How did I get into landscape architecture?

My discovery of landscape architecture was a bit accidental… just like this image of the ‘Surprise View’ at Studley Royal, North Yorkshire. Wandering through the woods this sudden view takes you by surprise, the hidden gem is stunning and impressive!

Choosing my university subject

From a young age, until I was about 15, I was so set on studying music at university. However, when you get older reality sometimes crushes your dream as I recognised you have to be exceptional and competitive to succeed. Both of which I didn’t quite fit. Also coming from an Asian background studying an arts subject was very much frowned upon. As a result, I shifted my focus to other subjects I liked that would provide a good future and be accepted by Asian culture. This meant more science-based subjects.

Leading up to my UCAS application I planned on applying to do biochemistry. (For non-UK readers UCAS is the application you do to apply for university courses.) When it came to writing my personal statement, I struggled and I procrastinated from it. Simultaneously registered that academically I was not up there to do science. Most courses needed As which I wasn’t predicted to get so it would have been hard to get accepted. In addition, I didn’t like the career prospect of working in academia or a lab. The vision I had for myself being a biochemist was far from reality.

Besides all that, this doubt was my Western side saying to me, that you should do what you want to do, which at the time wasn’t science. I knew I enjoyed arts and sciences but I didn’t excel in a specific subject within one or the other. My Asian side said sciences, but my Western exposure and education said ‘Do what you want to do’!


Starting from scratch

Feeling lost and frustrated, I decided to start from scratch and go through every single university prospectus I got from the university fair. I stumbled across ‘Landscape Architecture’ from the bright green university prospectus which caught my attention. Sitting there I thought to myself, I have never heard of it, but it sparked my curiosity. So I began my research into the subject and found that the school garden design project I did for my GCSE graphics design was something along the lines of landscape architecture.

I enjoyed graphics design and the school garden project I did, all the research and knowledge I learned from it was really interesting. Although I needed to dig deeper to understand more, so of course I went to Google. Back then I recall there was the Landscape Institute website (the UK governing body for landscape architects), prospects UK, and this website called ‘I want to be a Landscape Architect‘. At the time it seemed there weren’t a lot of resources online and many were focused on studying and working in America so I couldn’t quite use it as a reference.

If in doubt, find a book!

With limited resources, I turned to books. I found the Oxford University Press Very Short Introduction Series published one on Landscape Architecture, link here. I brought it, read it and should I say it blew my mind a bit. I never thought there would be a subject that combines arts and sciences. If you read the book, this question of ‘Is landscape architecture an art of science‘ is explored. For me, I see landscape architecture as consisting of both and this subject encompasses all my interests into one. This was my hidden gem!

The book begins with an overview of the origins of landscape architecture and gives different project examples around the world. It then explores the scope of landscape architecture, and how far it stretches into other disciplines. For example, ecology, environmental sciences, heritage, and much more. It also covers how landscape architecture fits in our society and the importance of getting communities involved. It’s a great little book to read if you want an insight into the history of the subject and the border spectrum it covers as a discipline.

Additionally, if you are planning on studying the subject it will give you a bit of a head start and knowing what to expect in your university studies. There are recommendations for further readings and plenty of project examples you can go explore by yourself.

It all made sense

The more I read the more things started to fall into place for me. By that, I mean realising certain areas or subjects I enjoyed at school and putting them together gave me landscape architecture. In my example, subjects I enjoyed were geography, biology, chemistry, graphics design, and music. Within those subjects, I had specific areas that I liked studying about. Such as discovering I had a huge interest in the environment and sustainability from learning about it in biology and geography. I also enjoyed graphics design, using different software, and building models.

However, I didn’t know what to do with all those interests, as they didn’t seem to fall neatly into arts or sciences. I also did not want to do those subjects solely as my main university course. Not until I came across landscape architecture did I realise that I could turn my variety of interests into a career.

I did a bit more research and managed to speak to a few people who had some understanding of landscape but were not landscape architects. I also attended university open days, where I finally met some real landscape architects! I decided to apply to study landscape architecture. Will talk about my university experience in another post.

How about you?

Do you also have a range of interests in different subjects? Maybe you feel you have to choose an art or a science? What if there was an option to enjoy both? Have a little read of the book I mentioned, you might find your ‘surprise view’ in there and follow along for more posts on landscape architecture.

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