Site Grading in the Professional Practice of Landscape Architecture

The process involved in site grading fits into the continuum of what it means to practice landscape architecture. Practitioners of landscape architecture and its allied professions of civil engineering and architecture, together in teams, design and oversee construction of our built environments. The built environment may be an office or campus complex, a regional park or zoo, individual residences or a residential community, a public facility such as a library or museum, or a wetland restoration project. Working individually or together with other design consultants, landscape architects design places for living, working, and recreation, as well as a cornucopia of environmental restoration, remediation, and resource management project types, at a range of scale from a quarter-acre lot to parcels of thousands of acres. The landscape architect’s role is generally defined as the leader in the site planning, design, and management of the areas outside the footprint of buildings and other structures such as roads and infrastructure. While the overlap between the responsibilities of the architect, civil engineer, and landscape architect is minimal (landscape architects are not licensed or trained to design buildings), the distinction between the work defined as engineering and that defined as landscape architecture may seem at times less clear, with significant areas of overlap. Where overlap may occur, discussion will ensue to define and assign responsibilities at the time of contract negotiations. For example, the landscape architect may set preliminary elevations and design for the built structures, preliminary site design of landscape and paved areas, and then carry out the full design for specialized site improvements such as fountains, pools, and outdoor uses areas. Preliminary site-grading design may also include setting the initial grades (elevations) of parking lots and areas adjacent to buildings, as well as a preliminary surface drainage plan in landscape and hardscape areas. Once this preliminary work is completed, the landscape architect will prepare site-grading plans for specified work, and the civil engineer will prepare the finalized technical plans, roadway alignments, and drainage infrastructure. This