Survey: Landscape architecture firms on the rise across country

St. Louis Daily Record & St. Louis Countian, Feb 11, 2005 by Cody McCullough

(This article originally ran in the Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, OR, another Dolan Media publication).

The demand for landscape architecture services is growing significantly across the country, according to the latest Business Indicators Survey released by the American Society of Landscape Architects.

The survey, which is based on information gathered in 2004 from more than 1,000 private-sector landscape architecture firms, also showed that landscape architecture firms are growing in size, billing rates are increasing dramatically, and the client base for the profession continues to expand, most significantly in the public sector.

This survey confirms what we've been hearing from our members - that it's a very good time to be a landscape architect, said Nancy C. Somerville, executive vice president of ASLA. Since it takes three data points to establish a trend line, the latest survey definitively indicates that the profession is growing rapidly in terms of impact and prosperity.

Indicators for the survey included market sectors, project types, client types, billing rates, contract types, design competition participation, marketing, spending and construction cost ratios and profit margins. ASLA commissioned the first business indicators survey in 1997 and repeated it in 1999, before commissioning the latest survey.

I do think that things are picking up, said David Walters, president of the Oregon ASLA chapter and a landscape architect with MIG Inc.

Despite the good news, Walters warned there is currently a shortage of qualified landscape architects. He predicts that shortfall will only become more pronounced as more baby boomers retire.

Returning to the positive information garnered from the ASLA survey, Walters said that work for MIG definitely picked up during the last quarter of 2004 and that the first quarter of 2005 is off to a strong start.

There are always peaks and valleys, but in the big picture of things, this is the place to be, Walters said.

He believes there are three areas contributing to the local growth of the landscape architecture industry: security upgrades, sustainability and smart growth.

I think these areas are increasing the amount of business for landscape architects, Walters said.

Tom Jones, senior project manager and a landscape architect with W&H Pacific, agrees that sustainability is an area contributing to the growth of the landscape architecture industry.

The movement toward sustainability has helped to foster further growth in the profession, Jones said.

According to Jones, the amount of work in the sustainable design area has really grown over the years for landscape architecture firms, which now work on projects such as green roofs, porous pavement and storm-water management.

There has been a tremendous growth, Jones said.

Jones, however, believes that the growth of the landscape architecture industry is nothing new. Since joining W&H Pacific in 1984, which at that time was named Wilsey & Ham, Jones has seen the firm's landscape architecture work grow.

We have just been swamped, Jones said. We haven't slowed down for probably 15 years.

The ASLA Business Indicators Survey is currently available for purchase along with the 2004 ASLA Salary Survey at $135 for ASLA members and $270 for nonmembers by visiting http://www.asla.org. Each survey is available for single purchase at $75 apiece for ASLA members and $150 for nonmembers.