArchitect/AlliedProfessionalRelationship 255
LandscapeArchitect/ContractorRelationship 258
LandscapeArchitect/GeneralPublicRelationship 261
5 Finance 264
SixConsiderationsforRaisingFunds 264
ThreePhasesofFinancingaFirm 266
EquityFinancing 269
DebtFinancing 273
HowLendersEvaluateaLoanRequest 280
TradeCredit 285
Summary—Planning,Action,Adjustment 287
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vi Contents
6 Accounting 292
TheLandscapeArchitectasFinancialManager 292
FinancialAccountingInformation 294
FinancialManagementInformation 306
FinancialAccountingSystems 314
RecordingFinancialInformation—ElementaryAccounting 317
SelectinganAccountant 319
AccountingSoftware 319
OverviewofAccounting:SixIntegratedComponents 321
7 BusinessAdministrationandRecordKeeping 324
JobNumber—TheKeytoOfficeAdministration 325
TimeKeeping 327
FilingandRecordsManagement 329
LandscapeArchitectureOfficeFilesandRecordsManagement 339
Vacations,Holidays,andSickLeaveorPaidTimeOff 345
ProductInformationFiles,TechnicalResources,andCodeInformation 362
PayrollAdministration 364
Employer’sTaxAdministration 365
TaxStatusofNonwagePaymentstoEmployees 369
8 Marketing 373
TheStrategicPlan 374
TheMarketingPlan 378
MarketingToolsandthePromotionMix 380
TheMarketingPayoff 395
MarketExpansion—EnteringNewMarkets 402
TheMarketingStaff 406
9 Contracts 410
ContractBasics 411
ContractswithClients—ProfessionalServicesContractFormats 413
TheElementsofaProfessionalServicesContractwithaClient 423
EmploymentAgreements 444
NegotiatingaContract 446
ImportantElementsandUsefulContractClauses 459
10 ProjectManagement 471
WhatIsProjectManagement? 471
Planning,Scoping,andOrganizingtheProject 472
SettingUpTrackingSystems 476
TrackingaProjectandDevelopingStrategiesWhenaProjectIsOver
BudgetorOffSchedule 483
SelectingandOrganizingStaff 489
DirectingandMotivatingProjectStaff 492
ServingtheClientandDevelopingaFriendlyRelationship 493
ProvidingTechnicalSupervisionfortheProjectStaff 494
TakingPartinPerformanceReviewsofTechnicalStaff 500
ManagingConstructionObservationServices 503
Summary 504
11 BusinessandPersonnelLaw 508
TheLegalEnvironmentofProfessionalPractice 508
Discrimination 531
ProtectingtheGeneralPublic,theEnvironment,andtheConsumer 536
Index 543
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Introduction
I
n 1968 I was in the last semester of my under- ablefortheprofessional-practicecoursestaughtin
graduatestudiesinlandscapearchitectureatthe most college landscape architecture curriculums.
University of Massachusetts, soon to graduate with Second,overtheyearsofoperatingmyprivateprac-
a B.S. degree. One of my courses in that final tice,Ihaddevelopedagreatnumberofusefultools
semesteratUMasswascalledProfessionalPractice. and techniques that might be of value if passed on
Myrecollectionaboutthecourseisthattherewasno toaspiringlandscapearchitects.
assigned textbook. The required readings were an WhenIwasincollege,Ihadaburningdesireto
assemblyofsectionsofbooksandphotocopiedar- know what it would be like working in a landscape
ticlesaboutwritingare´sume´ andlookingforajob. architectureoffice,butIdidn’tfindoutuntilIgot
The course was taught by the only faculty member myfirstjobinalandscapearchitecturefirm.Even
whowasapracticinglandscapearchitectworkingin then,Iwasawareofonlyafractionoftheintricacies
atraditionallyorientedofficeonsiteplanningand of what went into the daily operations of the firm.
designprojects.IthinkIgotaBinthecourse,and Thisbooktellsthestoryofthewiderangeofstrategic
Ididwriteare´sume´. considerations involved in developing, operating,
Two years later, after graduating with an and managing a private practice. I intended this
M.L.A.,Itookapositiononthefacultyofthefirst booktobeacompendiumoftheprofessionalprac-
ofthreeuniversitiesIwouldteachatuntil1981.At ticeoflandscapearchitecture,andIhavewrittenit
eachuniversity,aprofessional-practicecoursesim- withthefollowinggroupsinmind:
ilar to the one I took in my last semester at UMass
was a part of the curriculum and was taught in the
lastsemester.Atextbookwasstillnotavailable,and ■ Faculty teaching professional-practice and
reading materials were still a collection of parts of studio courses that simulate the office en-
booksandphotocopiedarticles. vironment.
After my teaching career, I launched a private ■ Students taking professional-practice and
practice.TheofficeIstarted,andwhereIstillprac- studiocourses.
tice, flourished through the 1980s. The practice ■ Aspiring graduates who want to know about
grew to include five partners and twenty-five pro- the many facets of owning, developing, ad-
fessional, technical, and support staff. The size of ministering,andmanagingaprivatepractice.
thefirmrequiredustodevelopadministrativeand ■ Studentsandgraduateswhoaresearchingfor
managementpracticesthatallowedthefirmtorun the landscape architecture career path most
smoothlyandeffectively. suitedtotheiraimsandpersonalities.
Theideaforthisbookgrewoutofthetwocor- ■ Graduateswhowishtostartaprivatepractice
nerstones evident in the foregoing brief history andcanbenefitfromthemethodsandtech-
of my professional life in landscape architecture. niques I have developed and used effectively
First, I realized in the early 1990s that a single- foralmosttwodecadesofprivatepractice.
source textbook on the development, operation, ■ Long-time practitioners who may benefit
administration,andmanagementofaprofessional fromthemethodsandtechniquesIhavede-
landscape architecture practice was still not avail- velopedandused.
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viii The Professional Practice of Landscape Architecture
■ Allied professionals who may benefit from ■ Publicpractice
themethodsandtechniquesIhavedeveloped ■ Academicpractice
and used. (There are many similarities in ■ Corporatepractice
practicing architecture, engineering, plan- ■ Specialtypractice
ning, and other environmental design pro-
fessions.)
For the aspiring landscape architect, select-
ing a career track is an important decision that
ThefirsteditionofTheProfessionalPracticeofLand-
should receive a great deal of personal reflection
scapeArchitecturewaspublishedin1997.In2007,Iwas
andresearchofthevariousopportunitiesavailable.
asked to write a second edition. Besides updating
Matching one’s professional career goals with fi-
thematerialthatmadeupthefirstedition,twosig-
nancialopportunities,professionalgrowthpoten-
nificant changes occurred between the last decade
tial,andpersonalaimsisoneoftheimportantde-
ofthetwentiethcenturyandthefirstdecadeofthe
cisionsmadeatthestartofone’sprofessionalcareer
twenty-firstcentury.Thefirsthasbeentechnologi-
andoftenatotherpointsthroughoutone’sprofes-
caladvancementandtheintegrationofthepractice
sionallife.Professionaldevelopmentopportunities
of landscape architecture with software programs
arediscussedasalong-term,lifelongpursuit.Pro-
used in professional practice. The second is the
fessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesareoneofthe
Internet—theWorldWideWeb.So,Ihavedevoted
considerationsinselectingacareerpathandanini-
a section in Chapter 1 to technology, software and
tial employer, and in making subsequent employ-
the Web, and I have updated all of the chapters
mentdecisionsthroughoutaprofessional’scareer.
based on the influence of the Internet and how
Chapter1alsodiscussestheconceptofprofession-
digital technology has shaped the profession since
alism.
themid-1990s.
Chapter1providesanoverviewofprofessional
Ihopeyouwillfindwisdom,honesty,integrity,
registration,theLandscapeArchitectureRegistra-
andhelpfulmethodsandtechniquesinthesepages.
tionExam(LARE),andprofessionalsocieties.The
Ihopeyouwillenjoyreadingthisbookasmuchas
chapter concludes with the topic of professional
Ienjoyedwritingit.
ethicsandvalues.TheCodeofProfessionalEthics
Here’s a brief summary of what you’ll find in
andtheCodeofEnvironmentalEthicsoftheAmer-
eachchapter.
ican Society of Landscape Architects are included
attheendofthechapter.
Inaddition,Chapter1includesanoverviewof
Chapter 1: The Profession technologyandhowithasshapedlandscapearchi-
tecture in the last decade of the twentieth century
of Landscape Architecture
andthefirstdecadeofthetwenty-firstcentury.
and Professionalism
A definition of the profession of landscape archi- Chapter 2: Clients and
tectureandabriefhistoricaloverviewarethecoreof
Projects
thefirstchapter.Eighterasofprofessionalpractice
are discussed: the early park-planning era, estate
design, city planning, the urban growth era, Cali- Chapter 2 discusses the landscape architect’s
fornia and growth in the West, the environmental clients. The first part of the chapter focuses on
era,internationalpractice,andthetechnologyera. thetwobroadcategoriesofclients,publicandpri-
Chapter 1 also describes the following profes- vate,anddescribesthepostures,opportunities,and
sionalcareertracks: conditionsrelatedtodevelopingaclientmix.
A large part of the chapter discusses 12 cate-
■ Privatepractice—design gories of projects typically carried out for private
■ Privatepractice—design-build clients.UsedbytheAmericanSocietyofLandscape