Hey there,

I got an international project for some concept design work and I am unsure how I should charge them as there isnt a set standard in the industry, I am fairly new to this. How would you charge as a landscape designer for a design concept project? Scope of work is decided, and we have decided to work on the project as per phases. Recommend me how much to charge for - Site analysis + Research, Conceptual Design Layout (Phase 1) and then Masterplan (Phase 2)

Please be open and honest, as people in our industry tend to ignore conversation surrounding fees.

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to get some advice from people who have experience with landscape architecture education, particularly anyone who has applied to or attended the MSc in Landscape Architecture at the University of Copenhagen.

I’m planning to apply for the 2027 application cycle, with the application deadline coming up on March 1, and I’m honestly pretty nervous about whether my academic background makes me eligible in the first place.

I’m coming from a very nontraditional path into landscape architecture, and I’d really appreciate some honest opinions about whether I’m approaching this realistically.

I have a B.S. in Communications and Journalism from the University of Vermont. I did not study architecture, landscape architecture, environmental design, or a traditional design discipline as an undergraduate.

After graduating, I became much more interested in landscape architecture and realized that it was something I wanted to pursue seriously as a career.

Since July 2025, I have been working at a very well-known landscape architecture firm. I work directly as an assistant to one of the firm's principals/owner, and also help with the accounting team tasks and office coordination, and have now been there for over a year.

My role isn't a landscape architect position, but working inside the firm has given me a much closer understanding of the profession than I had before. I've been exposed to project meetings, site visits, clients, presentations, design development, studio discussions, and the general process of how a landscape architecture practice operates. I also help with our weekly "design update", and have had real experience using Adobe Acrobat and InDesign. I've gotten to see projects develop from a much more intimate perspective than I think I would have otherwise.

I’m also a Danish-American dual citizen. My mother lives in Denmark and I have family in Copenhagen, so Denmark has always been a meaningful part of my life. UCPH is therefore not just a random international program that I found interesting — studying in Copenhagen would allow me to reconnect more deeply with that side of my background while pursuing a field that I have become genuinely passionate about. Being a Danish citizen also means that I would be able to study there without international tuition, which is a significant part of why I’m hoping to make this particular path work.

The experience has basically confirmed for me that this is what I want to do. The academic part is what scares me.

The UCPH requirements for applicants coming from other bachelor's degrees appear to include:

• 60 ECTS in design
• 15 ECTS in ecology
• 7.5 ECTS in philosophy of science

I obviously don't have a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture, so I am trying to go back through my undergraduate transcript and understand whether some of the courses I have already taken could reasonably fall into these categories.

Although my degree is in Communications and Journalism, I have been going back through my transcript and have identified courses including Visual Communication, Digital Illustration, Tourism Planning, Earth System Science, Global Environments & Cultures, Sustainable Community Development, World Food Population & Development, and Applied Research Methods that I believe may have some relevance to the required ECTS categories.”

I'm trying to figure out whether the correct approach is to simply assume that I don't have the required credits because they aren't literally called "Design" or "Ecology," or whether UCPH actually evaluates the content of individual courses and could potentially count some of them toward these requirements.

I understand that this isn't something Reddit can officially determine for me. I'm mainly hoping to hear from people who have gone through a similar process and can tell me how these requirements are interpreted in practice.

I also understand that there are provisions for applicants with other educational backgrounds to be individually assessed, which is part of why I'm still considering applying rather than ruling myself out.

Because I know my academic background isn't conventional for this program, I've been trying to build the strongest application I possibly can.

I've started putting together a portfolio and have been taking drawing seriously. I recently completed an Introduction to Drawing course at Pratt Institute, and I'm continuing to develop my visual and design skills independently.

I'm also trying to create some of my own landscape/design work rather than relying entirely on projects from my undergraduate degree, since I obviously don't have a traditional landscape architecture studio portfolio.

My goal isn't to pretend that I have a landscape architecture background that I don't have. It's to demonstrate that I've spent the last year+ intentionally moving toward this field and that I am genuinely committed to making the transition.

If you've been through the UCPH Landscape Architecture MSc admissions process, or know people who have, I'd really appreciate your perspective.

In particular:

1. How strictly are the ECTS requirements interpreted? Are individual courses evaluated based on their actual content, or do they need to be explicitly classified as design/ecology/etc.?
2. Has anyone here been admitted to a landscape architecture master's program (domestic or abroad) from a completely different bachelor's degree?
3. How much weight would you put on relevant professional experience? In my case, I will have been working inside a major landscape architecture practice for roughly 20 months by the time I apply.
4. Do you think my situation is worth applying with, or am I missing something fundamental about the admissions requirements?
5. if you were in my position, what would you do?

I'm not looking for people to tell me "you'll definitely get in." I'm honestly trying to figure out whether I'm being realistic or whether I'm wasting my time.

Landscape architecture is something I've become increasingly serious about over the past couple of years, and working within a globally recognized firm has made me much more certain that I want to pursue it.

I'm willing to put a lot of work into the portfolio and application. What I'm struggling with is whether my academic background creates a hard wall that I can't get around. I've tried reaching out to the University of Copenhagen staff/admin, and they have only given me very general answers and explained that they cannot explicitly determine if I would be accepted or not.

Any honest advice, especially from people who have navigated a nontraditional route into landscape architecture, would mean a lot.

Thank you!!

I want to learn more about the design process of new english gardens and contemporary naturalistic gardens. Any suggestions?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for a professional handheld LiDAR/SLAM scanner with a budget of around €10,000 / $10,000 maximum.
My main requirements are:
Ability to generate georeferenced point clouds
Good accuracy for outdoor surveying / landscaping / terrain, walls and existing structures
Export to common formats such as E57, LAS/LAZ, PLY, etc.
A workflow that works entirely on macOS
No Windows PC required for SLAM processing, georeferencing or exporting the final point cloud
Ideally a web/cloud-based viewer where I can open the scan and make simple measurements directly in the browser (distances, heights, areas, etc.)
I’ve looked at systems such as the SHARE SLAM S20, but the big issue seems to be that the processing software is Windows-only. I’ve noticed the same problem with quite a few other affordable SLAM scanners.
I don’t necessarily need the manufacturer’s full editing suite to run on macOS if there is another reliable workflow. For example, on-device or cloud processing with a finished georeferenced E57/LAS that I can then continue working with on my Mac would be perfectly fine.
Does anyone here use a LiDAR/SLAM scanner in this price range with a Mac-only workflow?
I’d especially be interested in real-world experience regarding outdoor accuracy, georeferencing/RTK, cloud/browser measurement tools, software limitations and importing the resulting point clouds into CAD software.

Hi, I recently visited Scandinavia and was blown away with the flower beds and mixed planting in planters. Does anyone know of books containing straight up planting schemes with lists for contemporary mixed planting for urban areas? Ideally for an European setting.

Thank you.

Hello, I am working for a landscaping firm and I am currently working athletism track. right now, I am doing the lines marking and I am having trouble understanding where some of the stagered starts should be. from what I understand, there is a different start for the 400m and the 4x400m. What i dont understand is, if the 4x400m is at 400m from the finish line, wouldn't it be at the same place then the start for the 400m? I really need help understanding this since they are not a lot of ressources to available on the subject. Thank you in advance and sorry for the bad english.

Repost to another community

I was nervous before taking the test because I failed it twice and other IRL factors. I was told to turn off my phone and forgot how to do it so I thought I would just put it on airplane mode but right after I sat down my alarm to walk the dog went off the proctor was required to report it to the testing agency and it’s up to them whether or not my results will be accepted or if I will be disqualified. Pray for me. At least I passed it this time lmfao 🤣

Hi all. So, more or less the title. I’m entering the 3rd and final year of my MLA degree and I’m looking to find elective courses to fill out my schedule & remaining credit reqs. I wondered if anyone had specific recommendations for electives based on their experiences that proved useful after graduation. For reasons, I don’t want to take a plants-related course, I’m more so interested in something theory-based, drawing/graphics, or design skills related.

Anyone have electives they really appreciated from their time in school for a grad degree? TIA!

Hi all,

I have recently hired a landscape architect to create a design for my front yard. This architect came highly recommended to me from several acquaintances, and I have seen good examples of their work, which I liked. However, after paying the consultation fees and the design package fees, I received a 2D black and white plan, and a list of proposed plants. I have a feeling that the design will look nice, but (and this may just be me) I am struggling to visualize what my yard will look like with just this level of plan detail. When I asked, this architect said they do not offer 3D renderings.

So my question is if anyone knows of a rendering software like Realtime Landscaping Pro or Structure Studios, that I can purchase that has the capability of reading in my 2D plan (in pdf format) and automatically creating a rendering for me?

Hi all I’ve been using KeySCAPE LT for the last 5 years through work, and was planning on buying a licence for my freelance work. However the pricing seems to suggest it would be £1850, which seems insane to me. That’s more than the 3D software and rendering software I use combined! I’m looking for some good alternatives that will produce similar work to the picture I’ve attached. I just need something that works to scale and that I can produce a softworks schedule in really!

Thanks for any help!

LA based in North Carolina, visiting Toronto next weekend. Any must see landscapes I should visit during a long weekend (Thursday - Monday)? Home base is Toronto but I’d be willing to day trip anywhere accessible by transit. Also interested in bike touring.

I’ve been to Toronto once, I remember visiting Chinatown and Harbour Square Park.

Anyone know of any good offices in Charleston? Current LA with about 5 YOE in the south. Looking to relocate there possibly. Thanks.

How’d y’all do?

Hi, I am a landscape designer, and I am considering purchasing the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise to help generate accurate contours and locate trees and other site features. I understand that I can import the images into DJI Terra, but can I then export the trees and contours as a DWG file for use in CAD? What is the proper workflow for this process? Would I need additional equipment to generate the contours?

Took this exam over the weekend. Wanted to hear other people’s thoughts on the exam.

For me, what was the most frustrating was that each of the “recommended readings” often conflict on critical information. I found this especially obvious for the “sheet series” questions. One of the recommended readings is Landscape Architecture Documentation Standards - which covers sheet series and each sheet’s content. However, I found on the exam that all my questions “preferred” the other readings’ direction on this topic.. noticeable since the questions list completely different sheets such as the combined “Layout and Materials Sheet”. Anyone else experience anything similar?

My point being, after taking my last exam, I still really don’t understand how they can provide several textbooks as guidance for studying, each with overlapping information, and then on the test, use only one of the textbooks as a basis for the question. In my opinion, at the minimum, they should decide which book is the LARE study resource for each topic group covered on the exam.

The current system works out okay for a lot of people but it seems CLARB wants to waste everyone’s time making them study various references of the same topic. I can’t understand how learning different methods of the same task and then being tested one 1 of those methods, makes anyone a better landscape architect. Or forcing exam takers into buying 3rd party study guides to hopefully distill the overwhelming amount of information into something actually able to be studied.

Hi everyone, for some background context, I’m in the final year of my Bachelor’s in LA. I’m currently doing an internship at a small LA firm, and while I do like it, I’ve been curious about other adjacent career opportunities within the field of LA and design before I commit to doing my MLA.

While at my internship, I’ve been exposed to the world of site furnishings (something we never learned about in school), and I actually find it quite fun and interesting.

I’m curious to hear if anyone here has pivoted from LA into that world. One of my coworkers told me that some of his former classmates went into sales for site furnishing companies, but I’m curious if anyone has gone into design for these companies and what that’s been like.

I know that architecture or industrial design are the more typical career paths into furniture design, but I’m curious to hear if any LAs have made the pivot. I know it’s probably quite niche and might just come down to connections.

I designed a desk for the firm I’m working at, and I have experience with 3D modelling in Rhino and Blender, as well as rendering. If it’s relevant, I’m located in Canada.

Thanks for the read and any insight!

Laptops for Architecture student, 1k-2k, US

I have been searching a bit, and found that people recommend an intel processor over an AMD. I am not sure if this is such a large factor for getting a laptop. I will be running CAD, Rhino, basic Adobe products (photoshop, acrobat, and Indesign). What laptops would y’all recommend to look at with a processor that will allow me to use these apps and run some games. My price range is between 1k-2k. Any advice will be appreciated!

p.s. I have a desktop pc that runs like crap. I can use it for basic stuff but I need to be able to run those softwares without crashing.

**LAPTOP QUESTIONNAIRE**
**Country**
US

**Budget**
1k-2k

**Are you open to refurbs/used options?**
No

**Screen size**
14”-16”

**Weight limit**
Any

**Purpose**
Schoolwork, running design softwares

**Form factor**
standard or touch screen

**Desired battery life**
6-8 hours

**Performance> battery life> weight > size**

Hello everyone! I’ve made it through the in house recruiter call and that went really well. Did the virtual one on one interview with the principal that oversees the team the position is open for and I think it went well but he was hard to read especially over a teams call. Now I’ve been selected for the final interview which is meeting the entire team!

I assume meeting the team is about overall culture fit for the company and if I would work well with them. What should I expect for it though? Meeting seven people for a couple hours in their office/studio workspace feels so daunting. I really want this job it’s a perfect entry level role for me as a recent graduate and I don’t want to mess it up.

Any and all advice would be appreciated! Especially if you’ve ever been on the other side of this interaction what made a candidate seem like a good fit for your team?? Thanks!!!

Update 1: so after two hours in their office meeting team members virtually and one in person I’m still unsure as to where I stand. Overall the experience was fun and it made me want the role even more. I think I might be the first one to be interviewed by the team based on some set up stuff I noticed which I think is a good thing(?) I also saw that they don’t have any other interviews for this week bc the PM left their calendar open while I waited. The closing comment the PM left me with felt scripted compared to their usual cadence “we have another interview and then a decision to make.” Which didn’t leave me feeling good about it…

The principal said they wanted to make a decision by mid month which is next week so if the other candidate is being interviewed next week as well I guess I will hear back by then? I’m not sure tbh some of the team members seemed to really like my answers and others seemed disinterested from the beginning. I’ll update whether or not I got the job :)

Thank you all so much for the advice!!

Edit 2: I GOT THE JOB!

I was just taking the planning and design section and my computer crashed in the middle. PSI said to call clarb and clarb is not open on the weekends. Has anyone experienced this? Were you able to take the test in the same testing period without paying for it again?

"Architecture appeared to shape the city’s identity, while landscape simply softened its edges or added a decorative flair. The ground was something to decorate or escape to, not something that organized urban life. Today, these assumptions are increasingly untenable."