News
Shortage of landscape architects to be tackled in major new campaign
9th May 2008
A major new campaign to address the severe shortage of landscape architects will be launched next week.
The Landscape Institute – the chartered body for landscape architects – will promote the benefits of the profession to young people aged between 11 and 18.
Landscape architects work on a massive range of projects from master planning the 2012 London Olympic site to creating public squares, gardens and parks across the country. They are also playing an increasing role in tackling climate change and building sustainable communities.
At the heart of the campaign, backed by Government advisors CABE Space, will be the launch of a new website, iwanttobealandscapearchitect.com, which will be unveiled at a special event in central London on 14 May.
The website includes video clips with a range of landscape architects, including Dominic Cole, lead designer on the award-winning Eden Project in Cornwall, who is currently working on a long-term vision for Hampstead Heath, Ashley Dunseath, who swapped a career working in the City to become a landscape architect, and Paj Valley whose projects include the modernisation of the Bull Ring Centre in Birmingham, a luxury hotel in Dubai and is currently working on a major regeneration project in a former mining area in Derbyshire. Also interviewed is Rachel Toms, a design review advisor with CABE, and Varsha Halabe, who initially studied architecture in India before completing a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts.
The site features written interviews with Jason Prior, the man behind the 2012 London Olympic masterplan, and Australian landscape architect Peter Wilder, whose CV includes work on the Pottsdamer Platz in Berlin, Paddington Central in London and the regeneration of Dalton Park in Newcastle.
Other content includes the history of the profession, a large range of both historic and contemporary case studies from Stonehenge to the 2012 Olympic Park and the best ways to enter the profession.
Sarah Gaventa, Director of CABE Space, said: “Landscape architects play a vital role in the creation of our public spaces. But we need to attract more people to the profession to ensure that our spaces and places are the best they can be - after all we use them every day. CABE is supporting this campaign because it is an excellent way to reach a wide audience and encourage them to consider the many benefits of a career as a landscape architect and other opportunities within this sector.”
Landscape Institute Director of Education and Membership Sue Beard said: “Landscape architects are experts in place and space, planning, designing and managing open spaces in cities, towns and the countryside. However, it is only through an expansion of the profession that we can tackle the issues such as climate change and sustainability. The current shortage of landscape architects is a major problem considering the Government’s proposals to build three million new homes and eco-towns. With Government support, we must encourage a new generation of talented and creative young people to make landscape architecture their first career choice.”
Target audiences for the project will range from 11-14 year olds considering GCSE-level subjects to 16-18 year olds looking at undergraduate level courses. As well as the website, the Landscape Institute will produce a leaflet describing the advantages of landscape architecture as a profession, a direct e-mail campaign designed to encourage exploration of the iwanttobealandscapearchitect.com website and toolkits for landscape architects visiting schools and teachers and careers advisors, downloadable from the website.
