Landscape Architect
Landscape Architect (Kiến trúc sư cảnh quan)
Landscape Architect thiết kế không gian ngoài trời — công viên, vườn, quảng trường, đường phố, khu đô thị — kết hợp thực vật, đất, nước, kiến trúc + ergonomic public space. Là ngành kết hợp kiến trúc, môi trường, sinh thái và nghệ thuật.
Khi bạn dạo bộ tại High Line New York (công viên trên đường ray cũ), thư giãn tại Gardens by the Bay Singapore (super tree iconic), uống cafe dưới hàng cây sao đen đường Tôn Đức Thắng — bạn đang trải nghiệm tác phẩm của Landscape Architect.
Landscape Architect (Kiến trúc sư cảnh quan) là nghệ sĩ thiết kế không gian ngoài trời — kết hợp thực vật, đất, nước, đá, kiến trúc, lighting. Khác với gardener (chỉ trồng + chăm cây) — họ design space + experience. Là ngành ngày càng quan trọng tại đô thị Việt Nam với áp lực bê tông hóa + biến đổi khí hậu.
01Landscape Architect là ai?
Landscape Architect (Kiến trúc sư cảnh quan) là chuyên gia thiết kế không gian ngoài trời + cảnh quan ở mọi scale. Phân loại theo loại project: (1) Public space LA — công viên, quảng trường, đường phố, waterfront, riverwalk; (2) Residential LA — vườn nhà riêng, sân vườn villa, biệt thự; (3) Commercial / Mixed-use LA — landscape cho mall, office, mixed-use development; (4) Hospitality LA — resort, hotel garden, golf course; (5) Urban Planning LA — master plan đô thị, green network, blue infrastructure; (6) Restoration / Ecological LA — wetland, mangrove, brown field restoration. Specialization: tropical landscape đặc thù VN.
Khác với Architect (kiến trúc tòa nhà) — Landscape Architect không gian ngoài trời. Khác với Gardener / Horticulturist (trồng + chăm cây) — LA design + plan. Khác với Urban Planner (zoning + transportation) — LA detail cảnh quan. Khác với Interior Designer (indoor) — LA outdoor. Hợp tác chặt với: Architect, Urban Planner, Civil Engineer, Horticulturist, Lighting Designer, Irrigation Engineer, Contractor, Government planning agency.
- Design cảnh quan + công viên
- Plan plant species + soil + water
- Integrate kiến trúc + ánh sáng
- Consider sustainability + climate
Landscape Architect — design không gian ngoài trời + cảnh quan
Landscape Architect work cùng Architect + Urban Planner trong large project, hoặc lead trong project landscape pure (park, garden). Quy trình: site analysis (1-2 tuần) → concept design (3-6 tuần) → schematic design (4-8 tuần) → design development (6-12 tuần) → construction documents → tender → construction (3-24 tháng) → planting season + handover. Báo cáo Principal / Design Director / Project Manager. Phối hợp với Architect, Civil Engineer, Hydrologist, Horticulturist. Project: residential garden (3-6 tháng), boutique park (6-18 tháng), large park / waterfront (1-3 năm), urban master plan (2-5 năm).
02Công việc của một Landscape Architect
1. Site analysis + concept
Visit site multiple time. Document: topography (slope, elevation), climate (sun path, wind, rainfall), soil + drainage, existing vegetation + ecology, view + sight line, infrastructure (utility, road, building). Develop concept: design narrative, mood board, plant palette, material palette. Sketch + present to client.
- Site analysis thorough
- Concept + narrative
- Present client
Site analysis + concept
2. Design development — plant + hardscape
Develop concept thành detail. Master plan — overall layout, zone (passive area, active, water feature, pathway). Planting plan — species selection (specific cho climate, soil, sun condition), mature size, growth rate, seasonal interest. Hardscape design — paving, wall, pergola, bench, fountain. Water + drainage — pond, irrigation, stormwater. Lighting plan. 3D visualization qua Lumion, SketchUp, V-Ray.
- Master plan
- Planting plan
- Hardscape + water
Master plan
Planting plan
3. Construction documents + tender
Production drawing cho contractor: layout plan, grading + drainage plan, planting schedule (species + quantity + size), hardscape detail (paving section, wall detail, joint), irrigation plan, lighting layout, specifications (material standard, planting guideline, maintenance schedule). Manage tender — landscape contractor + nursery + supplier.
- Construction drawing
- Planting schedule
- Tender
CD + tender
4. Site supervision + planting + handover
Site visit regularly during construction. Verify grading + drainage proper, hardscape installed correctly, plant size + species match spec. Coordinate planting season (tropical: bắt đầu mùa mưa for establishment). Supervise install — root ball orientation, soil mix, mulch. Punch list. Handover với maintenance manual (watering, pruning, fertilizing schedule).
- Site visit
- Planting supervision
- Maintenance handover
Site + planting
03Landscape Architect cần giỏi gì?
Design sense + landscape composition
Eye for outdoor design — line, form, texture, color of landscape. Study master: Roberto Burle Marx (Brazilian — tropical king), Frederick Law Olmsted (Central Park), Piet Oudolf (High Line, perennial planting), Kongjian Yu (Sponge City), Vietnam: Vo Trong Nghia (bamboo + green).
Plant + horticulture knowledge
Foundation. Hundreds of plant — name (Latin + common), growth habit, light + water requirement, mature size, seasonal interest. Tropical VN: bằng lăng, sao đen, lát hoa, ngọc lan, hoa giấy, dương xỉ, cau cảnh, bàng Đài Loan, lộc vừng. Build personal plant library qua plant visit, nursery tour, encyclopedia. Read: "Tropical Plants for Home and Garden".
Topography + site engineering
Understand grading, drainage, slope stability. Read topo map. Plan stormwater management. Calculate cut + fill earthwork. Basic structural understanding cho retaining wall, pergola.
Công cụ: AutoCAD, SketchUp, Rhino, Lumion, GIS
AutoCAD + Civil 3D — drafting + grading. SketchUp + Rhino — 3D modeling, fluid form. Lumion + Enscape + Twinmotion — tức thời render landscape (excellent for vegetation library). Land F/X — landscape-specific CAD plugin. GIS (QGIS, ArcGIS) — large-scale + urban project. Photoshop, InDesign — presentation.
Sustainability + ecology
Modern landscape architecture = sustainability-driven. Understand: native vs invasive species, biodiversity, urban heat island, stormwater management (rain garden, bioswale), permeable paving, low-water (xeriscape). Certification: SITES, LEED, WELL. Tropical VN climate adaptation.
Client + stakeholder communication
Project public space involve government, community, developer. Communicate clearly. Run public consultation. Defend design rationale. Manage long timeline (plant take year to mature — vision long-term).
04Làm cách nào để trở thành Landscape Architect?
Nền tảng: Kiến trúc Cảnh quan / Landscape Architecture. VN: ĐH Kiến trúc TP.HCM/HN — Khoa Cảnh quan, ĐH Lâm nghiệp (cảnh quan), ĐH Nông Lâm. Quốc tế: Harvard GSD, UPenn, LSU, Cornell, UC Berkeley, Lincoln University (NZ), Wageningen (NL). Thêm: book "Landscape Architecture" (Norman Booth), "Planting Design Illustrated".
VN firm có landscape division: Vo Trong Nghia Architects, SCDA, NAG Studio, JTL, Belt Collins Vietnam, Out-2 Design. Quốc tế: Sasaki, OLIN, Hargreaves, SWA, James Corner Field Operations, Turenscape. Junior: drafting, plant research, project support.
3-6 năm — lead small-medium project. Develop concept. Run construction document. Visit site. Specialize: residential garden, resort, urban park, ecological.
6-12 năm — Senior LA. Lead large project. Develop own design philosophy. Mentor. Lead pitch. Manage client relationship.
12-20 năm — Principal at large firm hoặc start own studio. VN landscape architect often partner với architect for cross-discipline studio (architecture + landscape).
Lộ trình dài hạn: (1) Studio principal — boutique firm, signature work; (2) Design director at large firm; (3) Government consultant — urban green plan; (4) Academic + researcher — ĐH Kiến trúc faculty; (5) Sustainability + ecological specialist — wetland, climate adaptation; (6) Resort + hospitality specialist — high-end resort cảnh quan (VN có market mạnh). Lương: VN LA junior 12-22M/tháng; mid 22-50M; senior 50M-120M; Principal 120M-300M+. Quốc tế: $60K-$100K mid; $100K-$170K senior; Principal $170K-$350K. Demand tăng tại VN với urbanization, climate change awareness, premium real estate market. Long-term meaningful career.
