Finding Your Place: Landscape Architecture in Engineering(-first) Design Firms - 1.25 PDH (LA CES/non-HSW)

Recorded On: 10/08/2024

Exacerbated by the retirement of the boomer generation, the pandemic, and the "great migration," landscape architects across the country have been searching for their place within the industry. Hear from landscape architecture practice leaders within engineering-first firms and learn how collaboration, culture, and identity align for practitioners to thrive in these workplaces.

Learning objectives:

Learn the different types of practices common among landscape architects, and understand how several factors have led to an influx of professionals seeking careers in multidisciplinary design firms.
Learn how collaboration happens within multidisciplinary design firms, and understand how it differs from singular-discipline firms.
Learn how success is measured in engineering-first design firms and how this metric can affect culture and identity within the firm.
Understand the advantages and disadvantages of working within multidisciplinary design firms.

Scott Wiley, ASLA, PLA

Director of Landscape Architecture

Timmons Group

Scott is the Director of Landscape Architecture at Timmons Group, father and husband, avid fisherman, and outdoor enthusiast. He has championed the growth of landscape architecture within his firm, which employs over 30 professionals in his home state of Virginia. He enjoys serving both public and private clients and relies on his extensive planning and design experience to lead complex projects from concept to completion. With over 15 years dedicated to an engineering-first design firm, Scott is an advocate for integrated practice, collaborating across disciplines to deliver transformational projects to the firm's clients.

Catherine Puckett, ASLA, PLA

Landscape Architecture Studio Lead

HWC Engineering

The sole landscape architect when she began at HWC, Catherine has been instrumental in the growth of a team that now includes thirteen landscape architects and seven planners. With an eye for design and compassion for both the client and end-user, she has been involved with the renewal and re-imaging of downtown districts and public spaces in cities and towns across Indiana. Catherine, and her team, have had the opportunity to lead a wide range of creatively funded place-based design projects including parks, trails, streetscapes, aquatics, urban mixed-use developments, land planning efforts, and context sensitive site designs.

Jennifer Seacrest, ASLA, PLA

Lead Landscape Architect

Olsson Studio

Jennifer is a technical leader with Olsson Studio. She has experience in domestic and international landscape architecture including conceptual design, technical documentation, and on-site construction administration. Throughout her career, she has coordinated, managed, and led the design, development, and implementation of complex projects, both private and public. Jennifer also oversees a team of landscape architecture and planning experts. Jennifer is an award-winning landscape architect with experience on a multitude of project types, including international work. In 2019, Jennifer received a gubernatorial appointment to the Nebraska Board of Landscape Architecture and currently serves as the chair.