16
NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
Inspirations
and aspirations
In this issue’s roundtable discussion,
we speak with three graduate
landscape architects.
What led you to a career in landscape architecture,
and where did you receive your qualification?
School of Design I honed in on the skills of landscape,
urbanism and design.
Sophie Fisher: Growing up I spent every spare minute
in the outdoors and as a result developed a real love
for the landscape and places I lived and visited. My
other great enjoyment was in art, drawing and design.
At a university open day I came across Landscape
Architecture and it straight away appealed as a profession that combined so many of my interests into
a collective role whilst having a positive impact on
the daily life of people. I studied at the University of
Edinburgh in Scotland, where the course emphasis is
on design creativity and craft derived from an understanding of sense of place.
James Pattullo: I knew from an early age that I wanted to become an architect. I guess thinking back it
came from my upbringing. My parents loved to renovate houses and not surprisingly they still do – I’ve
lost track of how many we’ve lived in. But dad was also
a boat builder and I have fond memories of the marina
and all his plans and scaled models of boat hulls. Not
to mention then seeing these plans become reality.
I eventually did both my Bachelor of Architectural
Studies and my Master of Landscape Architecture at
Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Architecture and Design.
Brennan Baxley: My first two years in tertiary education were general design, which included Architecture
(my primary fixation), Interior and Landscape.
Without dabbling too much energy in one concentration, by structure of the program, the projects flowed
together with a reoccurring theme of design language
- the method and strategies bridged the disciplines.
After that I had two more formal years of my focus,
primary fuelled on by the idea that landscape was
more than just front yards, and golf courses. There
were exciting temporal constraints, and living systems
to consider.
Thus after a four year professional degree, I had the
tools to be an artist, architect, and designer in the
field. During two additional years at Harvard Graduate
What was your first job in the profession?
J: My first job in Wellington was working for the
Ministry for the Environment as an intern. I worked
in the Urban Design Protocol team and then later in
the Compliance and Review team researching into
notified and non-notified District Plan changes across
New Zealand.
S: As part of the course in Edinburgh, we spent our
4th year in a practice before returning to complete
the master’s programme. I worked as an intern in
London with Townshend Landscape Architects and it
was a great opportunity to learn about the design and
delivery process whilst developing skills in a profes-