General information
In light of the global outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), the Landscape Institute has chosen to suspend all in-person events until further notice.
In addition, the LI team has adopted a remote working policy. We have asked our employees and volunteers not to travel to external engagements, replacing face-to-face meetings with remote alternatives where possible. The LI Office on Tottenham Court Road in London will be closed to visitors until further notice.
Over the past two years, the LI has invested in substantial improvements to our digital infrastructure. These investments are are now paying off, as we are able to be agile in our response to this crisis. We can provide most day-to-day services, such as fielding email and telephone queries from members, as normal.
The LI management team is meeting daily to assess how we best continue to ensure a smooth continuation of service to our members and partners. We are considering all viable alternatives to face-to-face meetings, including telephone, videoconference, webinars, and web chat.
We are assessing our upcoming events and activities on a case-by-case basis and updating the relevant stakeholders directly before sharing general updates here. Keep an eye on this page for the latest information. In the meantime, all our usual channels are still open, so if you need to get in touch, please don’t hesitate to do so.
We know this period will be challenging. For some, the effects are already becoming apparent. We will do our best to provide as much support as possible to members and their families by sharing the most up-to-date information and resources available, as well as promote and support the work of charities such as Perennial and the Architects Benevolent Society.
Pathway to Chartership
In line with our travel restrictions for staff and volunteers, the LI will not be holding in-person Pathway to Chartership (P2C) exams for the foreseeable future.
We have running a number of online pilot exams over the last few months, to help us ascertain how best to deliver a quality online experience to candidates, examiners and monitors. We are now engaging with examiners to provide training and support on our revised processes.
We have significantly increased the number of online exams in December 2020 and January 2021 for candidates who had already registered to take their exams in 2020. Our intention is to continue with online exams beyond January, most likely on a quarterly basis.
Online exams do take slightly longer and require additional resource to deliver. We have allocated extra LI team members, and are seeking more volunteers to help us over this crucial period.
If you have any questions, please get in touch via pathway@landscapeinstitute.org.
LI Library and Archive at Reading
The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) galleries are open from 9.00 to 5.00pm on Tuesday through Friday, and 10.00am-5.00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Booking is no longer required.
If you would like to visit the Reading Room, please ensure that you read the updated reading room guidance before contacting MERL.
Note that we can only accept bookings in advance, and that our reading room is operating with reduced opening hours:
- Tuesday-Friday: 9.30am-12.30pm; 1.30pm-4.00pm (we close for an hour at lunch)
You can find out more about our collections here, or consult this short film about the landscape collections at the MERL.
If you are unable to visit, you can still access collections via our database. You can also obtain copies of items from our collections; further information about copying services is available here.
You can also visit our Virtual Reading Room at vrr.reading.ac.uk. If you register and sign in, you can access landscape architect archives here. Search (for example) AR COL for Brenda Colvin’s projects, Eggborough Power Station and Gale Common; or AR MW for the Milner White project files of the Central Electricity Generating Board.
If you have an enquiry regarding the collections held at MERL, please email merl@reading.ac.uk.