How are professional collaborations important in the field of landscape architecture?
They are exceptionally important, both within in the office and external to the office. Office collaborations are a great experience, and can also be incredibly trying. Over time everyone in the profession learns to develop ways of working with his or her own ego. You develop the ability to give and take with the people you work with on a daily basis; you learn a lot of interpersonal skills and develop leadership qualities to know when to step forward and when to step back. Collaborations external to the office are incredibly important too – you build relationships in a different way; often you’re on the phone exchanging documents with an irrigation consultant or discussing project requirements with the civil engineer. The key to good collaboration is having everyone feel they are in a trustworthy working relationship one that is not adversarial. Deadlines change, there’s always a give and take, and it’s important to remember everyone is trying to work toward the same goal. What are th
