Delegate registrations for the 2010 conference are now open. An exciting programme (click here for the draft programme) with a theme of “landscape architecture... adding value” will focus on four sub-themes:
- Green building within the context of green cities
- Regenerative landscapes – brownfields development, reclamation and rehabilitation
- The role of landscape architecture in public precincts, squares and parks to facilitate densification and social cohesion
- Urban greening and ecological systems within cities.

The conference is aimed at landscape architects and their clients (fellow professionals such as architects, urban designers and civil engineers as well as client bodies such as government and municipal departments and property developers).

ILASA hopes to achieve three main goals through the staging of the conference:
- To illustrate to potential clients the value landscape architects can add to built-environment projects.
- To improve the standard of landscape architecture in South Africa through knowledge sharing among professionals.
- To provide a networking forum to the various clients, professionals, contractors and suppliers involved in the field of landscape architecture.

Landscape architectural firms are encouraged not to only book seats for their staff, but also for their clients and fellow built-environment professionals.

To secure your seat at the 2010 ILASA conference, register now to qualify for the early bird rate.
 (click here to register)

Following the overwhelming positive response to the staging of the 2009 ILASA Awards of Excellence, the institute is delighted to announce that it has already started organising the 2011 Awards, with the awards ceremony to be staged in KwaZulu-Natal, early in 2011. The purpose of the Awards of Excellence is to recognise exceptional landscape architectural work that has exceeded the normal standards expected of a professional landscape architect.

Professional firms are encouraged to enter the Awards of Excellence as it offers a significant opportunity to gain publicity for their work and for the profession in general. Official documentation that will detail the entry requirements and process will be circulated in the next quarter. In the meanwhile landscape architects are requested to register their intent to participate in the 2011 Awards of Excellence season.
 (click through to registration page)

Does an opportunity exist for South African landscape architects to export their services to other countries, in particular to the rest of Africa and the Middle East? The Built Environment Professions Export Council (BEPEC) believes that ILASA members should seriously consider such an opportunity – some firms already export their services very successfully, especially in the fields of hotel and resort design, as well as mine rehabilitation.

ILASA is considering endorsing BEPEC and in so doing, open the way for landscape architectural firms to also join BEPEC. Apart from staging networking opportunities where landscape architects can meet potential client bodies, BEPEC also organises trips for business delegations to other countries and help source government and international funding for consulting services on infrastructure projects.

ILASA is continuing its discussions with the South African Council for the Landscape Architectural Profession (SACLAP) regarding the continual professional development (CPD) system. SACLAP has indicated that it has approved ILASA’s CPD programme for the year in principle, subject to the confirmation of point allocations. As soon as this process is completed, ILASA will start to issue its members with “CPD certificates” for ILASA events attended. It would be up to each individual, though, to submit these certificates to SACLAP on an annual basis in order to maintain their professional registrations.

A bold decision made by ILASA last year entailed the dropping of membership fees for students. The result is that student numbers are beginning to grow. ILASA has recently appointed a dedicated contact person for each region to liaise with universities and universities of technology.

We will report in the next newsletter on actual increases in the number of student memberships.

One of ILASA’s goals for the current financial year (Aug 2009 – July 2010) is to significantly improve the institute’s financial wellbeing. This in turn, should position ILASA to meet is goals of marketing the concept of landscape architecture and attracting more people to the field through student bursaries, for example (refer to the constitution on ILASA’s website for the institute’s mission and goals).
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ILASA’s budget for the current financial year is available to members on request (e-mail ilasa@ilasa.co.za to obtain a password in order to read the budget online). As of date ILASA has more than doubled its income for this year, when compared to the previous year. However the goal is to increase the income eight-fold in total and the 2010 conference will play a major role in this regard – through raising additional corporate sponsorships for the institute, increased membership and delegate fees.

Last week ILASA participated in a workshop staged by the Council for the Built Environment (CBE). The CBE is a government body that collectively represents six built environment professions councils, including the South African Council for the Landscape Architectural Profession (SACLAP). Since SACLAP recognises ILASA as a voluntary organisation within the field of landscape architecture, it was invited to participate in the workshop.

The findings of the research firm DNA – appointed by the CBE to undertake the study – was presented and discussed at the workshop. About landscape architecture the report stated the following: “The landscape architecture sector in South Africa is relatively small, consisting of up to 60 micro- to small-sized firms. The supply of landscape architects is quite limited, with only 123 individuals registered with SACLAP as of October 2009, and a very small pipeline of students expected to graduate in the near term. Supply is constricted by both the high maths and science demands of the courses, and the limited public profile of the profession (which tends to discourage potential students).

“Buyer power in landscape architecture is often substantial. Smaller clients may not be aware of the value added by a professional qualification, and are happy to substitute for the services of unqualified individuals. On larger projects in both the public and private sector, landscape architecture may again be either regarded as unnecessary or as a luxury service and landscape architects are often brought into projects fairly late, and on the request of other built environment professionals such as architects. Given these factors, the clients of landscape architects are often able to exert considerable downward pressure on fees, with the majority of landscape architects offering their services at fee levels well below those recommended by SACLAP.

“Barriers to entry in the industry are low, and a number of firms have entered the market in the last decade. However, the sector is still relatively underdeveloped and fragmented, so levels of competitive rivalry remain low.

One of the areas of intervention in the field of landscape architecture, recommended by the CBE’s researchers is that of client education. DNA’s report states: “....in landscape architecture, project and construction management, and (to a lesser extent) property valuation, the client is often not aware of the value of the professional service offering, which affects their willingness to hire registered professionals.

“To the extent that client ignorance leads to under-use of the appropriate professional skills, this will tend to degrade the quality of the built environment, and should thus be of concern to the CBE. It will also tend to decrease the value of the qualifications and registrations administered by the CBE, which may tend to weaken the CBE’s regulatory position in the industry as a whole. The area of client education may thus be an appropriate area for increased support by the CBE.”

Since one of ILASA’s goals is to promote the concept of landscape architecture to potential client bodies, the CBE’s finding is encouraging. ILASA is looking forward to the CBE’s support in working towards this goal!

Another goal of ILASA is to ensure that the profession transforms and becomes more representative of the South African population. However, the CBE’s research has confirmed that the current education system is failing to produce enough school leavers with the necessary science and maths qualifications – a requirement to enrol to study landscape architecture in South Africa.

DNA’s report states: “.... a very small number of school leavers have the necessary qualifications to enter technical courses such as those necessary for the built environment professions, and many faculties compete for such students. As at 2006, only 700 African students, equivalent to only 0.1% of matric candidates, achieved at least a C in higher grade mathematics. Given these statistics, it is easy to see how lower-profile built environment professions which require students with good mathematics skills, such as landscape architecture, have remained almost entirely untransformed.

“Much of the transformation battle is therefore lost by the time students have matriculated. It would be very desirable for a body such as the CBE to become more active in the promotion of maths and science education at secondary (and indeed primary) level, as part of a longer term strategy to transform the built environment professions, and address supply shortages in areas such as engineering.”

An aspect of the South African public sector’s methodology for the procurement of built-environment consultancy services was questioned by many of the delegates at last week’s CBE workshop. Most delegates argued that professional consultancy services should not be procured on the basis of price. Fee cutting leads to inferior services which ultimately affect the quality of public sector service delivery, they reasoned. While competition in terms of the appointment of professionals is essential, the measurable should not be price alone, but rather the competency and skills on offer by the consultant while other factors such as black economic empowerment credentials should also be considered, they elaborated.

One delegate pointed out that a consultant such as an architect or landscape architect should in fact act as an agent for the client (government in this case) and have the client’s interests at heart in terms of service delivery. Therefore a consultant should not be appointed as a contractor. She also recommended that government should establish a vision for the kind of built-environment the country requires and that consultants should commit themselves to work towards this goal.

Interestingly another delegate - with lots of experience as a public sector official - pointed out that many people in government prefer turnkey contracts where a contractor is appointed to deliver a design-and-build service. This she says is because of the poor level of service received from built environment professionals. But could this be a symptom of procuring consultancy services on price alone? Is it not true that as long as fees are cut, the level of professional services would be sub-standard?

On the issue of interaction with the public sector, the DNA’s research report for the CBE states: “In five of the six professions examined (property valuers being the exception), interactions with the public sector were highly problematic. Specific areas of concern that were mentioned by interviewees included cash-flow risk from late payment by public sector clients; lack of technical skills in procurement and project management; and an excessive focus on cost to the detriment of a quality in tender evaluation processes.

“It may be appropriate for the CBE to become more involved in facilitating the interaction between the public sector and the built environment professions. The public sector is an important source of income for the six professions (particularly during economic downturns, when private sector expenditure is reduced), and has a major impact on the quality of the built environment as a whole. The CBE may be able to play an important role in championing best practice standards in public sector procurement.”

ILASA needs to point out that the CBE’s appointed researchers are still in the process of collating information and writing the draft reports. Part of this process involved last week’s workshop. Once the final report on the state and health of the built environment professions is completed, it will be submitted to the Minister of Public Works. In the meantime, ILASA members can forward any comments or suggestions on the report and topics discussed at the workshop to the institute’s president, Stuart Glen (ilasa@ilasa.co.za) who would take these up with the CBE as part of ILASA’s participation in the process.

The Green Industries Council of South Africa (GICSA) has changed the dates of its 2010 conference to 11 and 12 August. The event will now take place at the Elangeni in Durban.

ILASA members are reminded that South Africa will host the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) congress in 2012. The event is being planned for Cape Town in April 2012.