Kelly's background in perception helps him teach students how just changing a few vertical elements of design can make people want to linger in one spot for an afternoon. A little art, a little math Art and design aren't the only talents landscape architecture taps. Landscape architects must do the math involved in designing irrigation, drainage and lighting systems. They make decisions about public health and safety. Beyond that, landscape architects have a mission to protect the environment.
Students combine input from the client with their own ideas.
Clients have no obligation to use the student's plans, but many incorporate elements of the student plans into their projects. Designing a golf course Steve Gibson worked with professionals at Marshall Erdman and Associates to find the best use for a 3,000-acre parcel near Spring Green. The land is mostly undeveloped, save for a few rental homes. To do that, he had to understand human activity and its impacts on natural and cultural systems, and then create a design to minimize those impacts. His plan includes planting orchards, providing hiking paths, restoring old buildings and building a conference center for the Marshall Erdman Academy for Sustainable Design.