I'm currently doing my final year of BArch in the UK and I'm considering doing a MLA after and becoming a chartered LA as I'm interested in the environment and urban environment. Also architecture as a career doesn't seem to be very rewarding from what I've read on here even though I like designing buildings .. But I'm curious...
What is the pay like as a LA compared to architects?
Do you spend your time working on big city projects or mainly residential gardens and smaller sites?
Are LAs in demand in the UK? Don't want to spend another 2 year (and £18k) studying for a field I can't even crack into after
Do you find this career path rewarding/worth it?
I've seen statistics on salaries/employment etc online but don't know how accurate they are and would like to hear from
Thanks!
Marc Miller
Mar 27, 18 2:33 pm
You mean any UK LA's...
In the US you can look at average entry salaries through the annual survey run by the ASLA.
3tk
Mar 27, 18 3:30 pm
In US the residential side is much larger market. Overall the pay is, I believe, lower than architects - fewer jobs with higher fees. That being said it is a comfortable living.
Much of the work can lack the glamour of a public park or civic plaza, but even mundane streetscapes and campus retrofits are opportunities for nice design. Residential is a higher turnaround area with more design in general. I've done residential, municipal and institutional work. Each has its merits and frustrations.
The profession likes to think it is growing. There is more public awareness and appreciation for the skill set and the field now has leaders in environmental restoration and urban planning work but it is still relatively small. One area of risk is that in many projects landscape is the first to suffer major cutbacks for budget. This can lead to higher employment risk.
Rewarding? That depends on what you enjoy. Having worked within architecture as well as landscape architecture, the mindset can be different. Architecture, in my opinion, is more precious and the end product is immediate, landscape architecture is a field that anticipates the final design rather than dictate the steps to it (plants grow, hardscape ages, etc.). There also is a stronger ecological bent overall as the projects often interact with the surroundings more intimately than buildings.
I'm not sure how it is in the UK, but on this side of the pond a lot of people with architecture degrees end up in landscape architecture without going back to school. The skillsets (software and construction) translate readily in the firms.
Cc606
Mar 27, 18 6:57 pm
Thanks for the info!
Cc606
Mar 27, 18 7:03 pm
So I'm guessing landscape architecture doesn't pay that well then if it's lower than architecture. One of the reasons I wanted to go into LA apart from wanting to positively I influence urban and green spaces was because I thought it may pay more (in the UK there is a high supply of architecture graduates and therefore harder to get a job+lower pay). I have family members who are architects and they don't get paid as much as people who don't study architecture think they do, especially after studying for so long. Several UK reports estimate a 6% growth (higher than normal) in the next 10 years and boasts a three year all time low in unemployment in LA. Could be different in
US.
Cc606
Mar 27, 18 7:03 pm
I don't know how accurate/trustworthy these sites are though...
Larchinect
Mar 28, 18 10:28 pm
You dont practice LA or Architecture for the pay.
I've been practicing LA/urban design for over 10 years, work on all scales of projects from back yards to 500 acre master plans.
I LOVE what I do and wouldnt even think about changing professions. However, it is grueling, long hours, and the pay is not great. But I love it.
I'm currently doing my final year of BArch in the UK and I'm considering doing a MLA after and becoming a chartered LA as I'm interested in the environment and urban environment. Also architecture as a career doesn't seem to be very rewarding from what I've read on here even though I like designing buildings .. But I'm curious...
What is the pay like as a LA compared to architects?
Do you spend your time working on big city projects or mainly residential gardens and smaller sites?
Are LAs in demand in the UK? Don't want to spend another 2 year (and £18k) studying for a field I can't even crack into after
Do you find this career path rewarding/worth it?
I've seen statistics on salaries/employment etc online but don't know how accurate they are and would like to hear from
Thanks!
You mean any UK LA's...
In the US you can look at average entry salaries through the annual survey run by the ASLA.
In US the residential side is much larger market. Overall the pay is, I believe, lower than architects - fewer jobs with higher fees. That being said it is a comfortable living.
Much of the work can lack the glamour of a public park or civic plaza, but even mundane streetscapes and campus retrofits are opportunities for nice design. Residential is a higher turnaround area with more design in general. I've done residential, municipal and institutional work. Each has its merits and frustrations.
The profession likes to think it is growing. There is more public awareness and appreciation for the skill set and the field now has leaders in environmental restoration and urban planning work but it is still relatively small. One area of risk is that in many projects landscape is the first to suffer major cutbacks for budget. This can lead to higher employment risk.
Rewarding? That depends on what you enjoy. Having worked within architecture as well as landscape architecture, the mindset can be different. Architecture, in my opinion, is more precious and the end product is immediate, landscape architecture is a field that anticipates the final design rather than dictate the steps to it (plants grow, hardscape ages, etc.). There also is a stronger ecological bent overall as the projects often interact with the surroundings more intimately than buildings.
I'm not sure how it is in the UK, but on this side of the pond a lot of people with architecture degrees end up in landscape architecture without going back to school. The skillsets (software and construction) translate readily in the firms.
Thanks for the info!
So I'm guessing landscape architecture doesn't pay that well then if it's lower than architecture. One of the reasons I wanted to go into LA apart from wanting to positively I influence urban and green spaces was because I thought it may pay more (in the UK there is a high supply of architecture graduates and therefore harder to get a job+lower pay). I have family members who are architects and they don't get paid as much as people who don't study architecture think they do, especially after studying for so long. Several UK reports estimate a 6% growth (higher than normal) in the next 10 years and boasts a three year all time low in unemployment in LA. Could be different in
US.
I don't know how accurate/trustworthy these sites are though...
You dont practice LA or Architecture for the pay.
I've been practicing LA/urban design for over 10 years, work on all scales of projects from back yards to 500 acre master plans.
I LOVE what I do and wouldnt even think about changing professions. However, it is grueling, long hours, and the pay is not great. But I love it.